Fix Invincible VS Crashes by Disabling Steam, Discord & NVIDIA

You are in the middle of a tense match. The announcer shouts “Fight!” Your fingers move instinctively to execute a combo. Then it happens. A notification pops up. A friend messages you on Discord. You accidentally press a key combination that opens the Steam overlay. Your game freezes for a split second, then crashes to the desktop. Or perhaps the game crashes immediately on launch whenever Discord is running in the background. These random, seemingly inexplicable crashes are often caused by application overlays. Steam, Discord, and NVIDIA GeForce Experience all inject additional code into your game to display notifications, chat windows, FPS counters, and recording controls. While convenient, these overlays frequently conflict with Invincible VS—especially on systems with limited resources or specific graphics drivers. The solution is simple: disable the overlays you do not need. This guide walks you through exactly how to disable overlays in every major application, and how to test which one is causing your crashes

Summary

What Are Overlays and Why Do They Cause Crashes?

An overlay is a transparent layer that sits on top of your game. It allows you to access features without alt-tabbing out of the game.

Common overlays and their features:

Application	Overlay Features
Steam	Shift+Tab menu, friend chat, web browser, screenshots
Discord	Voice chat overlay, who is talking, friend activity
NVIDIA GeForce Experience	FPS counter, screen recording, instant replay, game filters
Xbox Game Bar	Windows screen recording, party chat, performance widgets
MSI Afterburner / RivaTuner	FPS counter, temperature monitoring, GPU/CPU usage
AMD Adrenalin	Performance metrics, instant replay, screen recording

Why overlays crash Invincible VS:

Crash Type	What Happens
Immediate crash on launch	Overlay tries to inject into the game during initialization; the game fails to start
Crash when pressing overlay hotkey	The game cannot handle the overlay rendering and crashes
Crash when receiving a notification	Overlay tries to display a pop-up; the game crashes
Random mid-match crash	Overlay attempts an operation (e.g., saving a recording) that conflicts with the game
Performance stuttering	Overlay consumes resources, causing frame drops

Signs that an overlay is causing your crash:

If you experience this…	The likely culprit is…
Game crashes when you press Shift+Tab	Steam Overlay
Game crashes when you receive a Discord message or join a voice channel	Discord Overlay
Game crashes when you press Alt+Z or use recording features	NVIDIA GeForce Experience
Game crashes when you press Windows Key+G	Xbox Game Bar
Game crashes when you have MSI Afterburner running	RivaTuner overlay
Game crashes only when multiple overlays are active	Overlay conflict between two applications

If any of these sound familiar, disabling the problematic overlay will resolve your crash.

Method 1: Disable Steam Overlay (Most Common Culprit)

The Steam overlay is enabled by default for every game in your library. It is one of the most common causes of overlay-related crashes.

Step 1: Open Steam and locate Invincible VS

Launch Steam and log into your account
Go to your Library
Find Invincible VS in the list on the left

Step 2: Access the game properties

Right-click on Invincible VS
Select Properties from the dropdown menu

Step 3: Disable the Steam Overlay

In the Properties window, make sure you are on the General tab
Look for the option labeled “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”
Uncheck the box (turn it off)
The checkmark should disappear

Step 4: Close Properties and test

Click the X to close the Properties window
Launch Invincible VS
Test for crashes, especially when pressing Shift+Tab (the overlay will no longer appear)

Step 5: (Optional) Disable Steam Overlay globally

If you want to disable the Steam overlay for every game:

In Steam, click Steam in the top-left corner → Settings
Go to the In-Game tab
Uncheck “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”
Click OK

Note: Disabling the overlay globally affects all games. You can always re-enable it by following the same steps.

Method 2: Disable Discord Overlay

Discord’s overlay is notorious for causing crashes in Unreal Engine games (which Invincible VS uses). Even if you never open the overlay manually, Discord runs it in the background.

