Here’s why some PC gamers shouldn’t install the latest Windows 11 update

By Luke Larsen Published December 19, 2024

The latest Windows 11 update, codenamed 24H2, has been a troubled rollout for Microsoft, but one thing’s been clear from the beginning: PC gamers should wait to install it. Let’s add another issue to the list, shall we?

As spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft has confirmed in an update to its Windows 11 24H2 problems page, that Windows 11 24H2 is causing issues with its Auto HDR feature. The result of the bug is that incorrect colors are being displayed or, even worse, are breaking games entirely and causing them to not be responsive.

The page reads as follows: “You might observe that the game colors are incorrect in certain display configurations. You might also observe that some games stop responding.”

That’s pretty vague, and may cause some frustration on the part of PC gamers trying to troubleshoot what’s wrong with their systems. Due to the problem, Microsoft will no longer deliver the Windows 11 24H2 update to PCs with Auto HDR turned on.

As Microsoft advises, the way to get around this, of course, is to turn off Auto HDR entirely on your PC. This can be found by heading to Settings > System > Display. From there, select Graphics and then Turn Off Auto HDR for all games. According to Microsoft, this will enable you to get the Windows 11 24H2 update again.

Auto HDR is a great feature that, as the name implies, automatically turns SDR games into HDR. It’s a must-use feature for those with HDR-capable displays, such as one of the best OLED monitors. But at the cost of causing games to be unresponsive? No way.

It may be a while before PC gamers will feel totally comfortable upgrading to Windows 11 24H2, which has been slowly rolling out since the beginning of October. But for now, it’s best to wait this one out to avoid more headaches for yourself.