Should You Update to NVIDIA 581.29 Graphics Driver or Not?
Latest NVidia Drivers Are Fixing Some Things and Breaking Others
If you’re a PC gamer, you already know the eternal struggle: drivers are supposed to make games better, but half the time they just end up breaking something else.
NVIDIA’s latest Game Ready driver, 581.29, is the perfect case study.
On paper, it’s meant to squash issues with Marvel Rivals and Monster Hunter Wilds. In practice? Some players are now staring at frozen desktops, stuttering Counter-Strike matches, and Premiere Pro exports that refuse to finish.
Let’s break down what’s going on, which games are directly affected, and how you can both update (if you’re brave) and roll back (if things go south).
What NVIDIA Promised with 581.29
According to NVIDIA’s own notes and FAQ, 581.29 was supposed to:
Fix a negative performance impact in Marvel Rivals seen in earlier 581.xx versions.
Address stability or performance issues in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Add optimizations for newer titles like Borderlands 4 and Dying Light: The Beast, especially around DLSS and frame generation.
List “open issues” such as:
• Counter-Strike 2: text distortion at non-native resolutions.
• Adobe Premiere Pro: freezing during exports when hardware encoding is active
Sounds good, right? But here’s how it’s actually playing out.
What Players Actually Got
Monster Hunter Wilds
Some players say their game started freezing immediately after updating drivers, despite being stable before.
Others on Steam forums report repeated crashes mid-hunt or at startup, with shader cache mismatches suggested as a culprit.
Even Capcom’s official “Known Issues” page acknowledges ongoing PC problems with Wilds, though it stops short of pinning them on NVIDIA drivers.
Marvel Rivals
According to NVIDIA’s FAQ, 581.29 fixes performance drops introduced in earlier drivers.
Yet some users on NVIDIA’s own forums still report frame generation crashes unless they roll back to older versions.
Other Games & System Issues
Guru3D users complain about system freezes, Chrome lock-ups, and game crashes in titles like DayZ after installing 581.29.
Adobe editors note that Premiere Pro freezes during hardware-encoded exports, especially with RTX 50-series cards.
So yes, Marvel Rivals and Wilds might run smoother – but you could be trading stability elsewhere.
Who Should Update, and Who Should Avoid
Think of 581.29 like a risky patch. It might heal you – or it might poison the well.
Update if: you primarily play Marvel Rivals or Monster Hunter Wilds and need those specific fixes.
Avoid if: you rely on Premiere Pro for editing, play Counter-Strike 2, or just want your PC to behave like a normal PC.
Undecided? It’s a toss-up. Some rigs eat 581.29 for breakfast. Others choke.
How to Update Your Drivers Safely
If you want to try 581.29, here’s a safe route:
Head to NVIDIA’s official driver page.
Pick your GPU model and OS.
Download and install Game Ready Driver 581.29.
Restart your PC.
Test your preferred game for at least 20-30 minutes.
If things go sideways, don’t waste time – roll back!
Pro tip: Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) before updating if you want a cleaner install. Not mandatory, but can help.
How to Roll Back if Things Break
Open Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager).
Expand Display Adapters, right-click your NVIDIA GPU.
Choose Properties > Driver tab.
Click Roll Back Driver (if available).
If That's Not an Option
Go to NVIDIA’s Advanced Driver Search.
Enter your GPU and OS.
Download a previous driver version (try a stable one you used before).
Install it (DDU recommended for a clean reset).
NVIDIA’s Driver Circus
Between ambitious performance claims and community reports of system crashes, 581.29 feels less like a “Game Ready” driver and more like a dice roll. It may fix your favorite game – but it might also lock your whole rig mid-session.
Our advice? Test carefully. Keep a backup driver handy. Because in NVIDIA land, “latest” doesn’t always mean “greatest.” Have you tried 581.29 yet? Did it smooth out your games or wreck your setup?
Drop a comment and we’ll compare scars!
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