Microsoft Rolls Out Windows 11 Fix for Gaming Crashes Caused by RGB Drivers

Microsoft has begun rolling out a permanent fix for Windows 11 issues that caused certain games to crash, freeze, or fail to launch.

Affected users reported seeing an “EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION” error when starting games on compatible Windows 11 systems.

When Microsoft first identified the problem, it confirmed that games including ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals could be affected on devices running Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2.

The issue was initially suspected to be related to the August 2026 Windows 11 update. Microsoft later determined that it was linked to peripherals and internal components that use built-in RGB lighting.

Microsoft explained that the affected devices may install drivers or software components with filenames similar to inputx64. When present, these drivers can cause certain games to become unresponsive during launch.

The company announced Wednesday that it had confirmed the inputx64.sys driver as the cause of the crashes and had started deploying a fix that blocks the driver on affected systems.

“This issue is resolved by a block that prevents the inputx64 driver from loading,” Microsoft said in its Windows release health update. “This block targets devices that have this particular driver enabled and the game ARC Raiders installed.”

The fix disables the driver and displays a notification explaining what happened. After the notification appears, Microsoft says the affected game should launch normally.

The Windows 11 driver block is being rolled out to consumer and business devices that are not managed by an IT department. Users must restart their computers for the change to take effect.

The rollout began on August 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM PT and may take up to 24 hours to reach all eligible devices. Microsoft will also include the driver block in the September 2026 Windows Security Update and future Windows releases.

Temporary Windows 11 workaround for enterprise devices

Microsoft has also provided a temporary workaround for corporate-managed Windows 11 devices that do not automatically receive the fix.

An IT administrator can disable the affected driver through the Windows Registry. Before making any Registry changes, administrators should back up the Registry so the changes can be reversed if necessary.

1. Open the Windows Start menu, type regedit, and select Registry Editor from the search results.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\inpoutx64. You can use the folders on the left side of the Registry Editor or enter the path in the address bar.
3. In the right pane, locate the registry value named Start. Double-click it and enter 4 in the Value data field.
4. Close Registry Editor and restart the computer.

Microsoft said its investigation has not found evidence that disabling this Registry key causes unintended behavior. Administrators who need to re-enable the driver can restore the Registry value to its previous setting.

Microsoft is also addressing other Windows 11 gaming stability and performance problems caused by recent updates.

The company recently removed upgrade blocks that prevented players of Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin’s Creed, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and Asphalt 8: Airborne from upgrading to newer Windows versions.

In January 2025, Microsoft also lifted another compatibility hold after fixing an Auto HDR issue that caused some games to malfunction on Windows 11 version 24H2.

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