Summary
- Nvidia hotfix restores lost FPS caused by Windows 11 October update—users reported up to ~65% gains.
- The boost isn't extra GPU power—it's reclaiming performance Windows 11 broke, not a magical FPS increase.
- If your FPS dipped this month, download Nvidia's hotfix; many saw restored framerates, but not all were affected.
When I report on gamers noticing an increase in their system's performance, it's usually because a new piece of tech has arrived that lets them render their games better. However, this time around, things are a little different. The latest Nvidia hotfix driver has improved people's in-game performance by up to 65%, but I wouldn't say it was an FPS boost, per se. In fact, it'd probably be more accurate to call it an FPS "reclamation," weirdly enough.
These 4 factors may be negatively impacting your FPS
You need more than just a high-end graphics card
The newest Nvidia hotfix has seemingly fixed Windows 11's gaming woes
A little while ago, Nvidia noticed that something within the Windows 11 October update caused performance issues for gamers. In response, Nvidia released a hotfix that affected people could download and install to help fix the problem.
The good news is that the patch seems to have worked, with Daniel Nowak on X reporting up to a 65% improvement in framerate after installing it (thanks for the spot, Tom's Hardware!). Their posts were a reply to Sebastian Castellanos, who posted charts showing that their average FPS increased by about 48% solely due to the hotfix.
However, don't get it twisted: those improved framerates aren't because the hotfix magically managed to squeeze out more performance from the GPU. Windows 11's October update somehow did a number on people's in-game performance, and this patch is simply repairing the damage. So, in a way, people's framerates are now where they should have been all along if the October update hadn't ruined things.
Still, it's good to hear that the hotfix worked and that people can now play their games as intended. As such, if you've noticed that your in-game performance went down the drain sometime in the past month, head over to the Nvidia hotfix download page and give it a try. It's worth noting that not every Nvidia card or game was affected, so if you haven't noticed your FPS tanking recently, you're likely fine to keep using your PC without it.
If you're thinking about upgrading your Nvidia GPU, you may not notice a pure boost in performance. In fact, one of our editors argues that your next Nvidia GPU upgrade might feel like a sidegrade, so it's always worth doing the research before putting down money for a shiny new card.