Critical
Games
✓ Solution Verified by Community (30+ upvotes)
How to fix error kmode-exception-not-handled in God of War
Kernel-mode program generated an exception the error handler didn't catch. Usually a driver issue.
Fix based on community reports and expert analysis. Last verified: 2026-08-12
· How we verify fixes
| Error Code | kmode-exception-not-handled |
|---|---|
| Affected System | God of War (Santa Monica Studio) |
| Difficulty | Critical |
| Estimated Time | 20 min |
| Requires Admin Rights | ⚠️ Yes |
| Requires Reboot | 🔄 Yes |
Solution Steps
- 1 Run God of War as Administrator. Navigate to the game folder, right-click the .exe → Properties → Compatibility → check 'Run this program as an administrator' → Apply. This gives God of War full system access and fixes permission-related crashes.
- 2 Update Windows to the latest version. Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates. Install ALL updates, especially 'Optional' driver updates. God of War requires the latest Windows components for stability.
- 3 Disable fullscreen optimizations. Right-click God of War.exe → Properties → Compatibility → check 'Disable fullscreen optimizations' → Apply. This prevents Windows from interfering with the game's rendering pipeline.
- 4 Install God of War on an SSD if it's currently on an HDD. Slow disk reads during gameplay cause asset streaming stutters that can cascade into crashes. An SSD eliminates this bottleneck.
- 5 Check your RAM stability. Press Windows key + R, type 'mdsched.exe' and press Enter → Restart now. Faulty RAM causes random crashes in God of War that are impossible to reproduce consistently.
- 6 Temporarily disable your antivirus real-time protection and test God of War. Add the game folder to antivirus exclusions. Security software sometimes quarantines game files or blocks their execution.
- 7 Lower God of War graphics settings temporarily. Set everything to Low/Off, disable Ray Tracing, disable DLSS/FSR. If crashes stop, increase settings one by one until you find the problematic setting — usually shadows, textures, or ray tracing.
- 8 If God of War still crashes: uninstall the game, delete all remaining folders in SteamApps\common and %LOCALAPPDATA%, restart your PC, reinstall. This clean slate approach fixes stubborn corruption that verification misses.
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