Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic has gained popularity since its launch. Are you aware of how to resolve crashes in Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic? What causes this issue? You can find all the solutions in this article on MiniTool.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic Crashes at Startup

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic is the eleventh official installment in the FNaF series, developed by Steel Wool Studios and published by ScottGames. It officially launched on June 13, 2025.

However, some players have reported that Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic fails to start. This frustrating problem may prevent you from playing the game. If you're unsure how to fix it, the following information will be helpful.

First, let's look at the common reasons behind this crash:

• Plugin conflicts (such as sl.pcl.dl). Certain plugins used by the game—especially those related to NVIDIA Streamline—might cause launch failures.
• Corrupted configuration files. Damaged game settings or configuration files could stop the game from loading correctly.
• Graphics driver or DirectX issues. Outdated or incompatible graphics drivers, missing Visual C runtime libraries, or mismatched DirectX versions might lead to crashes.
• Interference from third-party software. Tools like Steam Overlay, Discord Overlay, or MSl Afterburner might conflict with the game.
• Influence of external devices or multiple monitors. Some peripherals (like steering wheels, handles, RGB controllers) or multi-monitor setups might interfere with the game’s ability to launch properly.

Initially, you can try restarting Steam and the game, verifying the integrity of the game files, and updating your graphics driver. If these don’t work, proceed with the more advanced methods below.

Fix Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic Crashing

Fix 1: Rename/Delete sl.pcl.dll File

The sl.pcl.dll file is part of the NVIDIA Streamline framework, and certain versions of NVIDIA drivers may conflict with it, potentially causing the game to crash. Removing or renaming this file can help resolve the issue.

Step 1: Press the Win E keys to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Navigate to the following directory:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FNAF_SOTM\Engine\Plugins\Runtime\Nvidia\Streamline\Binaries\ThirdParty\Win64

Step 3: Right-click the sl.pcl.dll file and choose either Delete or Rename.

Fix 2: Delete the Config Folder

Deleting the Config folder resets the game’s settings and can fix configuration errors, interface problems, or startup issues.

Step 1: Open File Explorer and go to the following location:

C:\Users\Test\AppData\Local\FNAF_SOTM\Saved\SaveGames

Step 2: Select all contents and right-click to choose Delete.

Fix 3: Run the Game From the Game Installation Folder

The game might rely on relative paths to load DLLs, resource files, or plugins. Launching the game via a desktop shortcut or another method may result in inconsistent paths that trigger crashes. In such cases, running the game directly from its installation folder is recommended.

Step 1: Search for Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic in the Windows search bar, right-click it, and select Open file location.

Step 2: Right-click the .exe file and choose Properties.

Step 3: Go to the Compatibility tab and check the box labeled Run this program as administrator.

Step 4: Click Apply > OK to save the changes.

Fix 4: Allow the Game exe File Through Antivirus

Many antivirus programs mistakenly flag certain game files as potential threats during scans. Allowing the game files through antivirus software might resolve crashing issues.

Step 1: Open Control Panel and click Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 2: Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 3: Click Change settings > Allow another app to add the game.

Step 4: Ensure both Private and Public boxes are checked. Then click OK.

Fix 5: Run the Game Using a Dedicated Graphics Card

Setting the game to use a dedicated GPU can enhance performance, image quality, and stability, which may help fix crash problems.

Step 1: Open Settings, then navigate to System > Display > Graphics settings.

Step 2: Under the Choose an app to set preference section, click Browse to locate and add the game.

Step 3: Select the game entry and click Options.

Step 4: Choose High performance in the new window.

Step 5: Finally, click Save to confirm your selection.

Fix 6: Install Visual C Files

Numerous games depend on the Microsoft Visual C Redistributable package to run smoothly. If this library is missing, the game might crash. Installing Microsoft Visual C Redistributable ensures your system supports applications built using Visual C .

Tip: For recovering lost files, consider using MiniTool Power Data Recovery. This free data recovery tool allows you to restore up to 1 GB of files at no cost.

Final Words

That’s everything you need to know about fixing Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic crashes. We hope these methods assist you in getting back into the game.

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