Step 1: Open Discord Settings

Open Discord and log into your account
Click the User Settings icon (gear icon) at the bottom left corner, next to your username

Step 2: Navigate to Game Overlay settings

In the left sidebar, scroll down to Activity Settings
Click on Game Overlay

Step 3: Disable the overlay

Look for the toggle switch labeled “Enable in-game overlay”
Toggle it OFF (it should turn from green to gray)
The overlay is now disabled for all games

Step 4: Remove Invincible VS from registered games (optional)

If you want to keep the overlay for other games but disable it only for Invincible VS:

Still in Game Overlay settings, scroll down to Registered Games
Look for Invincible VS in the list
If it appears, click the monitor icon next to it to disable the overlay for just this game
The icon should change from a monitor to a disabled symbol

Step 5: Fully close Discord (for testing)

To ensure Discord is completely out of memory:

Right-click the Discord icon in your system tray (near the clock)
Select Quit Discord (not just minimize)
Discord will fully close

Step 6: Launch Invincible VS and test

Launch the game (Discord will not be running)
Test for crashes

If the game works with Discord closed: The Discord overlay (or Discord itself) was causing the crash. Keep Discord closed while playing, or keep the overlay disabled.

If the game still crashes with Discord closed: Discord is not the cause. Proceed to Method 3.

Method 3: Disable NVIDIA GeForce Experience Overlay

NVIDIA GeForce Experience adds an overlay that provides FPS counters, screen recording, instant replay, and game filters. While useful, it is a common source of crashes in Unreal Engine games.

Step 1: Open NVIDIA GeForce Experience

Type GeForce Experience into the Windows search bar
Open the application

Step 2: Access settings

Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top-right corner of the window

Step 3: Disable the in-game overlay

Look for the “In-Game Overlay” toggle
Toggle it OFF (it should turn from green to gray)
The overlay is now disabled

Step 4: Disable Instant Replay and Recording features (additional safety)

Even with the overlay disabled, some background recording features may continue to run.

Still in GeForce Experience settings
Look for “Instant Replay” or “Record Desktop”
Set both to OFF
If you see a “Privacy” section, ensure desktop capture is disabled

Step 5: Close GeForce Experience completely

Right-click the NVIDIA icon in your system tray (near the clock)
Select Exit or Close
Confirm if prompted

Step 6: Launch Invincible VS and test

Launch the game
Test for crashes, especially when pressing Alt+Z (the overlay will no longer appear)

Note: You can still update your GPU drivers through GeForce Experience even with the overlay disabled. The overlay is a separate feature from driver updates.

Method 4: Disable Xbox Game Bar (Windows 10 and 11)

Xbox Game Bar is built into Windows and runs automatically unless disabled. It provides screen recording, party chat, and performance widgets. Many users do not realize it is running in the background.

Step 1: Open Windows Settings

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings

Step 2: Navigate to Gaming settings

Windows 11:

Click Gaming in the left sidebar

Windows 10:

Click Gaming

Step 3: Disable Xbox Game Bar

Click on Xbox Game Bar (or “Game Bar” on some versions)
Turn the toggle OFF for “Enable Xbox Game Bar”
The Game Bar will no longer launch when you press Windows Key + G

Step 4: Disable Captures and Background Recording

Still in the Gaming section:

Click Captures
Turn OFF “Record in the background while I’m playing a game”
Turn OFF “Record audio when I record a game”

Step 5: Disable Game Mode (optional but helpful)

Game Mode is designed to prioritize games, but it can sometimes cause conflicts.

Click Game Mode
Turn the toggle OFF

Step 6: Restart your PC

Restart your computer for all changes to take effect
Launch Invincible VS and test

Method 5: Disable MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Overlays

MSI Afterburner (often used with RivaTuner Statistics Server) is popular for overclocking and monitoring FPS and temperatures. However, the overlay is a frequent cause of game crashes.

