--- title: "Windows 11's August update breaks games because of RGB lighting drivers" url: https://daily.dev/posts/windows-11-s-august-update-breaks-games-because-of-rgb-lighting-drivers-ixjixphsd source_url: https://daily.dev/posts/windows-11-s-august-update-breaks-games-because-of-rgb-lighting-drivers-ixjixphsd type: collection source: "Collections" published: 2026-08-24T09:43:14.849Z updated: 2026-08-24T09:44:03.407Z tags: ["microsoft", "gaming", "hardware", "windows"] reading_time: 3 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Windows 11's August update breaks games because of RGB lighting drivers **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Microsoft has confirmed that the August 2026 Patch Tuesday update KB5121003 is causing crashes and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 in games like ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals. Embark Studios traced the issue to inpoutx64.sys, a driver commonly bundled with RGB lighting peripheral software, which the update altered in a way that breaks games relying on similar low-level driver access. Embark published a workaround involving deleting the driver service and file, while Microsoft suggests editing the registry to set the driver's Start value to 4 to disable it — though this also disables RGB lighting controls until a permanent fix ships. The same patch fixed roughly 400 vulnerabilities, including one actively exploited zero-day. The piece also rounds up brief unrelated tech news items including LG's new OLED manufacturing process, the FCC dropping its gigabit-for-all goal, a leaked Xbox anniversary console price, an Australian news-compensation law, a data breach at Clarity Check, a Pixel 11 Pro hidden feature unlock, and Amazon Prime Air drone incidents. ## Content Microsoft has confirmed what a lot of frustrated gamers already suspected: the August 2026 Patch Tuesday update (KB5121003) is behind a wave of crashes, freezes, and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. Games hit include ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals — and if you've had one of these randomly restart on you mid-match, this is probably why. ## The actual cause The culprit isn't the games themselves. It's RGB lighting software. Embark Studios, which makes both ARC Raiders and The Finals, traced the problem to inpoutx64.sys — a driver file commonly installed by RGB peripheral software (keyboards, mice, case lighting, the usual suspects). The August update changed something in how Windows handles this driver, and now games that rely on similar low-level system access are crashing. Before Microsoft owned up to the cause, the company had asked affected users to submit reports through the Feedback Hub app while it investigated. That same patch, for what it's worth, also fixed around 400 vulnerabilities, including one zero-day that was actively being exploited in the wild — so the update wasn't all bad news, just badly timed for anyone who games with RGB gear. ## Workarounds, for now Embark Studios published a temporary fix that involves manually deleting the offending service and removing the driver file from the Windows drivers folder. Microsoft's own suggested workaround is a bit more surgical: edit the Windows Registry to set the inpoutx64 driver's Start value to 4, which disables it. The catch is that killing this driver will probably also kill your RGB lighting controls until Microsoft ships a real fix. So it's a trade-off — keep your lighting effects and risk crashes, or turn off the crashes and lose the glow. Not a great set of options, but at least there's a path forward while Microsoft works on something permanent. This isn't the first time a Windows 11 update has broken PC gaming in some way. Past updates have blocked upgrades for games like Asphalt 8 and Assassin's Creed, and there was a whole separate saga with Auto HDR causing freezes. At this point it feels less like a fluke and more like a recurring cost of Windows updates touching low-level drivers that third-party hardware also depends on. ## Elsewhere in tech this week A few other things worth knowing about, in brief: LG Display is rolling out a new manufacturing process for its Flip OLED panels, swapping out metal masks for photo lithography. The company says this should mean brighter, longer-lasting, and cheaper panels going forward. The FCC, under chair Brendan Carr, has dropped its gigabit-for-all broadband goal — a notable reversal on universal high-speed internet access. A leaked Xbox Series X25 anniversary console is apparently going to run $900/€900, according to early listings. Australia passed a law taxing tech platforms that don't pay news outlets for content, adding to the ongoing global fight between governments and platforms over news compensation. A data exposure at Clarity Check reportedly leaked 9 million facial images along with personal data attached to them — the kind of breach that's hard to shrug off given how hard it is to "reset" a face. A third-party app found a way to unlock a hidden feature on the Pixel 11 Pro that Google hadn't officially enabled yet. And Amazon's Prime Air drone delivery program had a few mishaps worth noting, though details remain thin for now. ## Questions this post answers ### Why is Windows 11 crashing games like ARC Raiders and The Finals after the August update? The August 2026 Patch Tuesday update KB5121003 changed how Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 handle the inpoutx64.sys driver, a file commonly bundled with RGB lighting peripheral software for keyboards, mice, and case lighting. Games that rely on similar low-level system access, including ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals, now crash with EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors. _daily.dev keeps developers and gamers current on driver-level Windows update regressions like this one._ ### How do I stop Windows 11 games from crashing due to the inpoutx64 driver after KB5121003? Microsoft's suggested workaround is editing the Windows Registry to set the inpoutx64 driver's Start value to 4, which disables it. Embark Studios also released a temporary fix that involves manually deleting the offending service and removing the driver file from the Windows drivers folder. Either approach will likely disable RGB lighting controls until a permanent fix ships. _track emerging workarounds for driver-related Windows crashes on daily.dev before they hit your machine._ ### Did the Windows 11 KB5121003 update fix any security vulnerabilities? Yes, KB5121003 fixed approximately 400 vulnerabilities, including one zero-day that was being actively exploited in the wild. The same patch that introduced the RGB driver crash bug also delivered this substantial security payload, making it a mixed bag for users who game with RGB hardware. _developers weighing patch trade-offs between security fixes and regressions can follow update fallout on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Windows 11 KB5083631 update released with 34 changes and fixes](https://daily.dev/posts/windows-11-kb5083631-update-released-with-34-changes-and-fixes-msoqqok2i) · BleepingComputer · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#microsoft](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft), [#gaming](https://daily.dev/tags/gaming), [#hardware](https://daily.dev/tags/hardware), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/windows-11-s-august-update-breaks-games-because-of-rgb-lighting-drivers-ixjixphsd)