Wild West Pioneers Guide
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About

Wild West Pioneers crashing? What is fixed and what to try

Crashes were the most reported problem on the Steam forum after launch, and two hotfixes followed within about a day. If the game still crashes after the first hotfix, the publisher’s first advice is to switch VSync off in the graphics settings. After that, send a report from the pause menu, and if the crashes keep coming, send your crash logs or a dxdiag log through the publisher’s support site.

Try these, in this order

  1. Get the latest hotfix Restart Steam so it downloads the current build. The build number sits in the top right corner of the screen, so you can check which one you are on.
  2. Turn VSync off
    Graphics options menu listing Preset, Display, Windowed Mode, Resolution, VSync, FPS Limit and Render Scale
    Options, then Graphics. VSync is the fifth line, between Resolution and FPS Limit. Frame from GameZine's video Wild West Pioneers Gameplay (PC), recorded in a pre-launch build (0.1.0 18818).
    The pinned answer on the Steam forum: “If the hotfix does not help you, please try disabling V-sync in the video settings.” (Said by the publisher in Pinned thread: Crashes despite the latest hotfix (Steam Community)) An official forum account gave the same advice to a player whose game crashed while still loading. (Posted in Comments under the stability hotfix announcement (Steam Community))
  3. Let Steam verify the files Right-click the game in your Steam library, then Properties, Installed Files, Verify integrity. The publisher suggested it to a player whose save button stopped working after the hotfix: “Please let Steam verify the installation. This checks for missing and damaged gamefiles and replaces them if needed.” (Said by the publisher in Comments under the stability hotfix announcement (Steam Community))
  4. Report it from inside the game The welcome letter on the title screen asked for exactly this: “Please use the feedback form in the in-game pause menu to submit issues and suggestions”. (Signed by the EmpireCraft Team, shown in Wild West Pioneers Gameplay (PC) (GameZine, YouTube, launch-day footage)) An official forum account added that the team is chasing the random crashes: “We're aware of the random crashes and the team is working on a fix.” (Posted in Crashes thread with the log folder path (Steam Community)) The pinned thread also points to the publisher’s support site and Discord for crashes that keep coming back.

What the two hotfixes changed

BuildCame outWhat it fixed
0.1.0 19409LaunchThe build Early Access opened with.
0.1.0 19478The night of launchCrashes tied to residents moving around, graphics crashes in long sessions, memory that kept growing after resolution changes or switching windows, a clock that could stop for good, and controls that stopped answering after a return to the main menu. (Listed in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Stability & Bug Fixes)
0.1.0 19496The day afterA wider Barber Shop range, workshops that looked stopped, Food Store upgrades dropping connections, scouts stuck on their way home, missing Moonshine Boxes in the priest questline, and a freeze when the bandit cutscene started while you were away from the settlement. (Listed in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Production, Quest & Scout Fixes)

The first hotfix led with “Fixed several crashes related to residents movement.” and also lists “Fixed memory usage increasing over time, especially after changing resolution, opening certain UI elements, or switching between applications.” (Both in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Stability & Bug Fixes) If you alt-tab a lot, that second line is the one that applies to you. Every official post is also in the update log.

When the game looks frozen but is not crashing

What you seeStatusIn the meantime
A workshop stops producingFixed in the second hotfix: “Workshops now wait until all required resources are in storage before collecting them and starting production.” It also stopped production halting when you change a recipe at night. (Listed in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Production, Quest & Scout Fixes)Change recipes during the day, and check the warehouse actually holds a full cycle’s worth of input.
Buildings drop off the Food StoreFixed in the second hotfix: “Fixed an issue where upgrading the Food Store could disconnect some of the buildings linked to it.” (Listed in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Production, Quest & Scout Fixes)If links still go missing, open the Food Store after upgrading it and check its connections.
Scouts never come backOne version was fixed: “Fixed scouts getting stuck after being sent back to the settlement from the popup.” (Listed in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Production, Quest & Scout Fixes)Check the clock first. One player’s scouts were fine: “The game had been paused somehow. Had to press play in the top left.” (Posted in Trouble sending scout back to settlement (Steam Community))
Wagons spin on the spotNot in either hotfix.A player’s workaround: “It sometimes helps to switch speed to make them stop spinning.” (Posted in Wagons out of control (Steam Community))
The in-game clock stops for goodFixed in the first hotfix: “Fixed an issue that could cause the in-game clock to stop permanently.” (Listed in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Stability & Bug Fixes)Make sure Steam has installed the hotfix; the build number is in the corner of the screen.
Keys and clicks stop working after a new gameFixed in the first hotfix: “Fixed controls no longer responding after returning to the main menu and starting a new session.” (Listed in Steam announcement: Hotfix – Stability & Bug Fixes)If it still happens, restarting the game is simpler than starting a second session from the menu.

For production that never reaches the warehouse, an official forum account asked players to use the in-game report form: “you can submit a bug report straight from the pause menu in the game.” (Posted in Crafted items are not added to inventory (Steam Community)) Quest objects that fail to appear are covered on the Moonshine Scandal page, where players have run into them.

Welcome letter titled Howdy, Pioneer! over the main menu, signed EmpireCraft Team
The letter on the title screen in a pre-launch build, signed by the EmpireCraft Team, asking players to use the feedback form in the pause menu. Frame from GameZine's video Wild West Pioneers Gameplay (PC), recorded in a pre-launch build (0.1.0 18818).

Keep a crash from costing you a day

In launch-day footage the game saved when a new in-game day began, so a crash can cost you most of a day. (Shown in BUILD A CITY ON THE FRONTIER! Wild West Pioneers (DeepSpaceMatt, YouTube, launch-day footage)) Saving by hand is in the pause menu, as one player put it: “Escape - Save Game”. (Posted in Crash and saves thread (Steam Community)) Do it before a long building spree. Where the save and log files live, and how autosave behaved at launch, is on cheats, trainers and saves.

If your PC is near the bottom of the requirements, the system requirements page covers what the store lists and how the game runs on a Steam Deck.