Microsoft has confirmed a known issue in Windows 11 update KB5121003 that can make some games hang, close unexpectedly or, in some reports, restart the PC. The affected update applies to Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, and Microsoft says its investigation currently points to an interaction involving some RGB-capable peripherals or internal components.
That is narrower than saying RGB lighting itself breaks games. Microsoft's support note says the affected devices may install drivers or software components with names similar to inpoutx64. On systems where those components are present, launching certain games can trigger the problem. Microsoft has not declared a final root cause and says the interaction is still under investigation.
Which games and symptoms Microsoft has confirmed
Microsoft's August 20 update to the KB5121003 support page names ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls and THE FINALS among games reported to be affected. The listed symptoms include an application becoming unresponsive, closing without warning, showing an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION error, or causing the device to restart unexpectedly.
PC Gamer separately reported on the issue and highlighted the same connection to inpoutx64.sys, which had already drawn attention after players ran into crashes. That reporting helps explain why RGB utilities are part of the discussion, but the official wording remains important: Microsoft says the problem is associated with certain RGB-related components and is still working to understand the relationship between those components and the games that trigger the failure.
The distinction matters because a gaming PC can have RGB hardware without necessarily using the component involved here. Conversely, a driver or utility can remain installed even when the lighting itself is not the thing a player is actively changing. Treating every RGB device as the culprit would go beyond what Microsoft has confirmed.
What affected players should do now
Microsoft's official next step is investigation rather than a published fix. Its support page asks people seeing the problem, or something similar, to submit a report through Feedback Hub so the company can collect more data.
PC Gamer noted that ARC Raiders developer Embark had discussed disabling the troublesome driver as a workaround. That is not the same as a Microsoft-endorsed fix, and manually removing or disabling low-level drivers can have consequences for the hardware or software that installed them. For most players, the safer reading of the current evidence is to check whether the symptoms match Microsoft's known issue, keep an eye on the KB5121003 support page, and avoid treating an unofficial workaround as a universal solution.
There is also a security trade-off in casually rolling back a cumulative Windows update. KB5121003 includes security improvements alongside the changes that exposed this compatibility problem. Removing an update can therefore solve one immediate symptom while giving up fixes delivered in the same package. Microsoft has not published a blanket recommendation telling all affected gamers to uninstall it.
For now, the useful signal is that the issue has moved from scattered player reports to Microsoft's official known-issues list. The company has identified a common class of RGB-related components, named several affected games and documented the failure modes, but it has not yet announced a corrective update or completion date. Until that changes, the precise hardware-and-driver combination matters more than the presence of colorful lights on the case.
Reporting notes