Because the error is tied to memory allocation, setting textures too low can actually confuse the game. Surprisingly, Low or Medium texture settings often trigger the crash.
If you can’t reach the menu, edit the config file manually:
If you only try one solution, make it this one. This is widely considered the best fix because it manually limits how much VRAM the game tries to use.
config.cfg file.
Result: Launch the game. The "failed to allocate" error should vanish instantly. Because the error is tied to memory allocation,
If you are trying to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (often via Plutonium or Steam) and the game crashes immediately with the error "Failed to allocate from state pool", don't worry. This is a classic issue caused by the game engine struggling with your PC's available memory.
Because Black Ops 2 is an older 32-bit application, it has a "memory ceiling." When you have many weapon camos, high-resolution textures, or mods loaded, the game hits that ceiling and crashes.
Here are the best fixes, ranked from the most effective to the quick workarounds. If you can’t reach the menu, edit the
Why this works: Windows 10/11’s full-screen optimizations force the game to run in a borderless windowed mode, which changes how memory is allocated. Forcing "Application" scaling prevents Windows from injecting its own display manager into the game’s memory pool.
Force the game to run with a specific memory configuration using Steam launch options.
This command manually sets the state pool size. If 512 doesn’t work, try 256 or 1024. Locate the config
1. Force V-Sync On (The Quick Way)
2. Use Your GPU Control Panel (The Bulletproof Way) — If V-Sync alone fails, do this:
For NVIDIA Users:
For AMD Users:
For Intel Arc Users: