hotfix Archives

AppWizard

January 14, 2026

Dwarf Fortress issues a ‘naked dwarf fix’ after accidentally turning players’ pride-and-joy into bearded nudist colonies

Dwarf Fortress, released in 2026, features a six-word story: "Mothers no longer seek ghostly babies." The latest update addresses an issue where some dwarves appeared unclothed on the units screen and citizens list despite continuing their daily activities. A hotfix was released to resolve this and a freeze issue. Additionally, the update mentioned "made female peachick visible again." The game is known for its quirky updates, including instances of undead cats adopting dwarves and vampires accusing infants.

AppWizard

January 14, 2026

Hytale surges to the most-watched game on Twitch, attracting over 420,000 viewers with its long-awaited launch

Hytale has officially entered early access after a decade of development challenges. The game's announcement trailer from 2018 has received 62 million views. On launch day, Hytale became the most-watched game on Twitch with over 420,000 viewers. Players are encountering challenges with wildlife, particularly bears. Hytale has secured funding for two years of early access development, and expectations are high for over one million players on launch day. There has been a significant spike in global search interest for Hytale on Google Trends. Initial technical issues have arisen, and the development team is working on a hotfix to address bugs and account verification delays due to high demand.

AppWizard

January 3, 2026

New Path of Exile 2 patch notes nerf the ARPG’s game-breaking temples, but GGG might have gone too far

New patch notes for Path of Exile 2, specifically the 0.4.0c hotfix 13, aim to address the dominance of certain Vaal Temple layouts by introducing changes to room modifiers and restricting the locking of anything below tier three. The update includes diminishing returns on modifier values for room types after four or more of a specific type are used, primarily affecting lower-tier rooms. This change is intended to improve server performance and reduce the potential of high-value temple layouts, which previously generated hundreds of Divine Orbs per run, now averaging around 20. The rooms associated with Golem Works and Spymaster have been swapped to encourage variety in temple setups. Additionally, the use of Juatalotli's Medallion is restricted to tier-three rooms, leading to backlash from players who feel disadvantaged by this change. The patch is now live, and while it aims to mitigate top-end currency drops and curb inflation, it may disproportionately affect average players.

AppWizard

December 18, 2025

A grittier take on post-apocalyptic MMOs like Fallout 76, new shooter finally lands on Steam to mixed reviews

Pioner, developed by GFA Games, is an MMO with shooter elements set in a post-apocalyptic world inspired by Stalker. It features a 50km² island that players can explore, incorporating story-driven exploration, social spaces, and PvE and PvP zones. The game includes a faction-based progression system that allows players to build reputations and unlock better items. Players must manage hunger and rest while crafting tools for survival. Launched on Steam Early Access, Pioner has over 1,200 players but faces performance issues and bugs, resulting in a user score of 50%. A hotfix has been released to address these issues, and new story content is expected by January 2026, along with a roadmap for future developments.

Winsage

December 11, 2025

User reports claim December Windows 11 security update fixes AMD GPU hanging and driver crashing

Windows 11 has caused concerns among graphics card users, particularly Nvidia GPU owners, leading Nvidia to release a hotfix driver to address gaming performance issues from the October update. The December KB5070311 update reportedly resolved significant problems for AMD GPU owners, including driver crashes in games like Battlefield 6 and general instability. User feedback suggests improvements after installing the December update, which also eliminated the "unsupported graphics card detected" message for compatible GPUs. AMD's patch notes for the latest Adrenalin version mention various crashing issues, but only a few were addressed without attributing them to Windows. Reports of GPU hanging and driver instability have been common since the RX 9070 XT's launch in March 2025, with the RX 9000 series facing the most difficulties. Nvidia previously rolled out a hotfix driver to restore performance lost due to an October Windows update. The December Windows 11 security update is mandatory, and users may find it beneficial to install it, although there is no guarantee that specific issues will be resolved. Neither Microsoft nor AMD has officially confirmed any AMD-specific GPU fixes related to Windows updates.

