NVIDIA is bigger, bolder, and wealthier than ever. Yet it can’t seem to fix its buggy RTX 50-series GPU drivers. The company just announced yet another hotfix (576.26) for the recent Game Ready Driver 576.02 update—unfortunately, those who have installed this hotfix still have a lot of complaints.
Unlike NVIDIA’s mainline Game Ready Driver updates, hotfixes do not receive Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) testing or certification. They are, by nature, “beta” updates; they’re unstable. You’re only supposed to download a hotfix if you’re experiencing a problem that’s listed in NVIDIA’s changelog, and even then, you’re taking on a bit of a risk.
This is the first time I’ve seen two hotfixes for a single NVIDIA driver version—maybe it’s happened in the past, but in any case, it’s extremely unusual. What’s worse, this is the sixth hotfix since the RTX 50-series launch. Hotfixes used to be fairly uncommon, yet they practically define this generation of GPUs.
“Since we have so many changes being checked in, we usually try to align driver releases with significant game or product releases. This process has served us pretty well over the years but it has one significant weakness. Sometimes a change that is important to many users might end up sitting and waiting until we are able to release the driver.”
“To be sure, these Hotfix drivers are beta, optional and provided as-is. They are run through a much abbreviated QA process. The sole reason they exist is to get fixes out to you more quickly. The safest option is to wait for the next WHQL certified driver. But we know that many of you are willing to try these out. As a result, we only provide NVIDIA Hotfix drivers through our NVIDIA Customer Care support site.” – NVIDIA
According to the release notes, this hotfix resolves a DisplayPort 2.1 HDR incompatibility, a black screen bug, V-SYNC stuttering when using multiple monitors, a GPU monitoring bug, and random flickering in some games. It also addresses freezing, crashing, and “corruption” in AAA titles like Black Myth: Wukong, Read Dead Redemption 2, Forza Motorsport, and Horizon Forbidden West.
Some commentators on the NVIDIA GeForce forums say that this hotfix resolved whatever problems they were experiencing, which is great. Unfortunately, most of the comments are negative—NVIDIA ignored some games (Monster Hunter Wilds appears to be the prime example), there are still problems with G-Sync and V-Sync, and some gamers say that the new hotfix re-introduced bugs that were resolved in the previous hotfix.
To NVIDIA’s credit, this is a very ambitious update. It aims to resolve a large chuck of the problems that gamers are experiencing with their 50-series GPUs. But these problems shouldn’t have existed in the first place. The Game Ready Driver 576.02 update should’ve been stable and reliable.
Now’s a good time to reiterate something that I mentioned earlier—NVIDIA is currently at the peak of its wealth, power, and influence. This company, which used to be relatively unknown outside of gaming, is now the world’s leading AI hardware manufacturer. It’s valued at $2 trillion. It even has some sway over major political decisions. I understand that AI is NVIDIA’s top priority right now, but there’s really no excuse for GPU driver bugs or compatibility issues.
If you’re experiencing any of the problems listed in the 576.26 hotfix announcement, go ahead and give the hotfix a try. You can always roll back if it turns out to be a dud. Those who aren’t experiencing any problems (or those who just don’t feel like messing with this stuff) should wait for the next major driver version.
