NVIDIA driver issues branded “absolutely abhorrent and completely embarrassing” — Gamers Nexus replicates bugs plaguing PC gamers

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Since the introduction of the RTX 50-series GPUs, NVIDIA has launched five updated versions of its Game Ready drivers (version 572.16 being the latest), yet they haven’t managed to address the core issues that have been troubling numerous gamers.

Video evidence from Gamers Nexus corroborates and reproduces the problematic NVIDIA driver experiences that many users have documented.

Stephen Burke, host on GN, finds the whole scenario both reprehensible and humiliating, and in my opinion, his assessment is spot-on severe.

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however, let me provide some background information on the NVIDIA 572.XX drivers prior to discussing GN’s findings and potential solutions.

NVIDIA’s current driver issues began in January 2025

On January 30, 2025, the debut of NVIDIA’s first RTX 50-series graphics card took place, and concurrently, they made available their Game Ready Driver Package 572.16 to cater to the newest hardware.

Initially, those who got the RTX 5090 early voiced concerns following a software update release. However, it didn’t take much time for individuals using the 40-series graphics cards to join in, as they too encountered problems with driver version 572.16.

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It was evident that there were issues with the system, whether it was unexpected blackouts, unsuccessful detections, or complete system failures.

Towards the end of March, Tom’s Hardware showcased a comprehensive user study on the r/Hardware community forum, focusing on potential problems related to the 572.XX drivers and RTX 40-series graphics cards (as reported by the Reddit user).

PSA: Nvidia Widespread Black Screen or Hard OS Crash Issues on 4xxx (or older) Series Cards Need To Be Widely Known & Fixed. from r/hardware

As an onlooker, I can’t help but notice that the leading comment following the Reddit analysis comes from a user who got their hands on the RTX 5080 early. Unsurprisingly, they share the same issues of crashing and black screens as those using the 40-series model.

A different user joined the conversation, asserting that they had to perform a rollback on their RTX 3070 because of frequent crashes, implying that the problem might be more common than initially assumed by me.

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In my experience, going back to the NVIDIA driver version 566.36, which was released on December 5, 2024, appears to have resolved the issues I’ve been encountering.

👉 See NVIDIA Game Ready drivers

However, rolling back to the driver from the pre-RTX 5000 landscape comes with several drawbacks.

With its post-RTX 5000 software updates, NVIDIA introduced innovative features such as Multi Frame Generation in DLSS 4 and the ability to override settings with DLSS4 Overrides. Additionally, they expanded the list of games compatible with DLSS technology by including many new titles.

What’s the point of buying an RTX 50-series GPU if you can’t use some of its most-hyped features?

In simpler terms, Multi Frame Generation (MFG) was the technology that enabled NVIDIA to assert during their CES 2025 keynote that the RTX 5070 has comparable power to the RTX 4090. However, it’s clear that this technology is currently beyond the reach of many users.

Gamers Nexus replicates and confirms NVIDIA’s driver issues

Over the past weekend, Gamers Nexus published a new video where they demonstrate and, ultimately, show that the problems originate from NVIDIA’s end.

More specifically, GN tested hardware setups similar to those listed by users as causing problems.

With the NVIDIA 572.83 graphics driver, GN encountered recurring game crashes when using the RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition GPU on games like “Star Wars: Outlaws”, “Marvel Rivals”, “Cyberpunk 2077”, and “Shadow of the Tomb Raider”.

It appears that issues occur most often in dual-monitor G-Sync configurations using NVIDIA Frame Generation, and it’s worth considering that the specific video output port being used on the graphics card could be relevant to these problems.

Beyond that, DLSS and NVIDIA Reflex could be causing problems in some cases.

Over the past few months since the debut of the RTX 50-series, NVIDIA has put out no less than six driver updates labeled as 572.XX. This suggests that they might not be in a rush to address the current problems.

GN offers some workarounds in the meantime.

One simple suggestion for troubleshooting video issues could be to try reconnecting your video cables into various video slots on your Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Additionally, if you’re already utilizing DisplayPort and encountering problems, it might be worthwhile to consider switching to HDMI.

It’s worthwhile to turn off NVIDIA G-Sync and Frame Generation as well, to help improve overall system stability during testing.

Game devs are now recommending against NVIDIA’s latest drivers

Just as anticipated, game creators are equally excited to leverage NVIDIA’s newest capabilities as the purchasers of NVIDIA’s graphics cards.

Two recently released games, namely inZOI and The First Berserker: Khazan, are advising gamers to downgrade their NVIDIA graphics driver versions to eliminate potential problems.

inZOI’s v0.1.2 hotfix comes with advice on which driver is best for each series of NVIDIA GPU.

The NVIDIA drivers suggested for use with inZOI appear quite similar to the recommendations made by the developers of The First Berserker: Khazan.

Rolling back the drivers to their state prior to the RTX 50 release implies that you’ll forego the newest NVIDIA features, which might not be an optimal situation.

I truly wish that NVIDIA can identify the root of these problems and come out with a fresh 572.XX driver to rectify them.

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2025-04-07 17:10