Microsoft Confirms Windows 11 Game Crashes Linked to RGB Drivers
Microsoft has confirmed that game crashes following the Windows 11 KB5121003 update were caused by RGB lighting driver software. The company is now blocking these drivers to resolve the issue.
Microsoft has confirmed and addressed issues causing game crashes and unresponsiveness after the Windows 11 KB5121003 update. The problems affected titles such as "ARC Raiders," "Marvel Rivals," and "The First Descendant," manifesting as unresponsive applications, unexpected game closures, "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION" errors, or system reboots.
Microsoft's investigation found the root cause to be driver software for peripherals or internal components with RGB lighting, not the Windows update itself. Certain devices may install driver components, identified as similar to "inpoutx64," which triggered compatibility problems upon launching specific games. Microsoft has implemented a fix by blocking the loading of this "inpoutx64" driver.
The block is now active for devices with the driver enabled and "ARC Raiders" installed. Upon activation, Windows disables the driver and notifies the user, allowing the game to launch correctly. Microsoft is expanding this blocking mechanism to cover "Marvel Rivals" players, while "The First Descendant" issues were independently resolved by developer Embark Studios.
The fix is being automatically deployed to consumer and commercial devices via Windows Update and may require a system restart. Due to staggered rollout, it could take up to 24 hours for all affected devices to receive the update. This driver block will also be included in future cumulative updates.