[SOLVED] Memory leak/crash on Intel Iris Xe Graphics machines

[StepS]

We are aware of a problem affecting some machines running Intel Iris Xe Graphics.

SUMMARY

An Intel driver update was released recently which leads to excessive memory usage, followed by a crash, when running a game of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on machines with Intel Iris Xe Graphics cards. As far as we are aware, the issue has also impacted several other unrelated programs and games. If you have installed a Graphics Driver with release date between June and October 2022, there is a high chance that you are affected.

SOLUTIONS

Update 2022/11/28:
Intel has resolved the problem in the specialized "Intel® Arc™ & Iris® Xe" branch of their graphics driver. Please make sure to update your graphics drivers to 31.0.101.3802 or newer - available through the official Intel website[www.intel.com]. You can confirm your driver version by going to Win+X -> Device Manager -> Display adapters -> Intel Graphics -> "Driver" tab.

It is worth noting that the generic "Intel Graphics" driver has been discontinued (and its last version is the one with the bug), so you DO need to switch to the "Intel® Arc™ & Iris® Xe Graphics" branch of the driver now. (follow the link above, and check that your CPU/GPU is in the list of supported hardware)

If you are unable to update to the latest version, you may also try downgrading the driver to a version from May 2022 (30.0.101.1994), although this is no longer recommended.

[birds]

Originally posted by aliplays:

Originally posted by Chilamacho:

Same issue here. I have tried the seven steps, but the issue remains the same in multiplayer as well as single-player. The game seems to consume all the RAM, then starts writing to disk, then crashes shortly afterwards. For me this usually happens when going up to feudal.

Hi Chilamacho,

Thank you for your comment. Could you please share which graphic card you have?

If you have an Intel Iris XE graphics card, I recommend the same as the user Samzehboy above: try reverting your graphic driver to the version of May 26th, 2022. Go to
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19344/732078/intel-graphics-windows-dch-drivers.html > Download and install the igfx_win_101.1994.exe > Reboot

Thank you for responding. Yeah, it is an Intel Iris XE. I'll be sure to try it out when I have the chance!

[santiccc]

Game crashing after 15-20 minutes. Fault module: ntdll

Everything worked just fine until yesterday. Since yesterday everytime I start playing the game crashes after 15 or 20 minutes. The image stays still and then the game closes. I tried reinstalling the game and Steam, updating everything but the error still happens. Can anyone help me find a solution please?? Thanks!


These are some of the error logs I was able to retrieve:

Problem report from Diagnostic Data Viewer:

Age of Empires II DE
Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\AoE2DE\AoE2DE_s.exe
Creation Time: 10/5/2022 9:22:04 PM
Problem: Stopped working
Status: Report sent

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: AoE2DE_s.exe
Application Version: 101.102.1156.0
Application Timestamp: 63045b1b
Fault Module Name: ntdll.dll
Fault Module Version: 10.0.22621.608
Fault Module Timestamp: f2e8a5ab
Exception Code: c000041d
Exception Offset: 0000000000021d1d

Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: 48753d0beb5cf66c9e0bb8b493e3a436 (2165027131596448822)


