How to Fix Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 “Memory Allocation Error”
If you’ve been looking forward to some long-range tactical action only to be met with a "Memory Allocation Failed" or "Out of Memory" crash, you aren’t alone. This specific error is a notorious issue in Sniper Ghost Warrior 3
(SGW3), often appearing during the initial loading screen or while switching between open-world regions.
Because the game uses a modified version of CryEngine, it is extremely demanding on both your system RAM and your hard drive's virtual memory. Here is how to fix it and get back into the field. 1. Increase Your Windows Page File (Virtual Memory)
This is the most common fix. SGW3 often tries to allocate more memory than your physical RAM can handle, relying on a "Page File" (a space on your hard drive that Windows treats like RAM). If this file is too small or managed automatically, the game crashes. How to do it: Search for "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows" in your Start menu. tab and click under the Virtual Memory section.
Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives." Select your (or the drive where the game is installed). Custom size and set both Initial and Maximum size to , and restart your computer. 2. The "Large File" Root Partition Bug
A strange but confirmed bug in the game's engine causes crashes if there are very large files (>2GB) sitting in the root directory of your drive (e.g., directly under
). The engine mistakenly tries to parse these files during startup and runs out of memory. Check your root drive (usually ). If you have large
, or installer files sitting there, move them into a subfolder or delete them. 3. Move the Game to your C: Drive
Some users report that the game fails to allocate memory correctly when installed on a secondary or external drive. If you have space, try moving the game installation to your primary , specifically within the Program Files 4. Disable SSDO and High-Impact Settings
If you can reach the main menu but crash during loading, a specific graphics setting called
(Screen Space Directional Occlusion) is often the culprit for memory spikes. Navigate to your game folder (usually
SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Sniper Ghost Warrior 3\GameSDK ). Create or open a file named and add the line: r_SSDO = 0
. This disables the setting before the game engine attempts to allocate memory for it. 5. Verify Game Files & Update Drivers
"Out of video memory trying to allocate a rendering resource" error
The "Memory Allocation Failed" error in Sniper Ghost Warrior 3
typically stems from the game's CryEngine engine struggling with either Windows virtual memory limits or conflicts with large files on the same drive partition. 1. Adjust Windows Virtual Memory (Page File)
Many users resolve this by manually setting a fixed size for their page file, which prevents crashes when the engine tries to request more memory than Windows has currently allocated.
Press Win + Pause/Break or search for "View advanced system settings" in the Start menu.
Under the Advanced tab, click Settings in the Performance section.
Go to the Advanced tab in the new window and click Change under Virtual memory. sniper ghost warrior 3 memory allocation error
Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives. Select your OS drive (usually C:) and choose Custom size.
Set Initial size and Maximum size to a fixed value, such as 8192 MB (for 8GB) or 16384 MB (for 16GB). Click Set, then OK, and restart your computer. 2. Move Large Files from the Game Partition
A unique quirk of SGW3 (and some other CryEngine games) is that it may fail to launch if there are single files larger than 2 GB on the same drive partition as the game.
Action: Scan the drive where the game is installed for massive files (like ISOs or large videos). Move them to a different drive or delete them.
Alternative: Reinstall the game to a different, cleaner partition. 3. In-Game Settings Fixes
If you can reach the main menu, specific graphics settings are known to trigger memory leaks:
Disable Vegetation: Go to Settings > Performance and set Vegetation to OFF. This is a highly effective community-sourced fix for "out of memory" errors.
Disable VSync: Turn off VSync and use Windowed/Borderless mode to reduce loading-related crashes. 4. Remove Overclocks
SGW3 is notably sensitive to overclocked GPUs, which can trigger DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG or memory errors. If your card is factory overclocked, try using a tool like MSI Afterburner to return the clock speeds to base values. 5. Verify Game Files
The "Memory Allocation Failed" error in Sniper Ghost Warrior 3
typically stems from a known issue with the game's CryEngine handling large files on the system drive or insufficient virtual memory. Primary Solutions
Remove Large Files from the System Root:A common cause is having large files (often over 2GB) in the root of your system partition (usually C:\). Move any such files to a subfolder or a different drive, as the game's engine may attempt to parse them and crash.
Increase Virtual Memory (Page File):The game is resource-heavy and often requires a manually set page file size.
Go to System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced tab > Virtual Memory.
Set a custom size for your primary drive. A common recommendation is a fixed size, such as 8192 MB (8GB) or up to 16000 MB (16GB).
Relocate the Game Folder:If the game is installed on a secondary drive, try copying or moving the entire game folder to C:\Program Files. This has been reported to bypass certain drive-pathing bugs in the engine. Technical & Compatibility Fixes
Change Display Mode:Set the game to Windowed or Borderless Fullscreen mode and disable VSync. Exclusive fullscreen with VSync can sometimes cause memory-related loading stalls.
Update Graphics Drivers:Ensure your GPU drivers are current, as outdated drivers can lead to "Failed to allocate video memory" errors.
Run as Administrator:Launch the game's executable (SGW3.exe) directly from the installation folder as an Administrator to ensure it has full permissions to manage system resources.
Save Game Backup & Refresh:Navigate to your Steam userdata folder (path:
RAM Minimums: Ensure you have at least 8GB of physical RAM (16GB is recommended). If you have exactly 8GB, close all background applications like browsers before playing to free up every possible megabyte.
Drive Space: Ensure the drive where your virtual memory is located has at least 20-30GB of free space to accommodate the swap file.
