How To Fix Death Stranding “Internal System Error Occurred”

If you’ve stumbled upon this article, you’ve likely encountered this frustrating error – Internal System Error Occurred on Death Stranding game.  But fear not!  We’re here to help you get back to enjoying Kojima Productions’ masterpiece without interruption. 

For those unaware, Death Stranding is a video game created by Hideo Kojima Productions. It was released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, and later for the PC. It’s a unique and enigmatic game that combines the elements of action, exploration, and storytelling.
But, unlike any other game, Death Stranding also has its fair share of errors. One of the most annoying and jarring issues faced by players all around the globe is the “internal system error”.

In this article, I have curated a list of potential causes of the internal system error that the players are experiencing, along with its fixes and workarounds.

What Causes “Internal System Error Occurred” On Death Stranding?

When you encounter the “Internal System Error Occurred” message in Death Stranding, it essentially means that the game has encountered an unforeseen problem within your gaming system. This can manifest in various ways like game crashes, connectivity issues, access violation errors, de-synced audio, etc. making it a common concern among players.

The full error will read, “Internal system error occurred. An Access Violation (C0000005h) has occurred in thread ‘Worker 5’ at instruction location 00000001416A1C35h”.

The following are the potential causes of the internal system error on Death Stranding:-

1. Outdated Graphics Drivers

One of the primary culprits behind this error can be outdated graphics drivers. Gaming technology evolves rapidly, and staying up to date with the latest drivers is essential to ensure seamless gameplay.

2. Hardware Incompatibility

In some cases, your hardware might not be fully compatible with Death Stranding’s requirements. This can lead to system errors as the game attempts to run on hardware that it wasn’t designed for.

So, check whether your computer meets the minimum requirements for the game. If your system does not meet these requirements, attempting any of the resolutions would be futile.

3. Software Conflicts

Conflicts with other running software or background processes can disrupt the game’s operation, resulting in the error. 

How To Fix “internal System Error Occurred” On Death Stranding?

To fix Death Stranding’s “Internal System Error Occurred”, check hardware compatibility, update the Graphics driver, verify the game files and restart the game. Additionally, install Visual C++, disable overclocking, run the game as administrator and close background overlays and applications.

1. Check Hardware Compatibility Requirements

Firstly, ensure that your PC or gaming console meets the minimum system requirements for Death Stranding.  If your system does not meet these requirements, attempting any of the resolutions would not work. So, start by confirming the specifications of your computer.

2. Update The Graphic Drivers

Game developers and graphics card manufacturers release driver updates to fix known issues and bugs. These updates can help to solve internal errors or crashes in the game. 

To make sure that your graphics drivers are updated follow these steps:-

For Nvidia Graphics Card Users:

• Download and install Nvidia’s Geforce Experience program.
• Open the program and click on the “Drivers” menu.
• Now, to download the driver update click on the “Download” button below.
• Once the download is done, click the “Quick Installation” button to install it.
• After installation, restart your computer.

For AMD Graphics Card Users:

• Download and install AMD’s Radeon Software program.
• Open the program and click “Check for Updates” under the driver and software menu to see if your video card needs an update.
• If an update is available, perform it, and then restart your computer.

3. Verify Game Files

If the issue persists, verify the integrity of the game files in your gaming platform (Steam, Epic Games, etc.). Corrupted files can lead to errors. Follow these steps to verify and repair your game files:

For Steam:

• Launch Steam
• Next, you can either right-click the game in your Library, or click the gear icon from the game’s Library page on the far right
• From the drop-down menu, select Properties…
• Select the Installed Files tab and click the Verify integrity of game files option.
• Steam will verify the game’s files – this process may take several minutes

For Epic Game Launcher:

• Open the Epic Games Launcher.
• Find the game in your Epic Games Library.
• Click the three dots on the right side of the game line.
• Select Manage.
• Click the Verify option.
• Wait for validation to complete.

