So, many folks playing Warhammer 40, 000: Rogue Trader (Lex Imperialis) keep bumping into this persistent WH40KRT.exe background error, with that annoying exception code 0xc0000005. It’s a crash that shows up in Event Viewer as an application failure — and it’s not just a little hiccup, it actually causes the game to freeze or stutter multiple times during a session. Honestly, figuring out what causes it feels like chasing shadows, because it’s often linked to DLL conflicts, hardware hiccups, or corrupted game files. Plus, some peeps have seen related Unity engine issues like weird sound glitches, which they’ve also looked into fixing. This whole mess is kind of frustrating because both game file integrity and system stability seem to matter a lot when trying to fix this crash.
That said, fixing it isn’t impossible. Usually, stuff like updating drivers, verifying files, and turning off overlays helps a bunch. And since some crashes are caused by lingering mods or Windows profile quirks, those are good to check as well. The important thing is to get a stable system environment that doesn’t throw errors on the game’s little quirks. Now, if you’re tired of the crashing messing up your game time, here’s a collection of solutions that hopefully irons most of it out.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fix WH40KRT.exe Error While Playing Lex Imperialis on PC
Remove the Rewired_DirectInput.dll file
Hit up WH40KRT_Data\Plugins\x86_64 and delete or just rename Rewired_DirectInput.dll. This DLL is part of the Unity input plugin, and it’s notorious for causing freezing or crashing, especially when you have multiple controllers plugged in or use third-party peripherals. Burning it once or disabling it might help stop those random crashes that happen mid-mission. Sometimes, Unity just doesn’t like this plugin anymore or conflicts with newer input handling since the game is kinda old-school.
Update your GPU, sound, and chipset drivers
This is classic but crucial — outdated drivers are often the root cause of 0xc0000005 errors. Use tools like NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD Adrenalin for your graphics card updates. Don’t forget to update your sound drivers from Device Manager or via your motherboard’s website. After updating, a quick reboot is a must because Windows sometimes needs to reset things to recognize the newer drivers. Trust me, on some setups, outdated drivers act like a magnet for crashes and artifacts.
Verify integrity of game files through Steam
If your files are corrupted or missing, Unity games tend to choke, and this game is no exception. Go to Library > Right-click Warhammer 40, 000: Rogue Trader > Properties > Local Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files. Steam will scan and download any damaged files. If that doesn’t help, honestly, reinstalling is sometimes the only way to ensure all files are fresh and clean.
Run as administrator and turn off overlays
Right-click on WH40KRT.exe or your Steam shortcut, then pick “Run as administrator”. This sometimes helps with permission issues that lead to access violations. Also, disable overlay features in Steam and Discord, because they’re often the culprits behind conflicts. For Steam, go to Settings > In-Game > uncheck “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”. Same thing in Discord’s settings—disable in-game overlay. On some rigs, this alone stops crashes during intense mouse or controller input segments.
Lower graphical settings to ease the load
If your GPU is chugging like crazy or overheating, stability suffers big time. Crank down settings like Shadow Quality, Ambient Occlusion, and disable SSR (Screen Space Reflections).Also, limit your frame rate to around 60 FPS using your GPU control panel (NVIDIA or AMD control panel).This reduces GPU pressure and can prevent those nasty engine stalls, especially if your hardware isn’t cutting it anymore. Overheating is a sneaky problem too — make sure your cooling is up to snuff, or check that your GPU isn’t throttling. If GPU temps climb above 85°C often, that’s probably your main issue.
Whitelist the game and its files in your antivirus
Sometimes, antivirus software mistakenly flags game DLLs or allocates memory during gameplay—leading to those memory access errors. Add WH40KRT.exe and the full game folder to the exception list of your antivirus or Windows Defender. This way, critical files stay untouched. Plus, avoid running shady mods or files from unofficial sources because their leftover scripts might cause trouble too.
Clean out mods or leftover files
If mods or leftover scripts from tools like UnityModManager or NexusMods are cluttering your install, they can wreak havoc on game logic. Delete or disable all mod folders and DLLs inside the game directory. Even old DLC files, if corrupted or incomplete, might cause issues. Doing this cleanup helped a lot of folks fix weird startup errors and crashes linked to incomplete DLC activation or mod conflicts.
