Fortnite’s popularity has been no secret since its first season. And now, its developers have come up with an OG season that takes players back to the game’s roots and witness its evolution over time. However, some players have reported facing an error message that reads – Out of video memory trying to allocate a texture. In this guide, we will discuss what it is and how to fix the out of video memory error in Fortnite.
What is Out of Video Memory Trying to Allocate a Texture Error in Fortnite and How to Fix It?
Video memory built into the PC’s GPU temporarily holds the game’s graphics data. On graphics-intensive games like Fortnite, the out of video memory error triggers when the graphics card does not have enough memory available to handle the requested texture. Hence, the game crashes midway while playing. Other factors that could be causing the issue include Incompatible hardware components, outdated GPU drivers, and corrupt game files.
Quick Answer
To fix this issue, close all unnecessary background applications and update the GPU drivers on the PC:
1. Open Device Manager and expand the Display adapters tab.
2. Right-click on the driver to be updated and choose Update driver from the context menu.
3. Click on Search automatically for drivers and then follow the on-screen instructions to update it.
We will fix the discussed issue, but before moving on to the methods, make sure that your PC hardware meets the minimum system requirements for Fortnite. especially the GPU card + VRAM requirements:
- Minimum: Intel HD 4000 or AMD Radeon Vega 8 GPU with 2GB+ VRAM
- Recommended: Nvidia GTX 960 or AMD R9 280 GPU with 4GB+ VRAM
Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Methods
Before moving into complex solutions, let’s just start with some easy-to-go solutions that can potentially fix the error in almost no time.
Method 1A: Play Fortnite on Fullscreen
Many players who have encountered the issue have reported that just playing the game in fullscreen mode resolves it as the VRAM gets complete access.
Method 1B: Restart Game, then PC
Any minor, temporary glitches causing the error can be easily fixed by restarting the game. If the issue persists, try restarting your PC once.
Method 1C: Kill Background Applications
We read that the error indicates the unavailability of video memory. Hence, it is important to close any unnecessary applications that hog system resources from the background, despite being not in use.
1. Open Task Manager on the PC.
2. Move to the Processes tab, right-click on the program that you want to close, and select End task from the context menu.
3. Once all background applications are closed, launch Fortnite again and check if the issue is now resolved.
Method 1D: Run Game as Administrator
When you run the Epic Games launcher or Steam in administrative mode, it gains more control over the system resources and complete access to the files, which can fix the out of video memory error. Follow the steps:
1. Right-click on the Epic Games Launcher or Steam shortcut on the Desktop and select Properties from the context menu.
2. In the Compatibility tab, checkmark the box next to Run this program as an administrator option.
3. Click on Apply and OK.
Once saved, launch the launcher and play the game to see if the error is fixed.
Method 2: Update GPU Drivers
It is crucial to keep your device drivers up-to-date as they prevent compatibility issues. Moreover, there could be bugs and glitches within the drivers. They could cause the discussed out of video memory trying to allocate a texture error in Fortnite and to fix it, you can update the GPU drivers. Refer to our guide on How to Update Graphics Drivers in Windows 11.
Method 3: Verify Game Integrity Files
One of the easiest ways to fix Fortnite’s failed-to-allocate video memory issue is by verifying the game files. Well, the process will check game files thoroughly and replace or repair any corrupted file present. Follow the steps:
1. In the Epic Games Launcher, click on the Library option on the left.
2. Search for Fortnite in the game library, click on the three dots icon next to it, followed by Manage from the context menu.
3. Click on VERIFY next to Verify Files.
Once verified, restart the launcher, and play the game to check if the issue is resolved.
For those who play Fortnite on the Steam client app, we have a thorough guide published on How to Verify Integrity of Game Files on Steam, which you can follow.
Method 4: Lower Down Graphics Settings
Players often face this issue despite their PCs meeting the minimum system requirements Fortnite requires. Such cases happen because of high graphics settings. If the hardware is not capable enough to play the game in high settings, such errors could occur. We suggest you modify the graphics settings as listed below:
- RESOLUTION: As supported by the monitor
- FRAME RATE LIMIT: 60Hz, more if the monitor supports
- QUALITY PRESET: LOW
- 3D RESOLUTION: 100%
- VIEW DISTANCE: MEDIUM
- SHADOWS: OFF
- ANTI-ALIASING: FXAA
- TEXTURE: LESS
- EFFECTS: LESS
- POST PROCESSING: OFF
Also Read: 3 Ways to Increase Dedicated VRAM in Windows 10
Method 5: Update Game, then PC
Outdated games are prone to bugs which could lead to the discussed out of video memory error in Fortnite and updating the game can fix it. Follow the steps below:
1. In Epic Games Launcher, click on the Profile icon at the top right corner and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
2. Scroll down to the MANAGE GAMES section and tick the checkbox next to Allow Auto-Updates.
3. Expand the drop-down menu for Fortnite and checkmark the box next to Auto-Update Fortnite.
4. Restart the launcher and the game will be updated automatically.
5. Once done, launch Settings on the PC.
6. Move to the Windows Update tab and click on Check for updates in the right pane.
7. If there is any pending update, Download and install it.
Method 6: Switch to DirectX 11
DirectX 12 is the latest version of DirectX. As we know that games are highly dependent on it, you need to ensure that the DirectX version on your Windows PC is updated. However, if you are still facing the discussed error on Fortnite, we suggest you force the launcher to use DirectX 11.
Option 1: On Epic Games Launcher
Follow the steps below:
1. In the Epic Games Launcher, click your profile icon in the top-right corner and select Settings.
2. Expand the FORTNITE drop-down menu.
3. Check the box next to Additional Command Line Arguments and in the text field, enter d3d11.
4. Launch Fortnite and check if the issue is resolved.
Option 2: On Steam
Follow the steps:
1. Open Steam, right-click on Fortnite in your game library and select Properties from the context menu.
2. Navigate to the GENERAL tab, and in the LAUNCH OPTIONS text field, type -d3d11.
Method 7: Reinstall Fortnite
If the above solutions have failed to fix the out of video memory trying to allocate a texture error on Fortnite, the the last option remains to reinstall the game. Doing so would eliminate all the errors and corrupted files. Follow the steps below:
1. Follow the path: Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program and then right-click on Fortnite and select Uninstall.
2. Now in the Epic Games Launcher, click on Library, and search for Fortnite.
3. Click on BROWSE and choose the location to install the files. Finally, click on the INSTALL button.
That is it. We hope our guide helped you fix the Fortnite out of video memory error. Let us know if you have any queries or suggestions in the comments section. Stay connected to TechCult for more such troubleshooting guides.