Winsage

December 2, 2025

Gamers confirm frame drops after Windows 11 update that Microsoft won’t acknowledge, but Nvidia has fixed it

Windows 11's October update (KB5066835) has caused significant performance issues for gamers, particularly those using Nvidia GPUs, leading to a drop in frame rates from 120–140 FPS to 40–70 FPS. The update has primarily affected systems running Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, while users on Windows 10 and those using Linux or Steam Deck reported no issues. Affected Nvidia models include the RTX 5000 series and RTX 4080 and 4090. In contrast, AMD graphics card users maintained normal performance levels. The cause of the frame rate drops is unclear, but it may involve conflicts between Windows updates, Nvidia drivers, and game engine interactions. Nvidia released a hotfix driver on November 19, which reportedly restored and even improved performance for some users.

Winsage

November 30, 2025

Windows update makes sign-in password icon invisible — Microsoft says you can still click on empty space to enter your password

Microsoft has acknowledged a minor issue in the non-security preview update KB5064081, which may complicate the login process for users by causing the password icon to be missing or invisible on the lock screen. Users can still log in by clicking on the empty space where the button typically resides. This issue primarily affects the Windows user interface and is expected to impact only users within the preview channel. Microsoft is actively working to resolve this issue. Additionally, Microsoft previously issued an emergency patch for a different update that rendered users unable to use their keyboard and mouse in the Windows Recovery Environment and released a driver update that improved performance in certain games by 50%. Windows Insider channels are in place to catch most bugs before they reach the general user base, but some glitches still occur in wider releases.

AppWizard

November 25, 2025

This recent Windows 11 update could ruin your gaming frame rates, tanking Assassin’s Creed Shadows by up to 50%

Recent updates to Windows 11, specifically the October security and feature patch (KB5066835), have caused frame rate drops in games, with Digital Foundry reporting significant performance issues in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Testing with an AMD Ryzen 9800X3D and Nvidia RTX 5090 showed low frame rates until a hotfix from Nvidia was applied, which improved performance from 34fps to 72fps. Without the hotfix, gamers could see a performance decline of 33% to 50%. Anecdotal evidence suggests the hotfix may also improve performance in Counter-Strike 2, with an 11% increase in 1% lows reported. Nvidia's documentation indicates the hotfix addresses issues in "some games," but further testing is needed to determine if the performance issues affect only Nvidia GPUs or also AMD graphics cards. Gamers with recent Nvidia graphics cards experiencing performance dips are advised to download the hotfix.

Winsage

November 22, 2025

Nvidia confirms October Windows updates cause gaming issues

Nvidia has acknowledged that recent security updates have caused gaming performance challenges for users on Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. To address these issues, Nvidia released the GeForce Hotfix Display Driver version 581.94. This hotfix driver is a beta version and has not undergone the standard quality assurance procedures, allowing for quicker deployment. Users may experience diminished performance in certain games after installing the Windows 11 October 2025 update, specifically KB5066835. The hotfix drivers are optional and have been expedited to provide timely solutions. Users can access the driver for both Windows 10 x64 and Windows 11 x64 systems via Nvidia's Customer Care support site. Additionally, Microsoft has addressed various bugs in recent Windows updates, including issues with localhost HTTP connections, smart card authentication, and the Windows Recovery Environment.

Winsage

November 21, 2025

Nvidia hotfix tackles Windows 11 gaming slowdown

The Windows 11 October 2025 Update has caused declines in gaming performance for some users, prompting Nvidia to release a hotfix based on version 581.80 of its Game Ready Driver. This hotfix is a quick solution aimed at addressing specific issues from the update, particularly gaming slowdowns. Microsoft has acknowledged various problems related to the update, including issues with Blu-ray, DVD, and digital applications, as well as USB mice and keyboards not functioning in the Windows Recovery Environment. Developers have reported disruptions to localhost functionality, affecting web applications on local machines. Despite these challenges, Nvidia's financial results remain strong, although concerns about the high costs and overheating issues of its latest RTX 50 Series cards have been raised. Microsoft has not officially acknowledged the gaming performance issues in its release notes for the October 2025 Update, despite Nvidia confirming their existence.