Microsoft Says RGB Peripheral Drivers Are Behind Windows 11 Game Crashes

Microsoft has determined that a Windows 11 update, identified by Tom's Hardware as KB5121003, is linked to system instability caused by an interaction between certain games and RGB peripheral software. Users had reported random crashes, freezing, forced restarts, and blue screen errors after installing the update.

According to Microsoft's update on its Windows 11 25H2 health status page, the issue is tied to peripherals or internal device components with RGB lighting features. These devices can install drivers or code components with file names similar to "inpoutx64." On systems where these drivers are present, launching certain games can trigger the crashes. Tom's Hardware reported that affected titles include Arc Raiders, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals, with crashes often showing an "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION" error before the system restarts automatically.

Tom's Hardware suggested the underlying cause is likely related to anti-cheat software conflicting with the kernel-mode driver used by RGB software, which normally should operate in user space rather than kernel space. Anti-cheat systems may block the driver to prevent potential exploits, and if the RGB software attempts to interact with it after being blocked, or if the driver is terminated while executing instructions, it can cause the reported errors or a critical kernel fault leading to a blue screen.

Microsoft has not yet released a permanent fix and says it is still working to understand the relationship between the RGB components and the affected games. In the meantime, the company recommends manually disabling the inpoutx64 driver through the Windows Registry as a temporary workaround, a method also shared by Embark Studios, developer of Arc Raiders and The Finals.

Microsoft has cautioned that disabling the driver can cause unintended issues, such as loss of RGB lighting features or problems with the software used to control them. If users encounter these issues, Microsoft advises re-enabling the driver to restore functionality. Tom's Hardware noted that universal RGB control programs like SignalRGB or OpenRGB may still work as alternatives, since their drivers use defined whitelists that are less likely to trigger anti-cheat blocks.

Microsoft has asked affected users to report the issue through the Feedback Hub, which Tom's Hardware noted is how such issues are typically prioritized for further fixes.