The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the best action-role-playing video game. Bethesda developed this single-player game in 2011, and it’s still popular even in 2022. Its support for mods and player-created content is the reason behind this game’s success.
Unfortunately, Skyrim is prone to frequent crashes and glitches. Most of the time, gamers can resolve these technical issues by restarting the game. However, the game might often refuse to open or crash at a specific location. The Skyrim crash log can help you to eliminate the problem in certain situations.
Now, let’s get to know more about the crash logs of this online RPG game.
Skyrim Crash Log — What is it & Why is it Important?
Crash logs are files generated by Skyrim when the game encounters a problem. These crash logs turn off the online game to resolve the technical error. These Skyrim files store the data regarding what happened during the game crash.
Almost all the latest action role-playing games contain crash logs. It checks the data that these files save to troubleshoot the bugs and coding errors.
Does the Skyrim app keep on crashing?
Then, you must get to know about the game’s crash log. It will help you to prevent the Skyrim crash problems in future.
An unwanted crash can restrict you from playing the game. Moreover, finding which mod has caused the issue can be difficult. Thus, you must check the log files to determine the source of the problem.
Easy Steps to Enable the Skyrim Crash Log
Skyrim uses the Papyrus engine to store and define the crash logs. However, Bethesda has disabled this Papyrus crash log in Skyrim by default. You must enable it to fix the crashing issues while playing the game online.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to enable the Skyrim crash log.
- Locate the Skyrim.ini file
Skyrim uses the “.ini” file to store all the game configuration-related details. Usually, it is located inside the “User Folder”. However, you may not find it if you have changed the Skyrim “.ini” file’s location.
Unless you are using any MOD manager apps, you can find the “.ini file following these steps:
- Open the File Explorer and navigate to “This PC” if you use a Windows PC.
- Choose “Users” from the pre-installed drive folder list.
- Look for the folder with your username, right-click on it and select “Open”.
- Access the “Documents” folder from the next window.
- Opt for “My Games” and click “Skyrim” from the installed game list.
- Search for the “.ini” folder when the Skyrim folder window opens.
Do you use Skyrim’s special edition version?
Open Windows Explorer, tap on “This PC” and select “Users”. Choose the folder which has your name written on it. Move towards “Documents”, click “My games” and choose “Skyrim Special Edition”. Locate “Skyrim Ini” and double-tap on it to open.
- Modify the Skyrim.ini File
Skyrim users must edit the “Ini” file after accessing it. Use a reliable and easy-to-use code editor to make changes in the game file. However, you must first check whether the Skyrim.ini file has a “Papyrus” section. Add the following lines to activate Papyrus using the code editor if you didn’t find “Papyrus”:
[Papyrus]
fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=500.0
bEnableLogging=1
bEnableTrace=1
bEnableProfiling=1
bLoadDebugInformation=1
Do you already have a Papyrus section in the Skyrim.ini file?
Check if the above terms and values match. If not, use the code editor to change the Papyrus’s value so that you can enable it. Skyrim will start to generate crash logs when the game crashes after enabling Papyrus crash logs.
Easy Steps to Access the Skyrim Crash Log
Skyrim users must know how to troubleshoot game crashes by accessing the crash log. However, you must first find out where the Skyrim crash log is to overcome the problem.
Here is how you can locate the generated logs and fix the Skyrim crashes:
- Open the Log Folder
Double-tap on the Windows PC’s “File Explorer” and tap on “This PC”. Choose the drive where you have installed Skyrim. Go to “Users” and choose the folder which has your username.
Select “Documents”, and click “My Games” to open “Skyrim”. Locate the “.ini” file and search for the “Logs” folder. Open the Logs folder and find “Script”. This folder is where Skyrim generates all the crash logs.
- Access the Skyrim Crash Logs
When you open the Skyrim Script folder, you might notice the “Papyrus.0 ” file at the top of the new crash log. However, this file won’t cause any crashing issues in this action role-playing game. You must find the file with the generation time same as the game crash.
Enable Windows Explorer’s “Timestamp” if you find it difficult to get the required file. It will show you the time when Skyrim generates the crash log. Open the desired crash log and check the reason behind the game crash.
- Understand what the Crash Log indicates
Scroll to the bottom of the Skyrim crash log to check what the game recorded before the crash. Look for error messages that the log stores inside the Script file. Copy and paste the Skyrim error code into the search engine. You will find the possible reasons behind the game crash issue.
Skyrim uses more than 1000+ mods. Thus, the error messages might vary from one game mod to another. Some common Skyrim crash log errors are “missing.esm/esp files” or driver errors.
Did you notice the “Dragonborn.esm” or “Hearthfire.esm” in the log?
This indicates that you might have not installed the required DLC. Reinstall Skyrim and DLC to resolve this crash error from the game.
Troubleshooting Tips to Solve Skyrim Crash Issues
You might have acknowledged the cause of the Skyrim crash by checking the log. However, gamers should know how to solve this issue to avoid unwanted interruptions. Close the game and restart the computer when it crashes. It can sometimes help you to fix this complicated error.
Removing the autosave files from Windows Explorer can help you to solve the Skyrim issue. Besides, the game might crash for selecting incorrect audio settings. Thus, modify the audio configuration to stop the game from crashing. Set the default audio format as “24 bit 44100 Hz” to play the game without technical glitches.
Additionally, Skyrim players should check whether there is any OS update available. If yes, install the latest Windows update on the gaming device. After that, open the online video game and it won’t crash further.
Besides, gamers should find problematic mods and uninstall them. Update the video card drivers and disable the antivirus program to prevent Skyrim from crashing.