Troubleshooting the "Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Memory Allocation Error"
One of the most frustrating hurdles players face in Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 (SGW3) is the dreaded "Memory Allocation Error." Often appearing as a "CryEngine Error" during the loading screen or a "Failed to allocate X bytes" message, this crash can prevent you from even reaching the main menu.
This guide breaks down the most effective community-tested solutions to get you back behind the scope. 1. Clear Large Files from Your Root Partition
One of the strangest but most effective fixes involves the game's interaction with your system drive. Some versions of the CryEngine used in SGW3 reportedly scan the root directory (usually C:\) and can crash if they encounter individual files larger than 2GB.
The Fix: Look at the root of your C: drive. If you have large ISOs, zip files, or installers (2GB or larger) sitting directly in C:\ (not in a subfolder), move them to a different partition or delete them. 2. Increase and Fix Virtual Memory (Page File)
SGW3 is notoriously "RAM hungry" and often demands more memory than the available physical RAM, especially if you have 8GB or less. If Windows isn't managing your virtual memory correctly, the game will crash when it tries to "allocate" more space. How to Adjust:
Right-click This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings.
Under the Advanced tab, click Settings in the Performance section.
Go to the Advanced tab and click Change under Virtual memory. Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size."
Select your fastest drive (ideally an SSD) and set a Custom size.
Recommended Values: For 8GB RAM, try an Initial size of 8192 MB and a Maximum size of 16384 MB. Click Set, then OK, and restart your PC. 3. Relocate the Game to "Program Files"
For some users, the error stems from directory permissions or a bug related to where the game is installed.
The Fix: Try moving the entire game folder to C:\Program Files (x86)\ or simply into the main Program Files directory on your C: drive. If you are on Steam, use the "Move Install Folder" feature found under Properties > Installed Files to ensure the registry paths update correctly. 4. Lower Texture Settings
If the error happens after the game has been running for a few minutes, it is likely a VRAM (Video RAM) allocation issue. SGW3 has known optimization struggles that can lead to memory leaks.
The Fix: Lower your Texture Quality to "Medium" or "Low". This reduces the amount of memory the game needs to "reserve" immediately upon loading a map. 5. Verify Game Files
If the memory allocation error is caused by a corrupted game asset, the engine may try to request a nonsensical amount of RAM (like "4294967295 bytes") to load the broken file. YouTube·Anandakrishna Sudhakaran MEMORY ALLOCATION FAILED Fixed Simple fix
The "Memory Allocation Error" in Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 is a known issue typically caused by
insufficient virtual memory, engine-level bugs related to file scanning, or drive placement Primary Solutions Increase Windows Page File (Virtual Memory) Or simply: "Out of video memory trying to
: The game requires a large amount of virtual memory to run stably. Manually setting a fixed size can prevent allocation failures. Advanced System Settings and select the Performance , then go to the tab again. Virtual Memory Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size." Select your drive (preferably an SSD) and choose Custom size Set both the sizes to a fixed value (e.g., Remove Large Files from the System/Game Partition
: Users have discovered a specific bug where files larger than
located on the same drive partition as the game can trigger this error during startup. Moving such files to a different drive or deleting them can resolve the crash. Move Game to C: Drive
: Some players found that moving the game folder directly into C:\Program Files
resolved the error when installation on secondary drives failed. Secondary Troubleshooting Verify Game Files Verify Integrity of Game Files to ensure no core assets are corrupted. Update Graphics Drivers
: Outdated drivers can cause video memory allocation failures. Ensure you have the latest version from Disable V-Sync and Use Borderless Window
: For some, the error occurs during long loading screens. Disabling V-Sync or switching to Borderless Windowed
mode in the game's graphics settings can help bypass these hang-ups. Check Background Applications
: Close memory-heavy programs like web browsers (Chrome) or overlays (Discord) before launching the game to maximize available RAM. Do you need specific instructions
for setting up the page file on a particular version of Windows? SGW3: Memory Allocation Error - Found a weird cause, page 1 28 Apr 2021 —
The error message usually appears as:
"LowLevelFatalError [File:Unknown] [Line: 688] Ran out of memory during memory allocation for 'Some Texture/Asset'."
Or simply: "Out of video memory trying to allocate a rendering resource."
To the average user, this looks like your PC isn't powerful enough. That is often not the case.
SGWW3 runs on the CryEngine (the same engine as Crysis). This particular error is typically a memory leak—a software bug where the game requests more and more RAM or VRAM without releasing old data. Eventually, the game hits a limit, panics, and crashes. It can happen even on high-end GPUs with 8GB or 12GB of VRAM.
The Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 memory allocation error is a frustrating relic of early Unreal Engine 4 open-world development. Because CI Games has moved on to Lords of the Fallen (2023) and other projects, a official patch will never arrive.
However, by combining the Borderless Window mode, the -notexturestreaming launch flag, the 4GB Patch, and the custom Engine.ini tweaks, you can render the error extinct. The game is genuinely atmospheric and satisfying when it runs correctly.
Do not let a memory allocation error ruin the satisfaction of a 1km headshot. Apply these fixes, restart your PC, and get back to the Georgian mountains.
Final Pro Tip: If the crash persists after all steps, cap your frame rate to 60 FPS using RTSS (RivaTuner Statistics Server). Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 was not built for 144Hz+ monitors, and high frame rates cause the memory allocator to de-synchronize with the render thread.
Happy hunting.