The highly anticipated Diablo 4 has been generating significant buzz, but not all of it is positive. Gamers across various online platforms, including Blizzard’s support forum and Reddit, have reported a disturbing issue: the game may be causing catastrophic failures in high-end graphics cards, particularly the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. Multiple users have described how their graphics cards malfunctioned or even completely died after a brief period of gameplay, leaving their PCs non-functional.
The Reported Problem
According to several players, the issue seems to arise during certain in-game cutscenes, where the graphics card’s fans suddenly start running at maximum speed. The screen then goes black, and in many cases, the system becomes completely unresponsive. For many affected users, rebooting their PC offers no relief—the graphics card remains non-functional, and in some cases, even prevents the system from booting at all.
Common Symptoms:
- The graphics card fans suddenly accelerate to full speed during gameplay.
- The screen turns black, with no image displaying on the monitor.
- The system becomes unresponsive and requires a manual reboot.
- The graphics card may not function at all upon restart, or it may take multiple attempts to revive the system.
Most complaints are from Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti owners, though users with EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti cards have also reported similar failures. The issue is eerily reminiscent of what occurred with Amazon’s New World, where several EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 cards met a similar fate after fan speeds accelerated uncontrollably during gameplay, ultimately leading to system failure.
User Experiences
Several gamers have shared their experiences with the issue, most of which follow a similar pattern. One user described the problem occurring during a chapel cutscene, saying:
“While playing Diablo 4 for about 20 minutes, my monitors suddenly turned off during a cutscene. I had to restart my computer, and now my GPU is dead. The motherboard is showing error code 97, and nothing works.”
Another user reported a similar situation but with a slightly better outcome:
“I was watching a cutscene where the fans on my GPU started going into overdrive, and the screen went black. Luckily, after restarting my PC, the GPU came back to life, but only after a lot of effort.”
These reports are becoming increasingly common, with dozens of users posting similar experiences across multiple platforms. For some, their graphics cards eventually reboot after several attempts. For others, the cards become completely inoperable, failing the POST (Power-On Self-Test) on startup.
Blizzard’s Response
As of now, Blizzard has not officially commented on the issue. However, with the growing number of reports, it’s likely that the company will investigate and address the problem soon. Players are advised to be cautious and follow any updates or patches that may be released to prevent further damage to their systems. In the meantime, affected users are encouraged to limit their gameplay time or implement the temporary fixes discussed by the community to safeguard their expensive hardware.
If you’re a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti owner planning to play Diablo 4, it may be wise to proceed with caution. The game’s potential to cause damage to high-end graphics cards is alarming, and while temporary fixes are available, they are not foolproof. Keep an eye on updates from Blizzard and your GPU manufacturer for official responses and potential solutions.