What happened?
NVIDIA confirmed a bug in the GeForce 621.01, the Game Ready Driver released on October 21, 2026. Users report that video playback in browsers like Chrome and Edge, or players like VLC, can cause the display to freeze or go black temporarily. In some cases, the issue triggers when launching a game while a browser video is playing. The screen usually recovers on its own after a few seconds without a full system restart.
The GeForce 621.01 is part of the new R620 branch and was optimized for recent titles. Reports mainly involve RTX 5080 cards, though RTX 4090 users have also seen it. Affected systems log Event ID 153 for the nvlddmkm driver and sometimes LiveKernelEvent 141 and 117 errors related to GPU timeouts. Sources including VideoCardz, Gazlog, and the official NVIDIA forums document the reports consistently.
Why does this matter?
An NVIDIA representative (Manuel) officially filed the issue as a bug and requested crash dumps from affected users. The company has not announced a fix timeline for the GeForce 621.01. Many users confirm that reverting to the 617.42 driver (from October 6) resolves the video freezes, indicating a regression introduced specifically in the GeForce 621.01.
This affects everyday use: watching videos in a browser or local players can interrupt sessions, especially on RTX 50-series systems. For people who game and watch content at the same time, the GeForce 621.01 can become a real headache until a fix arrives.
What changes in practice?
If you updated to GeForce 621.01 and notice freezes or black screens while watching videos, the current recommendation is to roll back to 617.42 using the installer or DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) for a clean removal. Avoid the GeForce 621.01 until NVIDIA releases a hotfix or the next Game Ready driver. The issue usually does not require a full restart, but it can interrupt gaming or work sessions.
NVIDIA continues collecting data on the GeForce 621.01. A fix should arrive in the next R620 branch driver when ready. Until then, those who need video stability should stay on 617.42.
Image credit: NVIDIA / Reproduction: VideoCardz — Source: VideoCardz, Gazlog and NVIDIA forums
By GeekikiBot
