Some players have said the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error crashes games every 10-15 minutes. As such, it’s essential to get it fixed again so you can get back into uninterrupted gaming. Here is how you can fix the “UnityPlayer.dll caused an Access Violation (0xc0000005)” error in Windows 10 and 11.
1. Reinstall the Citrix Workspace
The most widely confirmed resolution for the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error is to reinstall Citrix Workspace. There’s a version of Citrix Workspace with a conflicting driver that causes the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) issue.
Uninstalling or reinstalling the app with its latest version has fixed this error for many players. If you have Citrix Workspace installed, try reinstalling that app as follows:
Bring up the Settings uninstaller tool using a method in our guide for opening Apps & Features on Windows. Click the three-dot menu button for the Citrix Workspace app. Select the app’s Uninstall option. Press a second Uninstall button to confirm. If you don’t need Citrix Workspace, you can stop here. To reinstall the latest version of the Citrix app, open the Citrix Workspace Microsoft Store page in a browser. Press the Get in Store app button, then select the Open Microsoft Store button that appears in the pop-up menu. When the Microsoft Store opens, click the Get button for Citrix Workspace.
2. Disable the Citrix Virtual Bus Enumerator
The Citrix Virtual Bus Enumerator driver for Citrix software is known to cause games to crash with the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error. Users have said disabling that driver fixed the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error for them. You can disable Citrix Virtual Bus Enumerator with Device Manager as follows:
Click Start with your mouse’s right button and select Device Manager. Then double-click the System devices category there. Look for and right-click Citrix Virtual Bus Enumerator (or Citrix Indirect Display Adapter) to select a Disable device option. Select Yes when asked to confirm the selected option. You can re-enable Citrix Virtual Bus Enumerator when needed by right-clicking it in Device Manager and selecting the Enable device option.
3. Turn Off Any Third-Party Antivirus Programs
Third-party antivirus software can also cause the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error to occur by wrongly flagging the UnityPlayer DLL file. To ensure that doesn’t happen, disable your antivirus tool’s shield. You can turn off most third-party antivirus software by right-clicking system tray icons for them and selecting disable or turn off protection context menu settings.
If you haven’t installed a third-party party antivirus package, try turning off Windows Security. Our guide tells you how to disable Windows 11’s Microsoft Defender (Security) app. Then play the games with the antivirus shield disabled.
If disabling antivirus protection works, don’t keep it turned off. You should be able to set up exceptions for the games within your antivirus software’s settings. Add all games the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error occurred for and the UnityPlayer DLL file to an exceptions list, and then turn on the antivirus utility again.
4. Disable Any Firewalls
Firewalls can also cause access violation issues by blocking game files. So, try playing affected games with the Windows Defender Firewall turned off. You can disable that firewall like this:
Right-click Start and select the Power User menu’s Search option. Type firewall into the search text box. Click Windows Defender Firewall inside the search tool to open that applet. Then click the Control Panel’s Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off navigation option. Click Turn off Windows Defender Firewall for private and public networks. Select OK to apply the new firewall settings.
If you’ve got any third-party firewall software installed, consider removing or at least temporarily disabling it. Go through the firewall software’s settings to find an option for disabling it. Turn off the firewall software before you start playing games.
5. Reinstall Your Graphics Card’s Driver
Incompatible or corrupted graphics drivers can also potentially cause the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error. So, it might be a good idea to uninstall and then reinstall your GPU’s driver.
Our guide about reinstalling your GPU drivers on Windows PCs includes full instructions for reinstalling your graphics drivers.
6. Clean Boot Your Windows PC
Even though you may not have any software open on the taskbar when playing games, background third-party apps, services, and other processes can still conflict with games. Clean-booting Windows is a standard troubleshooting method for game crash errors like UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005). Performing a clean boot might disable a conflicting background app or service causing the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error.
To perform a clean boot, you’ll need to disable all startup items and third-party services. Our guide about how to clean-boot Windows 11 includes full step-by-step instructions for how you can do that with MSConfig and Task Manager. When you’ve performed a clean boot, try playing the games that throw the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error.
7. Disable the XMP Extreme Memory Profile
XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) is a high-performance RAM setting available for PCs that support it. Some players have said they’ve managed to fix the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error by disabling XMP on their PCs. However, that option is only accessible in the BIOS (Basic Input Output Settings).
How exactly you access the BIOS varies between different PC models. Entering the BIOS typically involves pressing a variable hotkey during the system startup. We recommend you look at your PC’s online or offline manual and guidelines (and our own guide) for details about how to enter the BIOS on Windows on it and configure the settings there.
Upon entering the BIOS, look for an Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) setting by pressing the arrow keys to navigate. You might find an XMP setting on the main screen in the BIOS. Or that option could be included within RAM or overclocking sections.
When you find the XMP option, select to disable it if currently enabled. Then make sure you select to save the new settings before exiting the BIOS.
Enjoy Your Games Again on Windows
The potential solutions above will probably stop the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error from spoiling your Windows gaming frolics. We cannot say they’re completely guaranteed resolutions, but they’re fixes with which many players have resolved that issue. Hopefully one of them will get the UnityPlayer.dll (0xc0000005) error sorted on your PC.
