Tomb Raider (2013) — Common Errors & How to Fix Them
When a Tomb Raider (2013) error is fixable and when it is grounds for a refund.
Last updated 2026-09-25 · evergreen reference
Most Tomb Raider (2013) errors are fixable in under an hour. This page tells you which ones are, and which ones mean you should stop troubleshooting and ask the store for a refund instead.
Errors, causes and fixes
Start from the symptom that matches yours.
Severe frame-rate loss, especially on NVIDIA cards
What is happening: Two AMD-sponsored technologies in the menu: TressFX hair, and "Ultra" ambient occlusion, which is HDAO. Both hit non-AMD hardware hard.
Fix: Set hair to Normal to disable TressFX and set ambient occlusion to Normal rather than Ultra. These two changes are the largest single performance gain available.
Flickering and crashes on SLI or CrossFire
What is happening: Multi-GPU frame pacing plus tessellation.
Fix: Set VSync to Off in the launcher’s advanced settings and disable tessellation.
Crash to desktop and problems minimising the game
What is happening: Exclusive Fullscreen conflicts with "RAM optimiser" and game booster utilities.
Fix: Disable Exclusive Fullscreen and uninstall any RAM optimizer or game booster software — they are bloatware that actively destabilises the game.
Screen looks like broken glass at certain points
What is happening: A High Precision rendering bug that appears intermittently.
Fix: Change the High Precision setting to any other value and apply. The fix must be reapplied each time it appears, and you can set it back afterwards without retriggering it.
Static noise in music and ambient sound
What is happening: Sound card hardware acceleration.
Fix: Update your audio drivers, and in Control Panel > Sound > Audio > Advanced > Performance, set the hardware acceleration slider to None.
Large FPS loss on modern Windows with display scaling
What is happening: Exclusive Fullscreen is not applied correctly when system scaling is not at 100%.
Fix: Disable DPI optimisations for the executable in Compatibility settings, skip the launcher, or revert system scaling to its default.
The order to work in
Cheapest and most reversible first.
1. Rule out the universal causes
Verify game files, update the GPU driver with a clean install, and close overlays, recorders and RGB utilities. Across every engine, these three resolve the largest share of crashes before you touch anything game-specific.
2. Match the fix to the symptom
A crash that happens in the same place every time in Tomb Raider (2013) is usually asset or configuration damage — a cache, a config file or a mod. A crash that happens at random intervals is far more often a driver, an overlay, thermals or unstable memory tuning.
3. Change one thing, then retest
Load the same save, visit the same area and repeat the same action. If you change five settings at once you will never learn which one mattered, and you will end up reinstalling a game that did not need it.
When to stop fixing and ask for a refund
Troubleshooting has a deadline.
Store windows are short
Steam refunds within 14 days of purchase and under 2 hours of playtime, though documented technical faults can sometimes be accepted past that. Microsoft Store and Epic follow similar 14-day or 2-hour rules with their own exception paths.
Evidence changes the outcome
A denied refund can sometimes be overturned if you attach crash logs, a DxDiag and the steps you already tried. Contact store support with the evidence rather than filing a bare request.
Account actions are not refundable
If the failure is a ban from online cheating or a modified client, no store will refund it. That category is separate from a game that simply will not run.
Related pages
This is an independent player reference and is not official documentation for Tomb Raider (2013). GameFixPro does not host or link to copyrighted assets. Modding guidance is for single-player use only — never use mods in online multiplayer. Verify current requirements, prices and policies with the publisher before acting.