Microsoft has shared a temporary workaround for gaming problems affecting some Windows 11 PCs following updates released during the August 2026 Patch Tuesday.
Users on affected systems have reported games crashing or refusing to launch, freezes during gameplay, “EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION” errors, and unexpected system restarts. Microsoft confirmed that the problem affects some games on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, including ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals.
The company said the issues began after the August 11, 2026 update, identified as KB5121003, and later updates. Microsoft initially said it was investigating reports of games failing to work as expected.
Further investigation found that the problem is connected to peripherals and internal components with RGB lighting features. Some of these devices install drivers or software components with filenames similar to inpoutx64. Microsoft said the gaming problems can occur when certain games are launched on systems where these drivers are installed.
Embark Studios, the developer behind The Finals and ARC Raiders, also confirmed that inpoutx64.sys is involved in the problem. The company said the issue appears to be related to changes made to the Windows kernel driver.
Microsoft’s temporary workaround
Microsoft has now provided a temporary workaround that involves disabling the inpoutx64 driver through the Windows Registry.
Before making any Registry changes, Microsoft recommends backing up the Registry so the changes can be reversed later if necessary.
To disable the driver, open the Start menu, type “regedit,” and launch Registry Editor. Then navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\inpoutx64
On the right side, locate the registry value named Start and double-click it. Change the Value data to 4, then close Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Microsoft warns that disabling the driver can affect RGB lighting features on compatible peripherals or internal components. Software used to control those RGB features may also stop working correctly.
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If the gaming issue is resolved in a future update and users want to restore their RGB functionality, Microsoft says they can re-enable the driver by returning the Registry value to its previous setting.
