Windows Update potentially causes problems in 400+ games

Since Tuesday, the new version of Microsoft’s operating system has been gradually distributed to all compatible systems. However, this is only partially good news for gamers. Because if you play titles like Apex Legends or Elden Ring, you can run into problems.

Update causes problems with games

Windows 11 24H2 is here. The update for Copilot+ PCs has been available for a few weeks now. Since Tuesday it has been rolled out to all other compatible systems. As is not unusual with a new version, there are again some problems that the latest version of Windows 11 brings with it. One or two of them concern gamers.

Crashes in Asphalt 8

The first of these is likely to affect significantly fewer users. Because it’s only about a specific game, namely Asphalt 8 (Airborne). Like Microsoft on its Website says Gameloft’s title can crash again and again. In such a case, only restarting the game will help. Microsoft says it is already working on a solution. Until now, users who have installed the game cannot install Windows 11 24H2 via the Windows Update function due to a safeguard hold with ID 52796746.

Blue screen in Fortnite, Elden Ring and more

The second problem is likely to affect significantly more people. Because it’s not about a single game, but about the anti-cheat software Easy Anti-Cheat integrated into a number of titles. The program is installed when many games are installed.

Examples of games that use the software include Apex Legends, Fortnite, Rust, Elden Ring or Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. According to SteamDB A total of almost 450 games use Easy Anti-Cheat. If the error occurs when opening or playing, the PC freezes or displays a blue screen with the error message “MEMORY_MANAGEMENT”. According to Microsoft, however, only devices with Intel’s Alder Lake processors and the vPro platform are affected. In addition, the up-to-date anti-cheat software seems to be crucial. In most cases, the problem only occurs if the drivers are from before April 2024. To fix the problem, Microsoft recommends updating Easy Anti-Cheat.

As long as Windows finds corresponding incompatible drivers during the operating system update, Windows 24H2 cannot be installed via the Windows update function due to a lock set up for security reasons (Safeguard Hold ID: 52325539). As with Asphalt 8, however, the company says they are working on a solution. Redmond strongly advises against manually installing the new operating system.

Loyalty to Windows 10 as ‘salvation’

However, many gamers are on the safe side anyway. As the figures from Valve’s Steam platform show, Windows 11 only replaced Windows 10 as the most used operating system among gamers at the beginning of August. Many users are still using the older version and are therefore not affected by the two problems.