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HomeOctober 2026 patch cycleNVIDIA 621.01: your videos now come with intermissions

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NVIDIA 621.01: your videos now come with intermissions

Part of October 2026 patch cycle

Vendor
NVIDIA
Products
GeForce Game Ready Driver 621.01 and GeForce Hotfix Driver 621.12
Published
· updated
Status
Open

Update, Oct 28: NVIDIA shipped a fix on Oct 27, but only in Hotfix driver 621.12. Its notes list “video playback may freeze or black screen on some GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs/RTX Spark after updating to GRD 621.01” (bug 6979343) as fixed. The hotfix is beta, optional and not WHQL-certified, and NVIDIA says it goes through “a much abbreviated QA process.” NVIDIA also says the safest option is to wait for the next WHQL driver. So the call on 621.01 stays Hold, and 621.12 becomes the workaround if you’re already hit. (NVIDIA, VideoCardz)

Call: Hold on GeForce 621.01 (Oct 21, the first R620 driver) unless you need its new game support. On Oct 23, NVIDIA staff on its forum logged the bug and asked for crash dumps. The fix is now in Hotfix 621.12, which isn’t WHQL-certified. The 621.01 release notes still list no open issues.

What breaks: Video in Chrome, Edge and VLC freezes for a few seconds, or the screen goes black and comes back. Starting a game while a browser video plays can trigger it. Look for nvlddmkm Event ID 153 starting Oct 21, sometimes with LiveKernelEvent 141 or 117.

Who’s hit: Mostly RTX 5080 owners, some RTX 4090, and a lot of multi-monitor and 480Hz setups. The hotfix notes name RTX 50 Series and RTX Spark.

Workaround:

  • Already on 621.01 and seeing freezes: Clean-install Hotfix 621.12. NVIDIA offers it only through its Customer Care site, with x64 and ARM64 (RTX Spark) builds. If it misbehaves, roll back.
  • Not on 621.01 yet: Stay on 617.42 (Oct 6) and wait for the next WHQL driver, which should include the fix. The cost is missing 621.01’s Game Ready support for Phantom Blade Zero (Oct 28) and Crimson Desert Enhanced (Oct 29).
  • Rolling back: Go to 617.42, ideally with DDU for a clean install.
  • On 480Hz: Users report that dropping to 360Hz stops the dropouts on 621.01.

We haven’t read NVIDIA’s forum thread directly. The original acknowledgment comes from the three write-ups below. The fix comes from NVIDIA’s own hotfix page.

Sources: BottleneckPC, Joho no Todai, VGTimes, NVIDIA Hotfix 621.12, VideoCardz.

Sources

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