Nvidia patch restores GPU performance impacted by recent Windows 11 update

Nvidia says Windows 11's latest 25H2/24H2 update is causing frame rate drops on some GeForce GPU-powered PCs and has released a hotfix driver ahead of its next official update

Nvidia has confirmed that the recent Windows 11 25H2 / 24H2 October update (KB5066835) is causing gaming slowdowns on PCs with GeForce GPUs, leading to noticeable frame rate drops in certain titles. The company has now issued a dedicated hotfix driver — GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 581.94 — to address the issue ahead of its next major driver rollout.

 

The acknowledgement follows growing user reports and benchmarks shared on social media, showing significant performance degradation after installing Microsoft’s latest Windows update.

What has happened

The Windows 11 October 2025 Update (KB5066835) appears to be triggering lower gaming performance on some systems running Nvidia GPUs. Nvidia has not specified which graphics cards or games were impacted, but reports suggest that the slowdown is significant.

A report by Digital Foundry said that Assassin’s Creed Shadows ran 33 per cent to 50 per cent slower on a system featuring the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU after installing the Windows update. The issue was resolved after applying Nvidia’s hotfix driver.

 

Benchmarks shared by user Sebastian Castellanos on X (formerly Twitter) also showed dramatic differences, jumping from 149.7 FPS to 202.3 FPS after installing the hotfix.

What Nvidia said

Nvidia acknowledged the performance regression in its release notes and described the hotfix as a targeted patch meant to reach users faster than the standard WHQL-certified driver cycle:

 

“These drivers are basically the same as the previously released version, with a small number of additional targeted fixes… These fixes (and many more) will be incorporated into the next official driver release.”

 

Nvidia said the bug was specifically tied to the Windows 11 October 2025 Update (KB5066835) and was reported by users through its Driver Feedback threads.

 

The company also noted that hotfix drivers are beta quality. Users can wait for the next Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL)-certified release if they prefer more stable builds.

 

Microsoft, meanwhile, has not yet commented on what in the KB5066835 update caused the issue.

Nvidia hotfix availability

Nvidia has released GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 581.94 for Windows 10 and Windows 11 and is available for download on Nvidia’s website.

 

Issues addressed:

• Lower gaming performance after installing Windows 11 October 2025 Update (KB5066835)

Additional details:

• Based on Game Ready Driver 581.80
• Includes all game optimizations for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Europa Universalis V
• Contains only the targeted fix required to resolve the Windows gaming regression
• Will be merged into the next official Nvidia driver release
• Hotfix drivers are optional, beta and available only via Nvidia’s Customer Care support page
• Users who do not urgently need the fix can wait for the upcoming WHQL-certified driver, but those experiencing reduced FPS are advised to install the hotfix immediately.