From the diagnostic data view:
{
"ver": "4.0",
"name": "Microsoft.Windows.FaultReporting.AppCrashEvent",
"time": "2022-10-05T19:21:46.4545030Z",
"iKey": "o:0a89d516ae714e01ae89c96d185e9ae3",
"ext": {
"utc": {
"shellId": 281572189065969664,
"eventFlags": 258,
"pgName": "WINCORE",
"flags": 906494512,
"epoch": "900654",
"seq": 48
},
"privacy": {
"dataType": 16777216,
"isRequired": true,
"dataCategory": 1,
"product": 1
},
"metadata": {
"f": {
"ProcessCreateTime": 9,
"ExceptionOffset": 5,
"AppVersion": 5,
"ModVersion": 5,
"AppSessionGuid": 8,
"TargetAsId": 5
},
"privTags": 16777216
},
"os": {
"bootId": 8,
"name": "Windows",
"ver": "10.0.22621.608.amd64fre.ni_release.220506-1250",
"expId": "RS:11E0F"
},
"app": {
"id": "W:0000f519feec486de87ed73cb92d3cac802400000000!0000457af8f9a9965ba156fa715b2937b725ea3f81ad!werfault.exe",
"ver": "2009/10/14:20:04:20!A5533!werfault.exe",
"asId": 328
},
"device": {
"localId": "s:95619506-DF13-458C-8FDB-D42A1E50E4F1",
"deviceClass": "Windows.Desktop"
},
"protocol": {
"devMake": "Dell Inc.",
"devModel": "Latitude 7420"
},
"user": {
"localId": "o:1"
},
"xbl": {
"sbx": "RETAIL",
"did": "F900E2073EF2DE54",
"xid": "x:2535465635985010"
},
"loc": {
"tz": "+02:00"
}
},
"data": {
"ProcessId": 3712,
"ProcessCreateTime": "2022-10-05T19:04:45.9980811Z",
"ExceptionCode": 3221225477,
"ExceptionOffset": 138525,
"AppName": "AoE2DE_s.exe",
"AppVersion": 4964988878949,
"AppTimeStamp": 1661229851,
"ModName": "ntdll.dll",
"ModVersion": 171233942295281674,
"ModTimeStamp": 4075333035,
"PackageFullName": "",
"PackageRelativeAppId": "",
"ProcessArchitecture": 9,
"ReportId": "868ba30a-c1d3-4dd1-b766-ecbc98cd7741",
"Flags": 0,
"AppSessionGuid": "00000E80-0001-0008-0B90-7455EDD8D801",
"TargetAppId": "W:000603b99730da4027d8f3caf2f3738b04c900000904!00006bf5895ce61d6d8470b8afa5aa1b4e579a3fde7a!AoE2DE_s.exe",
"TargetAppVer": "2022/08/23:04:44:11!456c607!AoE2DE_s.exe",
"TargetAsId": 273,
"FriendlyAppName": "Age of Empires II DE",
"IsFatal": true
}
}

[FE_ag]

Originally posted by ptarjan:

Hi allplays,

I have the exact same problem recently, there seems to be a massive memory leak. I can see the memory usage go up to 16GB in a matter of minutes, frame rate hits rock bottom (literally a slideshow), and the game crashes within 5-10 minutes of starting it. This is regardless of how much free memory I started with or the number of units. The game ran fine just a few weeks ago (probably before the last update). Loading the saved game repeats the cycle: fine at first, memory usage increases until crash.

I verified the game files and I don't have any mods, added the game folder to Microsoft Virus & Threat Protection's exclusion list. My graphic drivers can't really be at fault if the game was fine before, can they. Closing programs before just means the crash happens a bit later (tried that anyway)

Hi ptarjan,

Thank you for your comment. I would recommend to check which graphic card you have. If you have an Intel Iris XE I recommend following the steps Samzehboy shared above.

[sullimantalivic]

Originally posted by aliplays:

Originally posted by Chilamacho:

Same issue here. I have tried the seven steps, but the issue remains the same in multiplayer as well as single-player. The game seems to consume all the RAM, then starts writing to disk, then crashes shortly afterwards. For me this usually happens when going up to feudal.

Hi Chilamacho,

Thank you for your comment. Could you please share which graphic card you have?

If you have an Intel Iris XE graphics card, I recommend the same as the user Samzehboy above: try reverting your graphic driver to the version of May 26th, 2022. Go to
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19344/732078/intel-graphics-windows-dch-drivers.html > Download and install the igfx_win_101.1994.exe > Reboot

I am having this problem as well. I have downloaded that old version of the driver but the problem persists. I saw that somebody said to uninstall the new version but I am unsure how to do so. Will this be fixed in a patch? I looked back and this problem has persisted for over a month so maybe it is not our computers but a bigger problem on the developers end.
I have the Intel Iris Xe Graphics card, as well.

