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How To Fix Games Crashing After Windows 11 Update

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Troubleshooting Games Crashing on Windows 11/10

Ever since Windows 11 and newer versions of Windows 10 rolled out, gamers have been grumbling about crashes more often than they’d like to admit. It’s that nightmare scenario where your favorite game suddenly stops responding or crashes outright, right when you’re about to get that winning shot or finish that crucial quest.

No one wants to experience this during their gaming marathon, but unfortunately, it’s a well-documented issue that Microsoft hasn’t fully ironed out yet. The good news? There are some things you can try to fix this mess until a permanent patch drops.

What Is Causing Your Games to Crash?

From what the grapevine and a smattering of forum posts suggest, one of the main culprits is recent OS upgrades. If you’ve just upgraded to Windows 11 or the latest Windows 10 build, your drivers might be feeling left out or incompatible. Usually, a driver update or some setting change from the OS update causes conflicts — especially with graphics drivers, which are the lifeblood of gaming performance.

Another common issue that some players have reported is microphone problems when gaming multiplayer. You might notice that you can’t talk to your teammates, or voice chat simply doesn’t work. This isn’t just inconvenient; it can ruin online experiences, especially for players who rely heavily on voice communication.

And more often than not, this points towards Windows’ privacy or microphone setup getting nudged out of place during updates.

Fixing Games That Crash After a Windows 11 Update

Before diving into the deep end, here’s a quick checklist to follow — because sometimes the most mundane things cause the biggest headaches:

  • Confirm that the game you’re trying to play is up-to-date. Developers often release patches that fix compatibility issues with newer Windows updates.
  • Make sure your Windows OS is fully patched. Sometimes, the latest updates include fixes that resolve game crashes.
  • Perform a clean boot. Yes, this is not fun, but it helps identify if some third-party process or background app is messing things up. It’s like stripping down your PC to its bare essentials and seeing if the game runs smoother.

If these steps don’t help, then keep reading. We’ll get into more detailed solutions specific to issues arising right after a Windows upgrade.

Handling Games Crashing After Upgrading to a New Version of Windows

When Windows itself seems to be the cause, the first move is running the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter. It’s a built-in utility that auto-detects compatibility problems and suggests fixes. Sometimes it finds a solution — or at least points you there. To launch it:

Open Start menu > type 'Troubleshooting' > select 'Troubleshooting Settings' > under 'Other Troubleshooters,' click 'Run' on 'Program Compatibility Troubleshooter'

If this doesn’t do the trick, try these options in order:

  • Uninstall the problematic Windows update: Because, of course, sometimes the latest patch just broke everything. You can do this via Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates. Find the latest cumulative update or feature update, and remove it if you suspect it caused instability.
  • Disable Auto HDR temporarily: Auto HDR is a feature that boosts color and luminance brightness, but it can inadvertently cause display issues or crashes in some games. To turn it off:
    1. Navigate to Settings > System > Display.
    2. Scroll down and click on Graphics or Graphics Settings (depends on Windows build).
    3. Toggle Auto HDR off.
    You might need to toggle this off for specific applications if they start acting up. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary.
  • Run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter manually:
    1. Hit the search icon on the taskbar and type ‘troubleshooting.’
    2. Choose ‘Troubleshooting Settings’.
    3. Under ‘Other Troubleshooters’, find ‘Program Compatibility Troubleshooter’.
    4. Click ‘Run’ and follow the prompts to see if Windows can detect any issues.
  • Run games in Compatibility Mode: Sometimes, forcing a game to run as if on an earlier version of Windows does the trick.
    1. Right-click the game’s executable or shortcut and select Properties.
    2. Navigate to the Compatibility tab.
    3. Check ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ and select, for example, Windows 10 (October 2019 Update) or Windows 8.
    4. Hit Apply and launch the game to see if stability improves. Sometimes, this mode helps bypass incompatible system calls.
  • Reinstall your graphics driver: This might be the most crucial step. Graphics drivers are often the first to cause crashes after a Windows update, especially if they’re outdated or corrupted. To do this efficiently:
    1. Visit your GPU manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx, AMD: https://www.amd.com/en/support, Intel: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/).
    2. Download the latest driver for your exact graphics card model.
    3. Use the installer’s Clean Install option if available — often under ‘Custom Install’ during setup. This wipes old drivers clean and reduces conflicts.
    4. Reboot your PC to make sure the new driver loads properly and then launch your game to see if crashes lessened.

Fixing Microphone Problems During Gaming

If you find yourself muted or unable to talk to teammates, the issue might be with Windows’ privacy settings or microphone drivers. Here’s what to do:

  • Check your Privacy Settings:
    1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone.
    2. Ensure that “Let apps use my microphone” is toggled On.
    3. Also, verify that the specific game or app you’ve launched has permission enabled in the list below.
  • Confirm your microphone is not muted:
    • Right-click the sound icon in the taskbar, select Open Sound Settings.
    • Under Input, choose your microphone device from the dropdown menu. Make sure the volume isn’t muted or set too low.
    • You can test it right here by speaking into the mic — watch the bar light up if it’s working.

Windows sometimes resets these permissions after updates, so reset or re-select your mic if necessary. Because, of course, it’s hidden in Boot > Security > Privacy > Microphone — and not everyone will find it easily.

Why Do Games Stutter on PC and How to Fix It?

Stuttering or FPS drops aren’t a new headache for gamers. Usually, it’s because your system’s resources are spread too thin — background apps, heavy system processes, or insufficient RAM.

Over time, Windows might also start over-writing standby or cache memory, which causes noticeable hiccups in game flow. Not sure why it works, but killing unnecessary background apps often helps — use Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager quickly and close bloatware.

To help pinpoint resource hogs:

  • Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)
  • Go to the Processes tab.
  • Sort by CPU, Memory, or Disk usage to see what’s eating resources.
  • Right-click and End task on unnecessary apps, especially those running in the background that you don’t need during gaming.

This won’t fix everything, but it can definitely make your gameplay smoother — especially on older hardware or overloaded systems. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary, right?

Bottom line, troubleshooting these crashes isn’t always straightforward. Often it’s a mix of driver updates, compatibility tweaks, and system settings. On some setups, a couple of tries are enough — on others, you might need to dig deeper into logs or BIOS settings.

But applying these tips should at least get you back into the game with fewer crashes and less frustration.

Just don’t forget to double-check that your graphics drivers are current, Windows is patched, and your system’s privacy and compatibility options are set correctly.

Good luck, and may your frames stay high!