Demystifying the Infamous Exit Code 9: A Gamers Guide

As an avid gamer, few things are as frustrating as having your favorite title unexpectedly crash to the desktop. And if you see the ominous "Exit Code 9" error, you know something has gone terribly wrong under the hood.

This particular error code indicates an "Out of Memory" (OOM) crash – where your game tries to gobble up more RAM than your system can provide. When this memory ceiling is hit, the operating system kills the process to prevent everything else from crashing.

In this guide, I‘ll fully explain exit code 9 mishaps: why they happen, which games are vulnerable, and most importantly – how to vanquish them for good!

What Exactly is Exit Code 9?

In Linux and other Unix-based systems, processes that terminate abnormally are given an "exit code" to identify the type of error. This allows developers (and savvy users!) to diagnose the problem.

Exit code 9 corresponds to the SIGKILL signal – which forcibly wipes out a process without giving it time to react.

So in plain English, exit code 9 means "This application tried to use too much memory, so the OS slaughtered it immediately before it took down the rest of the system."

Brutal, but necessary.

This violent memory management is the job of the Out-Of-Memory (OOM) killer module in the Linux kernel. It monitors system RAM usage, selecting the best processes to assassinate if things get tight.

Why Games Get Assassinated by the OOM Killer

You might be wondering why the OOM killer seems to have it out for games specifically.

That‘s because modern game engines strive for ever-greater realism by cramming in intricate 3D assets and effects. All those high-resolution textures, massive multiplayer maps, and advanced physics simulations take up substantial RAM.

As you can see in the table above, many of today‘s chart-topping games ask for at least 8-16GB of memory. If you‘re running on the minimum specs, it doesn‘t take much for usage to balloon out of control.

A memory leak can also cause RAM to accumulate over a long gaming session until there just aren‘t any free pages left. At that point, the OOM Reaper shows up to collect – and your game exits with code 9.

Real-World Victims of Exit Code 9 Crashes

While any game could theoretically crash from an OOM error, certain titles seem particularly prone to issues:

Call of Duty: Warzone

The notorious memory leaks in this free-to-play battle royale push RAM usage ever higher during matches. Eventually, BOOM! Code 9. Players have found tweaking the Video Memory Scale setting helps avoid this.

Escape from Tarkov

Another title with acknowledged memory optimization problems, Tarkov‘s maps and inventory management gobble up RAM. Players have had luck reducing stutters and crashes by manually clearing the memory standby list with ISLC.

Cities Skylines

This popular city builder is notorious for crashing after you‘ve built an expansive metropolis. All those simulated citizens and vehicles become too much once available memory taps out. Limiting assets via the Loading Screen Mod can help.

Minecraft Java Edition

Minecraft‘s Java roots make it memory-hungry, especially when running mods or high render distances. Version 1.18+ added better memory utilization, but older worlds may still have issues. Using flags to increase the memory allocation can stop code 9.

Defeating the OOM Killer: 11 Tips for Battling Exit Code 9

Now that you understand what‘s happening behind the scenes when code 9 rears its ugly head, let‘s talk fixes!

Here are 11 tips for optimizing memory and avoiding crashes:

1. Update Your Graphics Drivers

Newer GPU drivers incorporate optimizations that lead to better memory management in games. Always keep them updated.

2. Add More RAM

If your system only meets the minimum specifications, an upgrade could stop the OOM killer in its tracks.

3. Close Background Apps

Browsers, launchers, and utilities occupying RAM in the background leave less headroom for games. Shut them down before playing.

4. Tweak In-Game Settings

Lowering graphics presets, resolution, and draw distances reduces memory usage (but also visual fidelity).

5. Validate Game Files

Use Steam or GOG Galaxy to verify local files, re-downloading any corrupted assets that could cause crashes.

6. Clean Out Mods/Assets

If you play moddable games like Cities Skylines, outdated community creations can easily trigger code 9. Prune them.

7. Use ISLC to Clear Standby Memory

Utilities like Intelligent Standby List Cleaner can purge unused cached memory that builds up over long gaming sessions.

8. Stop Memory Leaks with Restart

Frequent game restarts prevent memory leaks from accumulating. Tedious, but effective!

9. Add Launch Options

Certain launch commands like -norestrictions or -nomemrestrict can disable memory limitations and prevent OOM kills.

10. Tweak OOM Killer Settings

You can adjust when the Linux OOM killer activates and which processes it targets via sysctl flags like vm.oom_kill_allocating_task. But this is an advanced tweaking method.

11. Switch Distros

Some Linux distros like Manjaro or Pop!_OS use different memory managers that play better with games. Testing alternate OS options could help.

Frequently Asked Questions About Exit Code 9

Does exit code 9 mean my hardware is faulty?

Not necessarily! Exit code 9 just signals the OS forcibly killed an application, usually due to excessive memory demands. It doesn‘t indicate any deeper hardware failure on your RAM, motherboard, CPU or GPU.

Upgrading components can help avoid OOM crashes by giving more memory headroom. But don‘t panic and replace parts unless you‘ve already tried software fixes.

If I have 32GB of RAM, why am I still getting code 9 crashes?

Don‘t assume more total RAM makes you immune to OOM kills! Remember this error occurs specifically when a single application tries to allocate more memory than is currently available.

If 25GB is already occupied, a game attempting to grab 5+GB more for a huge procedurally generated level could still trip the killer – even with 32GB physically installed.

Closing other memory-hogging programs first creates more usable space for games to work in. And remember that memory leaks accumulate over time – so even if the game initially only needs 8GB, a leak could push that towards 20+GB over a long session!

Can I disable the OOM killer to avoid exit code 9?

Technically yes, the OOM killer module can be disabled in Linux. But this is generally NOT advisable since it‘s a crucial safeguard against system instability.

With no memory oversight in place, a single out-of-control game could lock up your entire OS when allocation fails. You‘re better off using the other tweaks suggested to rein in memory usage instead!

Does this happen in Windows too?

While Exit Code 9 itself is a Linux/Unix phenomenon, Windows has its own "out of memory" crashes that exhibit similar symptoms when applications fail to allocate RAM.

The same principles apply – games trying to use too much memory at once either due to leaks or inadequate specs. So these troubleshooting tips are broadly useful for both platforms!

Let‘s Play On!

I hope this guide has demystified the dreaded exit code 9 once and for all!

While unexpected crashes are certainly annoying, at least now you understand the inner workings behind those OOM kills. And you‘re armed with plenty of tricks to keep excessive memory demands at bay.

Now get back out there and enjoy all of your favorite games stutter-free! Just be careful not to build too elaborate of a city, or spawn too many explosives in that sandbox RPG. Even with the best tweaks, RAM still has its limits!

Let me know if this helps banish exit code 9 from your gaming life. I‘ll be here waiting to troubleshoot any other pesky PC issues getting between you and victory!