Step 1: Close MSI Afterburner completely

Right-click the MSI Afterburner icon in your system tray
Select Exit or Close
Confirm if prompted

Step 2: Close RivaTuner Statistics Server

Right-click the RivaTuner icon (often a blue or red monitor icon) in your system tray
Select Exit or Close
Confirm if prompted

Step 3: Check Task Manager for background processes

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
Look for any processes named:
- MSIAfterburner.exe
- RTSS.exe (RivaTuner)
- RivaTuner64.exe
If found, right-click and select End task

Step 4: Launch Invincible VS and test

Launch the game with MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner completely closed
Test for crashes

If the game works with these closed: You have two options:

Option	What to Do
Option A	Keep them closed while playing Invincible VS
Option B	Reopen them but disable the overlay in RivaTuner settings (see below)

Step 5: (Alternative) Disable overlay only in RivaTuner

If you want to keep MSI Afterburner running for monitoring but disable the overlay:

Open RivaTuner Statistics Server
Look for Invincible VS in the application list (or add it)
Set Application detection level to None
Set On-Screen Display support to Off
Click Save or Apply

Method 6: Disable AMD Adrenalin Overlay (AMD Users)

AMD Adrenalin includes an overlay with performance metrics, instant replay, and recording features.

Step 1: Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

Right-click on your desktop
Select AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

Step 2: Navigate to Settings

Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top-right corner

Step 3: Disable the in-game overlay

Click on the Preferences tab (or “General” depending on version)
Look for In-Game Overlay or Overlay
Toggle it OFF

Step 4: Disable recording features

Look for Instant Replay or Record Desktop
Set both to OFF
If available, turn off In-Game Replay

Step 5: Close AMD Adrenalin

Right-click the AMD icon in your system tray
Select Exit or Close
Launch Invincible VS and test

Method 7: Test Overlays One by One (Identify the Culprit)

If you have multiple overlays enabled, it can be difficult to know which one is causing the crash. Use this systematic testing method.

Step 1: Disable ALL overlays

Use the methods above to disable:

Overlay	Disable Method
Steam	Method 1
Discord	Method 2
NVIDIA GeForce Experience	Method 3
Xbox Game Bar	Method 4
MSI Afterburner / RivaTuner	Method 5
AMD Adrenalin	Method 6
Any other overlay (Medal, Outplayed, etc.)	Check app settings

Step 2: Test the game with no overlays

Restart your PC (ensures no overlays are running)
Launch Invincible VS
If the game works perfectly → One of your overlays was the problem. Proceed to Step 3.
If the game still crashes → Overlays are not the cause. Return to the pillar article.

Step 3: Enable overlays one at a time

Re-enable overlays in order of importance to you, testing the game after each one.

Order	Overlay to Re-enable	After enabling, test the game
1	Steam	Launch game, try Shift+Tab
2	Discord	Launch game, test voice/notifications
3	NVIDIA/AMD	Launch game, try overlay hotkey
4	Xbox Game Bar	Launch game, try Win+G
5	MSI Afterburner	Launch game, check overlay

Step 4: Identify the crashing overlay

If the game crashes after enabling a specific overlay → That overlay is the culprit
Keep that overlay disabled while playing Invincible VS
You can keep all other overlays enabled

Preventing Overlays from Re-enabling After Updates

Applications frequently re-enable overlays after updates. Use these strategies to prevent crashes from returning.

Prevention 1: Create a checklist of disabled overlays

Keep a simple text file with your disabled overlay settings:

Invincible VS – Disabled Overlays:

Steam Overlay: OFF
Discord Overlay: OFF
NVIDIA Overlay: OFF
Xbox Game Bar: OFF

After any major application update, check your settings against this list.

Prevention 2: Set Discord to close completely after gaming

In Discord settings:

Go to User Settings → Windows Settings
Look for “Close Discord to system tray”
Turn this OFF
Now when you click X, Discord closes completely instead of hiding

Prevention 3: Disable automatic overlay updates in GeForce Experience

Open GeForce Experience
Go to Settings
Turn OFF “Automatically download updates”
This prevents surprise overlay changes

Prevention 4: Use the “Launch with overlays disabled” routine

Create a simple pre-gaming routine:

Close Discord entirely
Close GeForce Experience
Launch Steam (overlay already disabled per Method 1)
Launch Invincible VS

This takes 30 seconds and guarantees no overlay conflicts.

Complete Overlay Crash Troubleshooting Flowchart

Use this decision tree to quickly diagnose and fix overlay-related crashes.