[Jason_T13]

Originally posted by Chilamacho:

Same issue here. I have tried the seven steps, but the issue remains the same in multiplayer as well as single-player. The game seems to consume all the RAM, then starts writing to disk, then crashes shortly afterwards. For me this usually happens when going up to feudal.

This is exactly what is happening to me as well. Happened only since the last update. I only play single-player. I've tried the seven steps but they didn't work. My graphics card is an Intel Iris Xe.

[Jason_T13]

And unfortunately I don't have the option to roll back the driver as it's a corporate-managed device.

[FE_ag]

Originally posted by santiccc:

Everything worked just fine until yesterday. Since yesterday everytime I start playing the game crashes after 15 or 20 minutes. The image stays still and then the game closes. I tried reinstalling the game and Steam, updating everything but the error still happens. Can anyone help me find a solution please?? Thanks!

Hi santiccc,

Thank you for reporting this issue! Could you please share what your setup looks like (graphic card, processor, RAM, OS)?

There are a few things to try that may resolve the issue:

1. Verify your files in the Steam Library -> Age of Empires II -> Right click -> Properties -> Local files -> Verify.

2. Disable your mods and restart the game after that.

3. Update your graphic drivers and check for pending Windows updates.

4. Add the whole game folder to your antivirus exception list. C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\AoE2DE is the default, AoE2DE_s.exe is in there.

5. Close as many programs as possible before starting the game.

Please comment again, if these steps do not resolve the issue. Thanks!

[ptarjan]

Yeah, it's an Iris Xe. Rolling back the driver seems to have fixed it. Thanks!

[santyrde]

hola, tengo el mismo problema alguna solucion? pudieron solucionarlo?

[76561198870394487]

Yo no solucioné nada, es imposible, he dejado de jugarlo

[santyrde]

un desastre lo compre hace 15 dias y no pude jugar 10 minutos seguidos y nadie ofrece solucion

[FE_ag]

Originally posted by JS_11:

Yo no solucioné nada, es imposible, he dejado de jugarlo

Hi JS_11,

Thank you for your comment. As you have an Intel Iris Xe I recommend following the steps shared in a related thread:

> Revert your Intel IGP Graphics Driver to the version of May 26th, 2022
> https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19344/732078/intel-graphics-windows-dch-drivers.html
> Download the igfx_win_101.1994.exe > Install > Reboot

[gdgerry1958]

I am getting a similar crash that only appeared after latest Windows 11 update. Game has become unplayable. :-(

[ArkAngel_Nic]

Originally posted by Lassejensen_:

Originally posted by ONE_BIG_MOB1:

Interesting tidbit - I just tried using DepotDownloader to revert to an older version (101.101.59165.0 9368025) of the game, but the memory leak was occurring for this version as well. This version is from 22 February 2022--all game files downloaded were from this date or earlier. I was testing the game offline, playing against the AI. It is surprising that the memory leak still occurred here given that it has apparently only been encountered by users since the most recent update. Possibly there was some recent update to the Iris Xe Graphics driver which broke the AOE2 code? Just guessing.

Originally posted by Samzehboy:

Update, I reverted the Intel IGP Graphics Driver to the version of May 26th, 2022 and this seems to run the game stable again.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19344/732078/intel-graphics-windows-dch-drivers.html -> download the igfx_win_101.1994.exe -> install -> reboot
Could someone confirm this?

It works!!! Finally!
Small tip for others. You might have to uninstall must updated driver first. In my case installing the old driver was not enough. First I had to uninstall the newest one and then install your suggested driver. Thank you very much!!!

It does not work for me yet :(

[maendolan]

just to report, same problem here, same graphic card,... intel iris , i have no problem before, but then steam got update, and it happen, sighhhhh

edit:

solved using old driver suggested by another user on this topic.