Summary
- Windows 11 October 2025 update (KB5066835) caused reduced in-game performance on some Nvidia GPUs.
- Nvidia released Hotfix Display Driver 581.94 to address the issue; download it from Nvidia’s site.
- Install the hotfix, reboot, test games; if problems persist, report to Nvidia or try an older driver.
Have you noticed that your gaming performance hasn’t been up to par on Windows 11 lately? If so, it may be because of the October 2025 update, which has apparently caused some issues with in-game performance if you own an Nvidia GPU.
Fortunately, Nvidia itself knew of the issues, and has been working away on a fix all this time. So, if you’re having new performance issues, give the new Nvidia driver a spin and see if that fixes things for you.
I’m so frustrated with Nvidia’s drivers, yet things don’t look to be getting any better
The entire RTX 40 and RTX 50 series debacle has left me feeling completely fed up.
Nvidia releases Hotfix Display Driver version 581.94 to fix Windows 11 performance woes
As spotted by Windows Latest, Nvidia has published a new update for its GPUs. This one isn’t very exciting or feature-rich, but it is very important for people who are experiencing issues with the Windows 11 October update.
If you need reminding, the October update released for Windows as part of Patch Tuesday a month ago. It was the final non-security patch for Windows 10 before it entered its end-of-life period, and it didn’t get a ton of updates as a result. On the other hand Windows 11 got a ton of tweaks, so it’s likely one of the many, many changes caused a problem with Nvidia GPUs.
The single patch note for the Nvidia Display Driver version 581.94 says:
This Hotfix addresses the following:
Lower performance may be observed in some games after updating to Windows 11 October 2025 KB5066835 [5561605]
Yep, that’s all. As such, if you’ve been having issues lately, head over to the Nvidia download page and grab the patch there. You can also grab the update via the Nvidia app if you have it installed; there’s a good chance it’ll prod you about the update as soon as you open it. If you need help, check out our guide on how to update your graphics driver for more details.
Once you got the patch downloaded and installed, restart your PC and give your games another try. Hopefully, you’ll notice that things are running smoother than before. If not, let Nvidia know so that it can work on it some more, and perhaps try an older driver to regain your old performance.
If you’re interested in squeezing out more performance from your games, here are some resources to help you out: