Facepalm: Microsoft introduced the Windows Insider testing program as a way to improve the platform by collecting distributed feedback. Since 2014, millions of Insiders have been “testing” new Windows features. Yet, despite their input, every major upgrade still brings fresh headaches and compatibility issues to the operating system.
Microsoft has acknowledged yet another issue in Windows 11, version 24H2. According to the company’s official dashboard for known issues, some Ubisoft games are experiencing significant problems after users install the latest Windows update. The affected titles may become unresponsive or even display a “black screen” before crashing.
The impacted games include Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Star Wars Outlaws, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Ubisoft has released a temporary fix for Star Wars Outlaws, but the patch may introduce additional performance issues. Microsoft has yet to explain why so many Ubisoft games are encountering these problems.
To prevent further disruption, Microsoft has blocked the installation of Windows 11 24H2 on systems with the affected games. The company is advising users to avoid manually upgrading their systems until the issue is resolved. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Ubisoft are collaborating to develop a permanent fix. Frustrated users have taken to social media to voice their dissatisfaction with both Ubisoft and the “very, very broken” 24H2 release of Windows 11.
Gamers have been grappling with these issues for weeks, attempting to troubleshoot on their own by checking the Uplay launcher, updating GPU drivers, installing Visual C++ Redistributable packages, and trying various other fixes. Despite the efforts, nothing has worked. Understandably, users who recently purchased brand-new gaming systems or hardware components are particularly frustrated.
For now, Microsoft has only suggested a few “workarounds” for unresponsive games, such as forcibly closing the application through task manager. Another (unofficial) option is downgrading the operating system to version 23H2, though some users report experiencing game crashes on that version as well.
Beyond gaming-related problems, Windows 11 24H2 is displaying broader instability and incompatibility issues with various hardware and software. Shortly after the upgrade began rolling out last month, owners of WD SSDs reported bugs and BSOD crashes caused by poorly managed I/O caching operations. The Windows Insider program, which aims to transform “technically able” users into effective OS beta testers, appears to be struggling to meet its goals at this point.