Overwatch 2

How to fix Overwatch 2 ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error

Liam Mackay
wrecking ball in overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 players can be met with the frustrating ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error which completely crashes the game, but the developers have provided a few ways to fix it.

Overwatch 2 is well into its second season with the Battle for Olympus event now live, but it’s also seen the return of the game-breaking ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error.

This error causes a “TDR (timeout detection and recovery) incident” when playing Overwatch 2, completely crashing and closing the game. Luckily, there’s often a reason it’s happening so here are some workarounds.

How to fix ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error in Overwatch 2

Thanks to Blizzard Support, here are a few methods you can use to fix Overwatch 2’s ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error.

Disable overclocking

overwatch 2 characters in combat

Overwatch 2’s ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error can be caused by any system overclocks on your PC, so you should ensure you undo any overclocking made to your rig.

Head to the BIOS and set your components such as CPU, GPU, or RAM back to their factory default, and it may prevent any crashes.

Update graphics drivers for Overwatch 2

Having outdated graphics drivers can cause a number of issues such as low FPS, as well as Overwatch 2’s Rendering Device Lost error. So, you should make sure you’ve got the latest drivers installed.

Here’s how to update your graphics drivers on NVIDIA and AMD GPUs:

How to update NVIDIA graphics driver

  1. Download GeForce Experience through NVIDIA.com.
  2. Open GeForce Experience.
  3. Select the ‘Drivers’ tab.
  4. Click ‘check for updates’ in the upper right corner.
  5. If an update is available, follow the steps.

How to update AMD graphics driver

  1. Right-click on your desktop.
  2. Select AMD Radeon Settings.
  3. Click on the Home icon.
  4. Click ‘New Updates’ on the bottom left.
  5. Select ‘check for update’.
  6. If an update is available, follow the steps.

Close background applications

ramattra hovering in overwatch 2

Any unnecessary programs running in the background could be causing the ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error in Overwatch 2, so you should bring up the Task Manager to disable anything you don’t need running.

Here’s how:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Press More Details.
  3. Select the Startup tab.
  4. Right-click on the item and select Disable.
  5. Restart your computer.

Ensure your device isn’t overheating

If a component of your PC is overheating then your computer will shut itself down to prevent damage, and that can cause the ‘Rendering Device is Lost’ error in Overwatch 2.

Blizzard recommend you download the free version of HWMonitor to check if anything in your PC is overheating and causing the issue.

Check for corrupted Windows files

Blizzard say that “Missing or corrupted Windows system files” may cause the ‘Rendering Device is Lost’ error in Overwatch 2.

You should use Windows System File Checker and follow the steps to ensure there are no corrupted or missing files.

Hopefully, one of these solutions has fixed Overwatch 2’s ‘Your Rendering Device is Lost’ error. Once the game’s back up and running you can check out some of our other guides:

Best Overwatch 2 PC settings | Does Overwatch 2 have cross-progression crossplay? | Is Overwatch 2 free-to-play? | How to play Overwatch 2 on Steam Deck | How to get Golden Guns in Overwatch 2 | How to fix Overwatch 2 different version error | Best Overwatch 2 Heroes | How to join Voice Chat in Overwatch 2 | Who is the most popular Overwatch 2 Heroes | How to check your rank in Overwatch 2

Image Credit: Blizzard

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