Monster Hunter Wilds crashed with a "Fatal error, device disconnected (the GPU)" message, and afterward YouTube videos began showing visual artifacting. I have been using an RTX 3060 Ti at mid-to-high settings for about a year, with temperatures usually around 78–80°C. Other demanding games, including Helldivers 2, Elden Ring, and Street Fighter 6, have worked normally.
After reinstalling the graphics drivers and restarting the computer, I played several hours without problems. Wilds ran through multiple hunts, and YouTube videos also looked normal again. Since Wilds has crashed with GPU-related errors before, I'm wondering whether this points to a failing graphics card, a driver issue, or simply another problem with the game's PC port.
1 Answer
Since the artifacts disappeared after reinstalling the driver and haven’t returned during several hours of gaming, this doesn’t immediately sound like a dying GPU. Still, it’s worth powering the PC down completely, disconnecting it from the wall, and reseating the graphics card and its power connector. A loose connection can cause intermittent display-driver or GPU disconnect errors. Keep an eye on temperatures and whether artifacts appear in multiple games or outside the browser.

That seems straightforward enough, so I’ll reseat the card and its power connection. I was able to play for hours afterward without any artifacts, and the issue seemed limited to the browser at first, but I’ll still check everything.