Nvidia is releasing GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 581.94 to tackle game performance drops that appeared after installing Microsoft’s Windows 11 October 2025 cumulative update KB5066835.
The hotfix sits on top of the recent Game Ready Driver 581.80 and is being distributed separately through Nvidia’s support channels and driver download pages. It focuses on a single problem: some games running noticeably slower after the latest Wave of Windows 11 updates.
What the GeForce 581.94 hotfix changes
Nvidia describes 581.94 as a narrow, issue-specific release rather than a feature update. It does not introduce new game support or features beyond what is already in 581.80; instead, it adds a workaround for a performance regression tied to KB5066835.
| Driver | Type | Key focus | Base version |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce 581.80 | Game Ready (WHQL) | New game support, including recent AAA titles | — |
| GeForce 581.94 | Hotfix | Fix lower performance in some games after Windows 11 KB5066835 | Based on 581.80 |
Nvidia’s release notes boil the change down to a single line: the hotfix addresses “lower performance” observed in some games after updating to Windows 11 October 2025 KB5066835. There is no separate list of affected GPU models or titles.
On social channels, Nvidia’s support team frames it the same way: a focused fix for frame rate loss triggered by the October update, with no other driver behavior changes.
How KB5066835 affects Windows 11 gaming
The performance issue appears on systems upgraded to Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2 with KB5066835 applied, and can also surface with later cumulative updates that carry the same underlying code changes.
Players have described symptoms like:
- Lower average FPS compared to pre-update performance
- Stuttering or inconsistent frame pacing in multiple titles
- General slowdown in games that previously ran smoothly
Some of those reports reference big-name releases such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, and Arc Raiders, with users noting that gameplay felt “a lot smoother” again after moving to 581.94.
KB5066835 itself delivers Windows 11 changes unrelated to graphics, including tweaks to Windows Search reliability and updates to AI-driven Windows features, plus other quality improvements. Somewhere in that set of changes, Nvidia’s driver stack ended up interacting poorly with the updated OS, leading to the regression that 581.94 is now trying to undo.
Availability, compatibility, and download options
GeForce Hotfix Driver 581.94 is available now for 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 through Nvidia’s driver download pages and support site. The package is offered as a standalone download rather than via Windows Update.
| Driver version | File size | OS support | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce 581.94 Hotfix | 634MB | Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64‑bit) | November 20, 2025 |
You can grab the hotfix from Nvidia’s support site on the page for GeForce Hotfix Driver version 581.94. It is also being surfaced through Nvidia’s own driver tools, including its desktop app and GeForce Experience.
Because this is an emergency hotfix, Nvidia treats it as a beta-quality release. The company suggests installing it if you have already applied the October Windows 11 updates and are noticing frame rate drops. If your games are running normally, you can stay on 581.80 and wait for a future Game Ready or Studio driver that folds in the same fix with the usual WHQL certification.
Who should install the hotfix and what it won’t fix
Nvidia’s guidance is simple: the hotfix is intended for Windows 11 users who have:
- Updated to 24H2 or 25H2 with KB5066835 (or a cumulative update that includes its code), and
- Noticed lower performance in games since that OS update.
For that group, 581.94 is meant to be a faster alternative to rolling back the Windows update itself. A clean driver install can help, especially on systems that have gone through several prior driver versions.
The hotfix does not attempt to address non-graphics issues tied to KB5066835, such as WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment) input problems or the separate IIS web server bugs Microsoft has already documented and patched. Those require additional Windows updates from Microsoft and are outside the scope of Nvidia’s driver change.
For now, Nvidia is handling the gaming slowdown on its side of the stack, while Windows 11 continues to ship its own targeted fixes for other KB5066835 regressions.
