Permafrost crashing? Fixes for Error 11c7, startup crashes and low FPS

Most Early Access launch crashes are GPU-related. First make sure the game has updated: two hotfixes on October 9, 2026 turned off FSR on NVIDIA RTX 20, 30, 40 and 50 series cards to reduce crashes. If it still crashes, try the developers' -dx11 launch option. If you see Error 11c7 at launch, Windows Smart App Control is blocking the game.

Last checked October 10, 2026, after Hotfix 2

Two survivors pushing through a blizzard past an abandoned vehicle — A storm in Permafrost's frozen world. Official screenshot © SpaceRocket Games / Toplitz Productions.

Fixes by symptom

Find the row that matches what you're seeing. Rows marked as developer suggestions come from the developers' replies to individual player reviews rather than an announcement.

Permafrost problems, what to do, and their current status
Problem	What to do	Status
Crashes on NVIDIA RTX 20, 30, 40 or 50 series	Let the game update. If no update appears, restart Steam.	Hotfix (RTX 20/30) and Hotfix 2 (RTX 40/50) disabled FSR on these cards on October 9.
Crashes before the main menu, or frequent GPU crashes	Add `-dx11` to the Steam launch options (steps).	Developer workaround. It may not fix every case, and DirectX 11 still needs more testing.
Error 11c7 when launching	Windows Smart App Control is blocking the game. Turning it off fixed this for several players (steps and warning).	Cause confirmed by the developers.
Crashes on an AMD graphics card	In Settings > Video, set Multi-Frame-Generation-Type to Off and turn Super Resolution off.	Developer suggestion to a player.
Low FPS (around 30) on recommended hardware, no crashes	In Settings > Video, turn Super Resolution on.	Developer suggestion to a player.
Frame rate drops in the first settlement with NPCs	No fix yet.	Known issue, acknowledged by the developers.
Key bindings don't save	No fix yet. Movement keys did become rebindable in the launch build.	Known issue, acknowledged by the developers.

The two Super Resolution tips point in opposite directions

Turn Super Resolution off only if you're crashing on an AMD card. If the game is stable but slow, turning it on is the suggestion for better frame rates.

Add the -dx11 launch option on Steam

Open your Steam Library.
Right-click Permafrost and choose Properties.
On the General tab, type -dx11 into Launch Options.
Close the window and start the game.

To undo it, delete -dx11 from Launch Options. The developers have only published the Steam steps; they haven't posted equivalents for the GOG or Epic versions.

Fix Error 11c7 (Smart App Control)

Open Windows Security.
Go to App & browser control.
Open Smart App Control settings and set it to Off.

Before you turn it off

Smart App Control is a Windows security feature that blocks untrusted apps. According to Microsoft, recent Windows updates let you switch it back on later in Windows Security. On a PC where optional diagnostic data is turned off, or one in S mode, turning it back on still needs a PC reset or Windows reinstall. Details are in Microsoft's Smart App Control FAQ (external site).

Still crashing?

The developers said more hotfixes would follow over the weekend of October 10–11, 2026. Their Steam announcements (external site) list each hotfix and include an upload link for crash logs. The Steam discussions (external site) have a Bug Reporting section with pinned fixes.

Page created October 10, 2026. Fixes come from the developers' announcements and their replies to players; this site hasn't tested them itself.