Check the DirectX mode after an AMD driver timeout

Start with the current DirectX 11 default

1. Update the game to the current release; the October 25 official patch identifies 1.0.4 and its Windows DirectX 11 default.
2. In Steam, open the game’s Properties, General, Launch Options. Record any existing options before changing the renderer flag.
3. If -force-d3d12 is present, remove that renderer override to try the announced default. Keep unrelated options unchanged.
4. Launch again and repeat the activity that caused the timeout. Record the GPU, version, renderer option and whether the same failure recurs.

Understand the earlier DX11 workaround

In the Steam thread, replies 8 and 10-12 describe using -force-d3d11, with several players reporting that crashes stopped during their observation. One reply gives the same Properties → General → Launch Options path. This predates or overlaps the switch to DX11 by default.

The official -force-d3d12 option deliberately selects DirectX 12; it is not the AMD stability workaround described by these sources. Use the default first before carrying forward old renderer advice.

If the crash continues

Keep the exact timeout or crash message, GPU model, installed game version and repeatable action. The original thread includes temporary improvements from unrelated settings that did not last, so one longer session is not proof of a permanent repair. The announcement does not establish a universal driver version, clock change or registry fix.

After a crash, 1.0.4 also checks save data on the next start. Use the existing save-repair guide if the world then fails to load.