A game started crashing after an update
What to do when a game that worked fine breaks after patching.
A game that worked yesterday and crashes today after an update is a specific situation with a specific set of fixes — and one of them is simply waiting.
First: is it just you?
Check the game''s official social accounts and community discussions. If a patch broke something for everyone, the developer usually acknowledges it within hours and issues a fix within days.
This step saves a lot of pointless troubleshooting. If it is a known issue, nothing you do at home will fix it.
If it is your console
1. Restart the console fully. Not rest mode. An update installed while the system was in a strange state can misbehave until a clean restart.
2. Check the update completed. A partially applied patch causes exactly this. Check for a further update, and let any queued one finish.
3. Update the system software too. New patches sometimes require a newer system version.
4. Rebuild the database. Safe Mode → Rebuild Database on PlayStation; a ten-second power cycle on Xbox. Deletes nothing.
5. Delete and reinstall the game. This is the most effective step for a single broken game. Back up or confirm cloud saves first — the save is separate from the game and should survive, but confirm before deleting.
6. Clear the game''s saved settings if the game offers it. Corrupted settings files survive reinstalls and can keep breaking a game.
If it crashes at the same point every time
That usually means a damaged save file or a genuine bug in that section. Try an earlier save slot if the game keeps several, or a different character or level to confirm.
A save file corrupted by a power cut behaves exactly like this — fine everywhere except one specific place.
If several games broke at once
That points at the console rather than any game. Rebuild the database, check for overheating, and see console crashing and freezing.
Rolling back
You generally cannot uninstall a console game patch — updates are mandatory for online play and the old version is not kept. Waiting for the developer''s fix is often the only real option, and it is usually quick for a widely reported problem.