NVIDIA Hotfix 621.12: Fix RTX 50 Video Freezes and Black Screens After 621.01 (Install and Rollback)
How to fix RTX 50 video freezes and black screens after GeForce 621.01: what Hotfix 621.12 (27 Oct 2026) fixes, who needs it, clean install, DDU rollback to 617.42, hardware-acceleration workaround and version check.
TL;DR: NVIDIA's GeForce/RTX Spark Hotfix Driver 621.12 (posted 27 Oct 2026) fixes video that freezes or cuts to black on some RTX 50 Series GPUs and RTX Spark systems after the 621.01 Game Ready driver. If you're on an RTX 50 card and seeing those symptoms, clean-install 621.12. If you're on an RTX 40 card, or the hotfix doesn't help, roll back to 617.42 with DDU. Everyone else can wait for the next WHQL driver.
What 621.12 fixes
NVIDIA's Customer Care page for 621.12 lists four fixes:
| # | Fix (NVIDIA wording, shortened) | Who it applies to | NVIDIA bug ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Video playback may freeze or go black after updating to GRD 621.01 | Some GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and RTX Spark | 6979343 |
| 2 | Unreal Engine 5.8 may crash when Ray Lighting Mode is set to Hit Lighting | Not limited to RTX 50 (per VideoCardz) | 6914378 |
| 3 | HDMI monitor on a StarTech Thunderbolt 3 to HDMI 2.0 adapter may show corruption | RTX Spark only | 6054761 |
| 4 | Intermittent flickering | MSI N16 Flip laptop | 6945359 |
It's an optional beta hotfix. NVIDIA says hotfixes are "basically the same as the previous released version" with a few targeted fixes, go through "a much abbreviated QA process," and get pulled once the fixes land in the next official driver.
How we got here: the timeline
| Date (2026) | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | GeForce 617.42 WHQL released (last R615 driver, the usual rollback target) | VideoCardz |
| Oct 21 | Game Ready 621.01 released, first R620 driver, "Open Issues: N/A" | BottleneckPC |
| Oct 23 | NVIDIA rep confirms a bug was filed and asks for watchdog crash dumps | VideoCardz, BottleneckPC |
| Oct 27 | Hotfix 621.12 posted, six days after 621.01 | NVIDIA, VideoCardz |
Symptoms: is this your bug?
Reports collected by VideoCardz and BottleneckPC match this pattern:
- It started on or after Oct 21, right after installing 621.01.
- Video in Chrome, Edge or VLC freezes, or the monitor goes black for a few seconds and comes back on its own. No reboot needed.
- Launching a game while a browser video is playing can trigger it.
- Many affected setups use multiple monitors or very high refresh rates (480Hz panels were reported dropping out).
- Event Viewer shows nvlddmkm Event ID 153 (GPU reset) starting Oct 21; some users also see LiveKernelEvent 141 or 117 in Reliability Monitor.
To check: press Win + X > Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System > Filter Current Log, and pick nvlddmkm as the event source. A run of Event ID 153 entries starting on the 21st is the fingerprint.
Who needs 621.12
- RTX 50 desktop or laptop with the symptoms above: install 621.12.
- RTX Spark (Windows on ARM) with video freezes or StarTech adapter corruption: install the ARM64 build.
- UE 5.8 developers hitting crashes with Hit Lighting: install 621.12.
- MSI N16 Flip owners with flicker: install 621.12.
- RTX 40 owners (some RTX 4090 users reported the same symptoms): NVIDIA's note names only RTX 50 and RTX Spark, so the rollback below is the safer route.
- No symptoms: skip it and wait for the next WHQL driver, which will include these fixes.
Download and clean-install 621.12
The hotfix is not pushed by the NVIDIA App or Windows Update. You get it only from NVIDIA's Customer Care site.
- Open the 621.12 hotfix page.