For PlayStation Users: 

PlayStation users can verify and repair game files by checking for Corrupt Data and resolving it using the “Rebuild Database” option. This process is effective in addressing various issues, including corrupt data files. Here’s how to do it:

• Firstly, enter Safe Mode on your PlayStation. To do this, power off your console by holding the power button for three seconds.
• Once the console is off, press and hold the power button again.
• Release the power button after you hear the second beep.
• Now, connect the controller with a USB cable and press the PS button on the controller. This action enables Safe Mode.
• A screen will appear. From the options provided, select the “Rebuild Database” option and patiently await the completion of the process.
• After the process is finished, turn on your PlayStation.

This fix is designed to remove and repair any corrupted data files, ensuring a smoother gaming experience.

4. Restart Death Stranding

Sometimes simply re-starting the game can resolve internal network issues. Follow these simple steps to restart the game on your device:

• Exit the game on your device using the in-game menu. Most games have an “Exit” or “Quit” option in the main menu, click on that.
• Now, turn off your console or PC and power it back on.
• To restart the game, locate the Death Stranding game on your PC or in your console.
• Click on it to launch the game again.

Now, Death Stranding will start from the beginning or the last saved checkpoint, depending on your progress. If you want to start a completely new game, some games provide an option to do so from within the game’s menu, typically labelled as “New Game” or “Start New Game.” Otherwise, you can also open your previous save.

5. Run As Administrator

This can sometimes help with resolving certain compatibility issues or accessing certain features that require administrative permissions. Follow these simple steps to run Death Stranding as Administrator:-

• Find the directory where Death Stranding is installed on your computer. The default installation path is typically “C:\Program Files\Death Stranding”
• Within the game’s installation folder, look for the executable file – DeathStranding.exe.
• Once you’ve located the game’s executable file, right-click on it.
• In the context menu that appears after right-clicking, select “Run as administrator.” This will launch the game with administrative privileges.
• If your User Account Control (UAC) settings are enabled, you may be prompted to confirm that you want to run the application as an administrator. Click “Yes” to proceed.

6. Disable Overclocking

Overclocking can make your system unstable and cause issues with the game. If you’ve overclocked your GPU or CPU, try reverting to default clock speeds. 

For CPU Overclocking:

• Access BIOS/UEFI Settings. You can typically do this by restarting your computer and pressing a specific key (often Del, F2, or F12) during the boot-up process.
• Inside the BIOS/UEFI settings, locate the CPU overclocking settings. These settings may be labelled as “CPU Ratio,” “Multiplier,” or “Clock Speed.” Set these values back to their default settings, which are typically labelled as “Auto” or the base clock speed of your CPU.
• After making the necessary changes, save the settings and exit the BIOS/UEFI. 
• Now, Restart your computer.

For GPU Overclocking:

• Open your GPU overclocking software (e.g., NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software).
• Find the option to reset GPU clock speeds.
• Apply changes to revert GPU to default settings.
• Restart your computer.

After these steps, test Death Stranding to see if internal network issues are resolved.

7. Install Visual C++ Redistributable

Installing the Visual C++ Redistributable may help address network issues in Death Stranding by ensuring that the necessary runtime components are available on your system. This fix has been recommended by many players on Reddit and the Steam community as well. To do that, follow the steps mentioned below.

• Open your web browser and go to the official Microsoft Download Center.
• Search for “Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio“
• Download the latest version of the “Visual C++ Redistributable” that corresponds to your system.
• Locate the downloaded file, which is typically an executable file with a name like “vc_redist.x64.exe” for 64-bit systems or “vc_redist.x86.exe” for 32-bit systems.
• Double-click the file to run the installer.
• Accept the license terms and click “Install.”
• Wait for the installation to complete.
• Restart your computer.

8. Close Background Applications

Certain third-party applications that run in the background can cause internal system network errors. You can disable them from running in the background. Here are the steps for both PC and PlayStation to close applications or processes:

For PC:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open the Task Manager.
• Go to the “Processes” tab.
• Click on the application or process you want to close.
• Click “End Task” to stop it.

For PlayStation:

• On the home screen, find the application you want to close.
• Highlight it and press the Options button on your controller.
• Choose “Close Application” to shut it down.

9. Contact Support Team 

After following up with all the fixes mentioned above, if the issue still pertains, as a last resort, contact the support team of the Death Stranding game. They have an expert team to handle all the complaints and questions related to the game. You can email them directly at [email protected] 

You can also head over to Death Stranding’s official Twitter account and check for news and updates on this network error.