The long-awaited Atomic Heart has finally released, and players in North America and beyond may run into a few errors and glitches. This guide covers the most common issues currently reported and offers practical fixes.
Atomic Heart Guides
- Atomic Heart walkthrough and endings – how to solve puzzles, locate all blueprints and audio recordings
- Completing all polygon paths in Atomic Heart – how to open and discover every upgrade
- Are there co-op or online modes in Atomic Heart
- How to expand inventory in Atomic Heart – where to find neuropolymer, how to access the Character branch and manage gear wisely
- How to enable Russian voice acting in Atomic Heart
- How to stop endless enemy spawns and repair cameras in the open world
- How to break locks and solve puzzles in Atomic Heart – how to open all doors in the game
- Atomic Heart won’t start, hangs, or loads endlessly – troubleshooting
Remark: This guide will be updated as new bugs, crashes, and issues are reported. If a problem isn’t covered here, leave a comment and the team will respond with help when possible.
System requirements
Before diving into troubleshooting, ensure the PC meets the minimum requirements to run the game smoothly:
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-2500
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 90 GB available space
- Video card: AMD Radeon R9 380 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 with 4 GB memory
- DirectX: Version 12
- Peripherals: Keyboard and mouse
Recommended system requirements for a comfortable experience with higher FPS:
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-7700K
- RAM: 16 GB
- Storage: 90 GB available space
- Video card: AMD RX 6700 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with 8 GB memory
- DirectX: Version 12
- Peripherals: Keyboard and mouse
How to fix endless loading. General troubleshooting tips
Some players encounter ongoing loading times. The cause is usually simple and affects a subset of users. Updating graphics drivers can resolve issues that prevent the game from starting or running smoothly.
DirectX
Atomic Heart requires DirectX 12. The official site provides the latest installer if needed.
Microsoft Visual C++
For a stable experience with minimal crashes, ensure the latest Visual C++ libraries are installed. These can be downloaded from Microsoft’s official site.
Close third-party programs
Atomic Heart is resource-intensive. Before launching, close other programs that may hog CPU or memory, such as productivity tools, chat apps, and browsers. If Steam is in use, disabling the Steam overlay can help as well.
- Open Steam
- Click Steam in the top-left corner
- Select Settings
- Navigate to In-Game and uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game
- Restart Steam
Developers actively track reported issues and work to fix them in updates.
Troubleshooting Game Pass availability
Some Game Pass users have run into an issue preventing full access to Atomic Heart. A common symptom is not being able to spawn a vehicle at the starting location. A fix is available and involves a few steps:
- Close Atomic Heart
- Close the Xbox app and reopen it
- Verify the integrity of Atomic Heart game files
The root cause is missing game files. In rare cases, reinstalling the Xbox app may be required.
- Open Control Panel or Settings
- Go to Apps and find Xbox
- Open Extras or More options, then choose Repair or Reset as needed
- If issues persist, reinstall the app and try again
Cannot leave ELEANOR’s repair cabinet after upgrading or crafting weapons and ammo
This issue often occurs while exploring the VDNKh area. The player may freeze after exiting the repair menu, locking movement. The only reliable workaround is to quit the game and load the last save. A temporary fix is to perform upgrades or crafting, then exit via the TAB glove upgrade menu before leaving the cabinet.
- Open the repair cabinet and upgrade weapons or craft items
- Press TAB to enter the glove upgrade menu
- Exit the cabinet and continue
Second ability not functioning in Atomic Heart
Many players report that a second ability does not work after learning or updating skills in ELEANOR. The developers are aware and likely to address this in a future patch. If the issue occurs, loading the latest save with functioning abilities is recommended to avoid a broken save state that could hamper progress.
Floating mouse
Some players notice a floating mouse effect that speeds up aiming and screen rotation. This is more common on PC, as console versions may handle aiming differently. The game currently does not offer a toggle to disable this feature in the settings.
To fix this, exit the game and launcher, then modify the configuration file. The steps are as follows:
- Open the Run dialog with Windows+R and type %LOCALAPPDATA% to locate the game folder
- Navigate to AtomicHeartSavedConfig and locate Engine.ini
- For Steam and VK Play, the folder is WindowsNoEditor; for Game Pass, the folder is WinGDK
- Open Engine.ini with a text editor
- Append the following lines to the end of the file
[Engine.PlayerInput]bEnableMouseSmoothing=False
Save the file and relaunch the game to apply the change.
Intro video freezes
Some players report that the game freezes during the intro. The issue appears to affect multiple cutscenes. A practical workaround is to disable the cutscenes. This method works for Steam and VK Play, while Game Pass users may not encounter the same problem.
- Go to the game’s movies folder: SteamsteamappscommonAtomic HeartAtomicHeartContentMovies
- Rename the file Launch_FHD_60FPS_PC_Steam.mp4 to disable the clip
- Move the renamed file to another folder, then create a blank text document named Launch_FHD_60FPS_PC_Steam.mp4 in the original folder
- Confirm the replacement and restart the computer, then launch the game
The intro video is now skipped automatically. This approach is effective for VK Play and Steam users; it does not affect Game Pass users as of now.
Corrupted game files
Many issues stem from missing or corrupted files. Checking file integrity is the fastest way to resolve most problems, using the platform’s verification tools.
- VK Play: Open VK Play, go to Library, select Atomic Heart, and choose Go to Game. Then use Verify and Repair the installed game files and relaunch
- Steam: Open Library, right-click Atomic Heart, select Properties, go to Local Files, and choose Verify Integrity of Game Files
Note: If playing offline, remember to connect online periodically and check for updates.
Other guides
To keep things focused on practical help, this guide concentrates on fixable issues and practical steps for players in North America. It avoids external links and keeps instructions in plain language for quick reference.