The Windows 11 KB5121003 update released last week caused unresponsiveness issues in some multiplayer games, including ARC Raiders, Marvel Rivals, and THE FINALS. Microsoft has now confirmed that the issue is related to the driver inpoutx64.sys installed by RGB lighting devices.
When the issue first came to light, Embark Studios (developer of THE FINALS and ARC Raiders) was the first to propose a theory, attributing the crashes to a single driver file, inpoutx64.sys, and recommending users disable the file via Command Prompt. Subsequent investigations by Microsoft confirmed this assessment.
Microsoft stated in its official health advisory: "Ongoing investigations indicate that this issue is related to peripherals or internal device components with RGB lighting features. Such devices may have drivers or code components installed with names similar to inpoutx64. On systems with these drivers, launching specific games triggers this issue." The KB5121003 update is seen as the catalyst for this series of problems, and Microsoft says it is "working to understand the relationship between these RGB components and the games triggering the issue."
For affected users, Microsoft has provided a solution to disable the driver via the registry:
1.Open the Registry Editor (type "regedit" in the Start menu)
2.Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\inpoutx64
3.Be sure to back up the registry before proceeding
4.Locate the registry value named "Start" on the right, double-click it, and change the "Value data" to 4
5.Close the window and restart your computer
Microsoft warns that disabling this driver may cause some RGB lighting features to stop working or related control software to malfunction. Users can also choose to roll back to a previous version of Windows and wait for an official fix patch. Currently, Microsoft has not announced a timeline for a complete resolution to this issue.