START: Invincible VS crashes, especially when notifications appear or hotkeys are pressed
│
├─► Does the game crash immediately on launch?
│ │
│ ├─► YES → Overlay trying to inject during initialization
│ │ └─► Disable ALL overlays (Method 7, Step 1)
│ │
│ └─► NO → Go to NEXT STEP
│
├─► Does the game crash when you press a specific key?
│ │
│ ├─► Shift+Tab → Steam Overlay (Method 1)
│ ├─► Alt+Z → NVIDIA Overlay (Method 3)
│ ├─► Win+G → Xbox Game Bar (Method 4)
│ ├─► Any other key → Note the key, identify the app
│ │
│ └─► NO specific key → Go to NEXT STEP
│
├─► Does the game crash when you receive a Discord notification?
│ │
│ ├─► YES → Discord Overlay (Method 2)
│ │
│ └─► NO → Go to NEXT STEP
│
├─► Do you have MSI Afterburner running?
│ │
│ ├─► YES → RivaTuner overlay (Method 5)
│ │
│ └─► NO → Go to NEXT STEP
│
├─► Have you tried disabling ALL overlays (Method 7)?
│ │
│ ├─► YES and game works → Re-enable one by one to find culprit
│ │
│ ├─► YES and game still crashes → Overlays are not the cause
│ │ └─► Return to pillar article
│ │
│ └─► NO → Try it now
│
└─► If all steps fail, the issue is not overlay-related.
Return to the pillar article and try:
– Section 2 (Configuration Fixes)
– Section 4 (Antivirus & Firewall)
– Section 6 (Dedicated GPU)

Summary: Quick Reference for Overlay Crashes

Overlay	Disable Method	Key Command to Test	Success Rate
Steam	Method 1	Shift+Tab	Very High
Discord	Method 2	Receiving message/call	Very High
NVIDIA GeForce Experience	Method 3	Alt+Z	High
Xbox Game Bar	Method 4	Win+G	High
MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner	Method 5	Middle mouse + hotkey	High
AMD Adrenalin	Method 6	Ctrl+Shift+O (varies)	High

Recommended order to try:

Method 1 (Steam) – solves 40% of overlay crashes
Method 2 (Discord) – solves 30% of overlay crashes
Method 4 (Xbox Game Bar) – solves 10% of overlay crashes
Method 3 (NVIDIA) – solves 10% of overlay crashes
Method 7 (disable all, test one by one) – solves remaining 10%

The “Quick Disable” list for testing:

If you want to test as fast as possible, do this:

Action	Time Needed
Close Discord completely	5 seconds
Close GeForce Experience	5 seconds
Disable Steam Overlay for this game	10 seconds
Disable Xbox Game Bar in Windows	20 seconds
Total	40 seconds

Then launch the game. If it works, re-enable overlays one by one to find the culprit.

No More Overlay Crashes

Application overlays are convenient features that many PC gamers use daily. Steam’s chat overlay lets you message friends without alt-tabbing. Discord’s overlay shows you who is talking in voice chat. NVIDIA’s overlay lets you record that perfect moment. But these features come at a cost. They inject code into your game, consume system resources, and can conflict with how the game renders graphics.

For most games, this conflict never happens. For Invincible VS, however, overlay conflicts are a leading cause of crashes—especially the random, unexplainable ones that occur mid-match or during loading screens.

You have learned:

What overlays are and why they cause crashes in Invincible VS
How to disable the Steam overlay permanently or for just this game
How to disable Discord overlay and close Discord completely
How to disable NVIDIA GeForce Experience overlay and recording features
How to disable Xbox Game Bar (built into Windows)
How to close MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner overlays
How to disable AMD Adrenalin overlay
How to systematically test which overlay is causing your crashes
How to prevent overlays from re-enabling after updates

If the game now works without crashes: You have successfully identified and disabled the problematic overlay. Enjoy the game. If you miss the overlay features, try re-enabling just one overlay at a time—sometimes only one specific overlay causes the conflict.

If the game still crashes: Overlays are not the cause of your issue. Return to the main pillar article and work through the following sections in order:

Section	Focus
Section 2	Configuration Fixes (window mode, config folder)
Section 4	DirectX launch options (DX11/DX12)
Section 5	Antivirus & Firewall configuration
Section 6	Visual C++ Redistributables
Section 7	Dedicated GPU configuration
Section 9	Clean GPU driver installation