The Xbox Series S was built with a durable system that’s more advanced than the previous Xbox consoles. However, sometimes your games may start crashing for no reason. This can be annoying, especially if it happens with multiple games. So, why does your Xbox crash, and how can you resolve it?
Your Xbox Series S may crash due to network problems, corrupted system software, a bug in a game, or overheating. To fix the issue, you’ll have to fix connection problems, hard reset your console, reset the resolution, delete corrupted games, or reset the Xbox and wipe out all data.
If the hardware is damaged due to overheating or other problems, you’ll have to send it in for repairs. However, it’s unlikely that your console is crashing due to a hardware problem since game and system bugs are the main culprits in most cases.
Why Does Your Xbox Series S Keep Freezing and Crashing?
While there’s no feeling worse than your console crashing while playing a crucial game, the problem is usually manageable.
An Xbox Series S may crash because of bugs in the console or games, faulty hardware, overheating, or electrical issues. Let’s take a look at each of these causes in detail:
A Bug in a Game
If your console constantly crashes when you’re busy playing a particular game, the issue could be with the game. Bugs in a game may cause it to shut down entirely and affect your console. Likewise, if the console crashes on a particular game but is fine with other games, it could be something wrong with the game.
Game bugs can usually be solved by updating or deleting the game and reinstalling it. So they aren’t a significant problem and don’t mean anything is wrong with your Xbox.
Bugs in the System Software
Sometimes, the Xbox Series S system software may have a bug, causing it to malfunction and crash. These bugs often appear randomly and don’t mean there’s anything significantly wrong with your console.
System bugs may result from firmware that hasn’t been updated, or they may appear randomly. These bugs usually go away when your Xbox restarts. If the problem is that you haven’t updated your console, then you’ll have to install the latest updates.
Overheating
While overheating isn’t as common in the Xbox Series S, it does occur. Overheating can damage the hardware and cause your system to crash.
If your system is crashing because of overheating, you’ll need to look for the cause of the problem. For example, it could be the console’s position or a lack of air circulation in the room where the Xbox is placed.
You can quickly solve an Xbox Series S overheating problem by ensuring your Xbox is well-ventilated, and the cooling fans are working correctly. Aftermarket coolers like the U/D Console Cooling System (on Amazon) can help cool your console off if it can’t keep up in the spot you want to use it. And if space is an issue, be sure to consider a wall-mount like this one (also on Amazon) which can get your console up off the floor.
Faulty Hardware
A faulty part in the Xbox’s hardware may also cause the console to freeze. If a crucial component is damaged due to heat, water, overcurrent, or other problems, it may crash repeatedly.
In this case, you’ll have to send it in for repairs. However, damage to hardware components is usually covered by the warranty unless they were damaged by accident or negligence.
Electrical Problems
Sometimes, electric surges or sudden power outages may cause the Xbox to crash. These power disruptions may occur in a fraction of a second, and you may not even notice it.
However, it may affect your Xbox, and you’ll have to restart the console.
Besides crashing your Xbox, overheating can damage other elements of your console as well. Read more about the dangers in our guide.
Network Problems
Network problems may also chase your games to crash while you’re busy playing. An unstable internet connection or network cache are the leading causes of games crashing.
If you constantly experience this problem, check your router and cables. Also, make sure your router’s firmware is updated and clear the network cache on the Xbox.
How Do You Get Your Xbox S Series to Stop Crashing?
To get your Xbox Series S to stop crashing, you’ll have to know what the problem is first. Check the connectivity status and look for issues with the network. Also, check whether the console is crashing with a particular game or multiple games and whether it crashes anytime or only after long marathon gaming sessions.
Once you know what’s causing the Xbox to crash, you can start troubleshooting the problem. Here are some things you can do to get your Xbox Series S to stop crashing:
1. Hard Reset Your Console
A hard reset is the primary solution for most Xbox problems and may help resolve the crashing issue. To do a hard reset:
- First, press the power button on your console until it turns off.
- Next, unplug the power cable and wait for a couple of minutes.
- Finally, plug in the power button and turn on the console.
Check whether the issue has been resolved. If the console is still crashing after a hard reset, it indicates either a hardware problem or a game bug.
2. Delete the Bugged Game
If your Xbox crashes during a particular game, it usually indicates a bug in the game. First, try updating the game if updates are available to resolve this issue, which generally fixes most glitches and bugs.
However, if the update doesn’t work, you’ll have to delete and reinstall the game. To delete and reinstall games on an Xbox Series S:
- Go onto ‘My Games and Apps‘ and select the bugged game.
- Use the Menu button and click on Manage Game‘.
- Click on ‘Uninstall‘.
- To reinstall the game, go onto ‘My Games and Apps‘.
- Choose your game from the ‘Ready to Install‘ section and install it.
Once you purchase a game from the Xbox Store, you’ll have it for life. So you don’t need to worry about losing your game subscription by reinstalling a game.
3. Fix Resolution Problems
A resolution bug can also cause your Xbox to crash or go blank. To resolve this issue, remove any disc from the disc tray and click on the power button and eject button simultaneously.
Hold until the console light stops flashing. This should reset your console’s resolution and fix any resolution bugs.
4. Check the Network Connection
Problems with the network could also cause your Xbox to freeze during online games. If you’re facing a problem with the network, test the internet speeds and check whether the router is functioning correctly. If you’re facing a problem connecting to WiFi, or your Xbox keeps disconnecting from WiFi, try connecting to the router with an ethernet cable.
5. Reset Your Xbox
If none of the other solutions work, you’ll have to reset your Xbox. This will clear out all data and hopefully remove the bug. Under the system settings, you can either reset everything or reset the Xbox while saving the games and apps.
First, try resetting without deleting your games and apps. And if this doesn’t work, you’ll have to reset the Xbox and delete all games and apps.
This should only be your last resort if nothing seems to fix the crashing problem. While you can reinstall the games later, it will take time, and you’ll lose your in-game data.
6. Fix any Hardware Issues
If there’s a corrupted hardware component causing your console to crash, you’ll have to send it in for repairs. Hardware problems only worsen if not repaired early, so send it for repair as soon as possible.
While Xbox hardware repairs can be costly, you may get the issue resolved under warranty, so check your warranty dates first.