Black Friday Janitor Crash and DX11 Fixes

Black Friday Janitor’s official requirements list DirectX 11 at minimum and DirectX 12 at the recommended level. That does not mean DX12 is always better on every PC or that DX11 is a universal crash fix.

Patch v1.0.5 is the most important first check because it adds a mall-loading change that had improved crash stability for some users on the experimental branch.

First: update before troubleshooting

Before applying old launch-week workarounds:

1. let Steam install v1.0.5 or newer;
2. restart Steam;
3. launch normally;
4. reproduce the crash once;
5. record exactly where it happens.

A workaround discovered before September 24 may no longer be necessary after the loading change.

Identify the failure stage

Different failure stages point to different tests.

Crash before the main menu

Check:

• game files;
• GPU driver;
• DirectX launch mode;
• third-party overlays;
• unsupported launch options;
• security software messages.

Crash while loading the mall

v1.0.5 specifically targets this area. Confirm the version first, then compare DX11/DX12 and test a clean launch with overlays disabled.

Crash during active play

Record the exact store/area, action and elapsed session time. A repeatable crash in one location is more useful to a developer than “random crash.”

DX11 versus DX12

The published requirements say:

• DirectX 11 — minimum;
• DirectX 12 — recommended.

If the current mode crashes:

1. change only the DirectX mode;
2. reproduce the same launch/load action;
3. keep the mode that is stable;
4. do not change graphics preset and API simultaneously.

At least one player report describes DX11 launching when DX12 did not, while other players report long stable sessions. That variation is why this guide does not label either API as universally correct.

Verify game files

Steam’s built-in file verification is safer than downloading replacement DLLs.

Use:

Steam Library → Black Friday Janitor → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.

Retest before doing anything else.

Graphics drivers

Use a current stable driver from the GPU vendor.

Avoid generic “driver updater” programs. If a crash began immediately after a driver update, record the exact driver version instead of blindly changing multiple components.

The game also added a graphics-driver warning in an early patch and later made that warning dismissible.

Overlays and injected tools

For one controlled test, temporarily disable:

• Steam overlay;
• Discord overlay;
• NVIDIA/AMD overlay;
• performance/monitoring overlays;
• third-party injectors you added yourself.

If the crash disappears, re-enable them one at a time.

This is an isolation method, not a claim that a specific overlay is known to break the game.

Remove experimental launch options

If you copied launch options from a forum:

• save them somewhere;
• clear them;
• test the default;
• add back only the option that solves a reproducible problem.

Do not stack undocumented flags because another game used them.

Avoid unsafe “fix” downloads

Do not download:

• random replacement DLLs;
• registry-cleaner packages;
• cracked executables;
• unknown “performance patches”;
• unofficial driver installers.

They are not required by the official troubleshooting path and can create a larger security or stability problem.

If a save loads differently from a new run

Record whether:

• new game reaches the mall;
• existing save crashes while loading;
• both fail at the same stage.

Do not delete the save. Steam Cloud is supported, but destructive troubleshooting should still be the last resort.

If the failure is save-specific, include that distinction in a bug report.

What a useful bug report includes

Post reproducible problems to the official Steam bug-report discussions.

Steam Deck note

The game is currently Steam Deck Verified. If the issue occurs only on Deck, start with Steam’s default compatibility configuration instead of forcing a Proton version.

See the Steam Deck guide for the current compatibility details.

Evidence and limitations

Confirmed by public sources: DX11 minimum, DX12 recommended and the v1.0.5 mall-loading stability change. Player-reported: DX11 has resolved a DX12 launch problem on at least one system. Editorial troubleshooting: file verification, one-variable-at-a-time testing, overlay isolation and structured bug reporting. These are conservative diagnostic steps, not claims of one universal fix.

Sources: official Steam Community and patch feed, current patch history and official Steam support information.

For version checks and the wiki review log, continue to the updates hub.