- Pick the right package: GeForce Hotfix 621.12 for Windows 10/11 (x64) for normal PCs and laptops, or RTX Spark Hotfix 621.12 for Windows 11 (ARM64) for RTX Spark devices.
- Close browsers, games and anything using the GPU.
- Run the installer and accept the license.
- Choose Custom (Advanced), then tick Perform a clean installation. This resets NVIDIA settings to defaults, so note any per-game profiles first.
- Let the screen flicker during install, then reboot when asked.
- Play the same video in Chrome, Edge or VLC that froze before. If it plays through and no new Event ID 153 appears, you're done.
Roll back to 617.42 with DDU
Use this if you're on RTX 40, or if 621.12 didn't fix it. Rolling back costs you 621.01's Game Ready profiles (Phantom Blade Zero, Crimson Desert Enhanced) and its Advanced Shader Delivery support, per BottleneckPC.
Quick route: Device Manager > Display adapters > right-click your GPU > Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver. If the button is greyed out, use the clean route.
Clean route (DDU):
- Download 617.42 from NVIDIA's driver search (pick your GPU, Game Ready, then select 617.42 from older versions). Save the installer.
- Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from Wagnardsoft and extract it.
- Disconnect from the internet so Windows Update can't slip in a newer driver.
- Boot into Safe Mode: Settings > System > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart > press 4.
- Run DDU, select GPU and NVIDIA, then click Clean and restart.
- Back in normal Windows, run the 617.42 installer. Choose Custom > Perform a clean installation.
- Reboot, then reconnect to the internet.
- When the NVIDIA App offers the next driver, read its release notes first and only install once this bug is listed as fixed.
480Hz monitor users also report that dropping the panel to 360Hz stops the dropouts on 621.01, which is worth trying if you want to keep the new driver.
Workaround while you wait: turn off hardware acceleration
This isn't in NVIDIA's notes. It's a general test: if video stops freezing with GPU decoding off, the driver's video path is the likely culprit. Turn it back on after you install the fix.
- Chrome: Settings > System > turn off Use graphics acceleration when available > Relaunch.
- Edge: Settings > System and performance > turn off Use graphics acceleration when available > Restart.
- VLC: Tools > Preferences > Input / Codecs > Hardware-accelerated decoding > Disable > Save, then restart VLC.
Expect higher CPU use and possibly choppier 4K/high-frame-rate video while it's off.
Verify your driver version
Use any one of these:
- NVIDIA App: Drivers tab shows the installed version (should read 621.12).
- NVIDIA Control Panel: Help > System Information > Driver version.
- Command line: open Terminal and run
nvidia-smi. The header showsDriver Version: 621.12. - Device Manager: Display adapters > your GPU > Properties > Driver. Windows shows a longer number; the last five digits (for example
…16.2112) read as 621.12.
If it still shows 621.01, the install didn't take. Rerun the hotfix with a clean installation.
Help NVIDIA if the bug persists
NVIDIA asked for watchdog crash dumps. They're in C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports\WATCHDOG. Zip the recent ones and send them, with your GPU, monitor setup and what you were doing, via the GeForce 621.01 driver feedback thread or driverfeedback@nvidia.com (per BottleneckPC).
Caution: hotfixes are beta and not WHQL-certified; NVIDIA itself says the safest option is to wait for the next certified driver.
Related
- Last hotfix walkthrough: NVIDIA GeForce Hotfix Driver 617.70: install, verify and roll back
Sources
- NVIDIA Customer Care: GeForce/RTX Spark Hotfix Display Driver version 621.12 (updated 10/27/2026)
- VideoCardz: NVIDIA releases GeForce 621.12 hotfix driver to fix RTX 50 video freezes and black screens
- VideoCardz: NVIDIA confirms GeForce 621.01 driver bug causing video freezes and black screens
- BottleneckPC: GeForce 621.01 Black Screen Fix: Hotfix 621.12 Is Out
← Back to all posts