Last week, Microsoft accidentally ruined PC gaming performance with a Windows 10 update, causing stuttering, frame drops, and in some instances, BSOD crashes. While Microsoft says only “a small subset of users” reported problems after installing the latest version, it issued an emergency server-side update over the weekend and has since marked the mishap as resolved.
The bug piggybacked on the mandatory KB5001330 security patch, as well as the optional KB5000842 cumulative update, and isn’t picky regarding who experiences the array of issues. It doesn’t seem to matter whether your PC packs Intel, AMD, or Nvidia, but Microsoft states that it primarily affects gamers with two or more gaming monitors in their setup. Developers also identified games running in full screen or borderless windowed mode as a common denominator, but since that’s pretty much everyone, it doesn’t narrow things down.
Since the update is done through the Known Issue Rollback system, you shouldn’t have to download anything to return your system to normal and get your fps back. It’s already passed the 24 hours Microsoft says it can take for the patch to propagate to consumers, too, meaning it should already be in place.
If you’re still experiencing problems, Microsoft advises you to restart your device to apply the resolution. And in the unlikely event you haven’t already received it, you can prompt your system to communicate with the server by checking for new updates.