Ubisoft fixes Windows 11 24H2 conflicts causing game crashes

Microsoft has now partially lifted a compatibility hold blocking the Windows 24H2 update on systems with some Ubisoft games after the French video game publisher has fixed bugs causing crashes, freezes, and audio issues.

The company blocked Windows 24H2 upgrades on PCs with Assassin's Creed, Star Wars Outlaws, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora games more than two weeks ago, following a stream of user reports on Reddit [1, 2] and the Microsoft Answers forums [1, 2, 3] that these games were no longer working correctly.

Windows users affected by this known issue were particularly frustrated as they reported these issues in the Windows Insider Feedback Hub, on Reddit, and other online platforms since Windows 11 24H2 was still in preview.

According to the complaints, the issues are erratic, with some saying the games immediately crash after launch while others said they crash, freeze, or display a black screen a few minutes after loading a saved game.

To prevent these issues from impacting more customers, Redmond applied a safeguard hold (tagged with IDs 54318776 and 54580160 in Windows Update for Business reports).

Microsoft now says it lifted the upgrade blocks for devices with Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora last Thursday after Ubisoft released temporary hotfixes that mitigate the crashes (although those affected might still experience some performance issues).

Ubisoft recommends using Task Manager to close the app as a temporary workaround for those who cannot exit the game as usual. Redmond also advises gamers not to upgrade affected PCs using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or the Media Creation Tool until the issue is resolved.

"Note that, once these fixes are applied, it may take up to 48 hours for the Windows 11, version 24H2 update to be offered via Windows Update. Restarting your device might expedite the process," Microsoft said in an update to the Windows release health dashboard.

Over the weekend, Microsoft announced it now blocks Windows 11 24H2 on systems with outdated Google Workspace Sync installs because they're causing Outlook launch issues with "Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook" errors.

In recent weeks, the company has also added safeguard holds that block the Windows 11 24H2 update on devices with incompatible Intel Smart Sound Technology (SST) audio drivers because they're triggering blue screen of death (BSOD) issues and with USB scanners supporting the eSCL protocol.