How to Fix DOOM Eternal Failed to Allocate Video Memory Error on PC

The return of the Doom franchise was an incredible one, and its sequel, DOOM Eternal, takes things to another level. What impressed me the most is that Eternal targets 60 FPS on consoles and doesn’t compromise on visual quality. Despite the optimizations, PC users are experiencing the “failed to allocate video memory” error when they launch the game. I have compiled the best fixes that will resolve the DOOM Eternal “failed to allocate video memory” error on your Windows PC.

Doom Eternal Failed to Allocate Video Memory Fixes That Work

On PC, the game runs extremely well, which also cemented id Software’s reputation as a developer that releases optimized games that scale well on various PC configurations. However, PC users report that DOOM Eternal keeps crashing at startup with the following error message:

There are multiple reasons why you are experiencing the “Failed to allocate video memory” error, like the game not using the dedicated GPU, an outdated GPU driver, the default Windows Virtual Memory is not enough, and more. The following methods will fix the DOOM Eternal failed to allocate memory error on your Windows 10 PC.

Fix #1 – Update GPU Driver or Install a Different Version

In my experience, the GPU driver is often the culprit behind a lot of issues in games. Nvidia driver released following the launch of RTX 50 series GPUs have created a lot of problems for PC users, at the time of writing.

Even a well-optimized game is no match for a GPU driver issue, as DOOM: The Dark Ages freezes during gameplay due to Nvidia GPU drivers. The reason you are experiencing the “failed to allocate video memory” error on startup is that the current GPU driver is either corrupt or incompatible with DOOM Eternal.

You can fix the error by doing a reinstall of the driver or installing a different version of the driver. Download the Nvidia or AMD driver, depending on your graphics card, and install it to fix the error. Ensure that you do a clean installation, so that settings from the previous driver install won’t interfere with the new one.

Fix #2 – Ensure Doom Eternal Is Running on Dedicated Graphics Hardware

Doom Eternal is crashing at launch with the “failed to allocate video memory” error due to Windows not switching to the dedicated GPU when needed. Gaming laptops tend to save energy by using the integrated GPU (iGPU) for tasks that don’t require much graphics processing power. Windows switches between the iGPU and a dedicated NVIDIA or AMD GPU depending on load.

While it saves power and helps extend the laptop’s battery life, Windows sometimes doesn’t switch to the dedicated GPU when needed. This is the reason the game is crashing with the “failed to allocate video memory” error. You can fix this issue by forcing Windows to always use the dedicated GPU, and here is how you can force it:

• Open Windows 11/10 Settings.
• Navigate to System > Display > Graphics.
• Select “DOOM Eternal” from the list.
• Click on Options.
• Check the “High Performance” option and save the changes.
• Launch the game, and the “failed to allocate memory” error is now fixed.

Fix #3 – Increase Virtual Memory

The game is crashing on startup with the “failed to allocate memory” error because the amount of Virtual Memory set by Windows isn’t enough. You can fix Doom Eternal’s “failed to allocate video memory” error on Windows by increasing the Virtual Memory. Here is how you can increase Virtual Memory on Windows:

• Open Windows Settings > System > About > Advanced System Settings.
• Click “Settings” under Performance, and go to the Advanced tab in Performance Options.
• Click on “Change” under Virtual memory.
• Uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.”
• Select the drive with at least 32 GB of available space.
• Check the Custom size option.
• Input ‘16,384’ for the Initial size and ‘32,768’ for the Maximum size and press OK.
• Restart your PC, launch the game, and the “failed to allocate video memory” error is now fixed.

That is all for our fixes for the Doom Eternal’s “failed to allocate video memory” startup crashes on PC. If you are experiencing errors and crashes in games, also see our fixes hub for commonly occurring errors for PC and handhelds.