Microsoft has issued a temporary workaround for Windows 11 users experiencing gaming performance issues and crashes following recent August 2026 Patch Tuesday updates. The company confirmed that updates released on August 11, 2026, specifically KB5121003 and later, have led to reports of games failing to launch, freezing, displaying "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION" errors, and causing unexpected system restarts.
The issues are affecting systems running Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, with specific titles like ARC Raiders, MARVEL T kon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals cited as examples of impacted games. Microsoft's ongoing investigation has linked these problems to drivers or components associated with RGB lighting features on peripherals or internal device components.
According to Microsoft, these RGB devices may install drivers or code components with filenames similar to "inpoutx64." The company states that when these drivers are present, launching certain games triggers the observed issues. Embark Studios, the developer behind The Finals and ARC Raiders, has independently corroborated Microsoft's findings, specifically identifying `inpoutx64.sys` as the root cause, attributing the problem to changes within the Windows kernel driver.
Until a permanent fix is developed, Microsoft has provided a temporary solution that involves disabling the `inpoutx64` driver via the Windows Registry. Users are advised to back up their registry before proceeding. The steps involve opening the Registry Editor, navigating to `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\inpoutx64`, locating the "Start" registry value, and changing its "Value data" to "4". A system restart is required after this modification.
Microsoft cautions that disabling this registry key could lead to unintended behavior, such as issues with RGB features on peripherals or components, or problems with the software used to control these features. Users experiencing such issues can re-enable the driver by restoring the registry key to its previous value.
The company has requested that users encountering these gaming problems submit reports through the Feedback Hub app to assist with their ongoing investigation into the relationship between the RGB components and the games that trigger these issues.
This is not the first instance of Microsoft addressing gaming stability or performance issues stemming from Windows updates. Previously, the company removed upgrade blocks for games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin's Creed, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. More recently, a compatibility hold was lifted after a bug in the Auto HDR Windows feature, which was affecting some games on Windows 11 24H2 devices, was resolved.