Check system RAM and background programs
Lex Imperialis isn’t light — it likes at least 16GB RAM for smooth sailing. If you’re running other heavy programs like browsers, streaming apps, or sync tools, they consume memory and CPU cycles, leaving less for the game. On some setups, running a dozen background apps can make the game crash or stutter more often. If crashes happen after hours of playing or during big fights, check your Task Manager and shut down unnecessary apps to free resources. It’s surprisingly effective.
Run SFC and DISM scans for Windows DLLs
This is a bit more technical but still worth a shot. Open Command Prompt as admin and run:
sfc /scannow
This checks all your Windows system files and repairs any damage. After that, run:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
This step repairs deeper OS issues that might indirectly cause Unity or driver errors. In my experience, corruption here can sometimes cause odd crashes that seem unrelated to the game itself.
Create a new Windows user profile
And here’s a curveball — sometimes, the user profile itself is the problem. Corrupted profile permissions or registry entries can prevent the game from accessing memory properly. Try creating a fresh local Windows account, sign into it, install or move the game there, and see if it runs smoother. This step helped in some stubborn cases where everything else failed. Kind of annoying, but worth a shot if all else fails.
Common Causes of the WH40KRT.exe Error
- Rewired Plugin Conflict: The DLL it uses can clash with newer input systems, especially if you are using lots of controllers or specialized input devices. Disabling or removing this file often solves crash loops.
- Damaged DLLs or Corruption: Game or system DLLs that are missing or broken make the game chug, leading to the 0xc0000005 error. Think of it like trying to run a computer with corrupted files—something’s gotta give.
- GPU Overload or Overheating: The game pushes your GPU hard, and when temps spike or power delivery fails, crashes happen. Watch your temps and maybe lower some settings if overheating is suspected.
- Antivirus Interference: Overzealous AV can pick up Unity DLLs and throw a wrench in the works. Excluding the game folder prevents this problem.
- Overlay Conflicts: Steam, Discord, MSI Afterburner, whatever overlay you use — they often clash with Unity games. Turning these off can save a lot of headaches.
- Mods and DLC Troubles: Leftover or corrupt mods can break scripts or assets, so cleaning them out often restores stability.
- Memory Shortages: Not enough RAM or CPU bottlenecks cause crashes, especially when multitasking or with background apps hogging resources.
- Corrupted Windows Profile or Registry: A rare cause, but if permissions or registry entries get borked, Unity can’t initialize the game properly.
Wrap-up
To be honest, tackling the WH40KRT.exe error can be a pain — it’s a mix of drivers, DLL conflicts, and system stability. Updating everything, verifying files, and cleaning out mods usually do the trick. Keep an eye on your hardware temps and disable overlays that aren’t necessary. Sometimes, just creating a fresh Windows profile or running system scans clears up the deeper issues.
Hopefully, this gets some players back into a crash-free game. The key is patience and systematically ruling out each potential cause. Cheers to smoother sessions — fingers crossed this helps!
FAQs
This usually comes down to the Rewired input plugin failing during device polling. If Unity mishandles controllers, mice, or keyboards, it crashes. Removing or disabling that DLL often cuts the crashes way down.
That’s a sign the engine tried to access invalid memory and paused to avoid bigger issues. Overloaded RAM or corrupt DLLs are common culprits here. It’s kind of weird, but reducing background apps and verifying files can help.
Yeah. The older Unity version used by Lex Imperialis is prone to memory leaks and sound looping bugs when resources are low — which can also cause crashes. Keeping system RAM free and updating drivers helps prevent that.
Reinstalling can help, especially if files are corrupted, but it’s better to verify game files and remove problematic plugins like Rewired first. It’s like a full refresh that sometimes makes a difference.
Definitely. Improper mod setup or incomplete DLC installs sometimes mess up game scripts or load assets improperly, leading to memory violations. Clean those out if crashes persist after updates.
Try creating a new Windows user profile and run the game there. Sometimes, user account permissions or registry entries are the root of stubborn issues. It’s a last-ditch effort but often helps reset the environment without messing with system files.