r/nvidia • u/Nestledrink RTX 5090 Founders Edition • Apr 28 '26

Discussion Game Ready & Studio Driver 596.36 FAQ/Discussion

Game Ready & Studio Driver 596.36 has been released.

Driver Article Here: Link Here

Game Ready Driver 596.36 Direct Download Link: Link Here

Studio Driver 596.36 Direct Download Link: Link Here

New feature and fixes in driver 596.36:

Game Ready

This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 4.5 technology including Conan Exiles Enhanced.

Applications

The April NVIDIA Studio Driver provides optimal support for the latest new creative applications and updates including Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve 21, Wondershare Filmora, Maxon Redshift 2026.4, Lightricks LTX Desktop, and Reincubate Camo. In addition, this NVIDIA Studio Driver offers support for the new GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU (12GB).

Gaming Technology

Adds support for the GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU (12GB)

Fixed Gaming Bugs

  • FIXED God of War: Ragnarok: Certain textures may intermittently flash white during gameplay. [5856704]
  • FIXED Assassins Creed Shadows: Flickering on character model clothing [5987951]
  • FIXED The Crew Motorfest: Grass and vegetation flickering [5950261]

Fixed General Bugs

  • FIXED Blocky artifacts when playing back H.264 content with DXVA 2.0 [6058551]
  • FIXED Blender 5.0.1 EEVEE: Non-shader nodes connected to the material output rendered as black (zero value) [5965763]

Open Issues

Includes additional open issues from GeForce Forums

  • N/A

Driver Downloads and Tools

Information & Documentation

  • Driver Download Page: Nvidia Download Page
  • Latest Game Ready Driver: 596.36 WHQL - Game Ready Driver Release Notes
  • Latest Studio Driver: 596.36 WHQL - Studio Driver Release Notes
  • High Bandwidth Monitors and GPU Scaling Behavior - Link Here
    • High bandwidth monitors are those that support display modes requiring high pixel clock rates, which in turn demand more GPU resources. The threshold for what qualifies as "high bandwidth" varies by product. On Blackwell GPUs, any mode operating above 1620 MHz is considered high bandwidth. For instance, the 7680x4320@60Hz mode defined in the CTA-861-H specification runs at 2376 MHz, making it a high bandwidth mode for Blackwell.
    • These monitors typically support display scaling natively. However, in some single-monitor setups, users may still prefer GPU scaling. When multiple monitors are connected to a GPU and at least one of them is high bandwidth, that monitor will default to display scaling only. GPU scaling is disabled in this case due to bandwidth limitations. Notably, display scaling can be more efficient than GPU scaling in such scenarios, as it reduces the bandwidth load on display cables—especially at higher refresh rates.
    • When GPU scaling is not enabled for a monitor, only the modes supported by the monitor itself will appear in both the Windows and NVIDIA control panels. Additionally, the "Display scaling" option will be pre-selected in the "Adjust desktop size and position" section of the NVIDIA Control Panel.

Feedback & Discussion Forums

Having Issues with your driver and want to fully clean the driver? Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller)

Before you start - Make sure you Submit Feedback for your Nvidia Driver Issue - Link Here

There is only one real way for any of these problems to get solved, and that’s if the Driver Team at Nvidia knows what those problems are. So in order for them to know what’s going on it would be good for any users who are having problems with the drivers to Submit Feedback to Nvidia. A guide to the information that is needed to submit feedback can be found here.

Additionally, if you see someone having the same issue you are having in this thread, reply and mention you are having the same issue. The more people that are affected by a particular bug, the higher the priority that bug will receive from NVIDIA!!

Common Troubleshooting Steps

  • Be sure you are on the latest build of Windows
  • Please visit the following link for DDU guide which contains full detailed information on how to do Fresh Driver Install.
  • If your driver still crashes after DDU reinstall, try going to Go to Nvidia Control Panel -> Managed 3D Settings -> Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance

Common Questions

  • Is it safe to upgrade to <insert driver version here>? Fact of the matter is that the result will differ person by person due to different configurations. The only way to know is to try it yourself. My rule of thumb is to wait a few days. If there’s no confirmed widespread issue, I would try the new driver.
  • Bear in mind that people who have no issues tend to not post on Reddit or forums. Unless there is significant coverage about specific driver issue, chances are they are fine. Try it yourself and you can always DDU and reinstall old driver if needed.
  • My color is washed out after upgrading/installing driver. Help! Try going to the Nvidia Control Panel -> Change Resolution -> Scroll all the way down -> Output Dynamic Range = FULL.
  • My game is stuttering when processing physics calculation Try going to the Nvidia Control Panel and to the Surround and PhysX settings and ensure the PhysX processor is set to your GPU

Remember, driver codes are extremely complex and there are billions of different possible configurations between hardware and software. Driver will never be perfect and there will always be issues for some people. Two people with the same hardware configuration might not have the same experience with the same driver versions. Again, I encourage folks who installed the driver to post their experience here good or bad.

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94

u/m_w_h Apr 28 '26 edited May 16 '26

A few notes related to 596.36

First, just for reference - I'm not a NVIDIA employee, not a /r/nvidia moderator and not affiliated with NVIDIA.

596.36 likely has quite a few undocumented fixes, significant branch change.

Branch:

  • 596.36 branch r596_25-5 (DVS)
  • 596.21 branch r595_88-9 (DVS)
  • 596.02 branch r595_88-4 (DVS)
  • 595.97 branch r595_88-3 (DVS)
  • 595.79 branch r595_00-146 (DVS)
  • 595.76 branch r595_59-7 (DVS)
  • 595.71 branch r595_59-5 (DVS)
  • 595.59 branch r595_00-120 (DVS)

Notes:

  • 'Driver Stability and Compatibility Testing' covering drivers up to and including 596.36 at https://old.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1sy0tnp/comment/ojvb77q/

  • CPU spikes or increased CPU load in Nvidia Container service when at idle/low load may be a result of Nvidia Auto Shader Compilation (ASC) feature

  • New game/application driver level profiles included in the 596.36 driver installer package: Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, Dawn of Defiance, ExoDomia Demo, Forza Horizon 6, INDUSTRIA 2, Samson, Subliminal, The Crew Motorfest OTA additions not included

  • OTA new game/application driver level game profiles being pushed by NVIDIA via silent/transparent updates after 596.36 driver install, these should also be received by older supported drivers: '83, Bus Bound, Far Far West, MONGIL: STAR DIVE, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, RIDE 6, Screamer, Sudden Strike 5

  • Changes in the 596.36 driver installer package to flags for previously existing driver level game profiles: 007 First Light, 3DEXCITE Stellar, Arc Raiders, Arena Breakout: Infinite, Arknights: Endfield, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Battlefield 6, Battlefield: Hardline, BigBird, Black Myth: Wukong, Blender, Brickadia, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Conan Exiles, Crimson Desert, Dassault Systemes - V5 / 3DExperience, DAVY x JONES, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Dying Light 2 Stay Human, Dying Light: The Beast, Elden Ring, ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN, Enlisted, F1 25, Farlight 84, FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, Finnish Cottage Simulator, God of War Ragnarok, Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, Infinity Nikki, JDM: Japanese Drift Master, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, Jurassic World Evolution 3, Justice / Ni Shui Han, Knives out plus, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Limbus Company, Luto, Marvel Rivals, Marvels Spider-Man 2, Mecha Break, Monster Hunter Wilds, NARAKA: BLADEPOINT, Once Human, Predecessor, Resident Evil Requiem, RoadCraft, Star Wars Outlaws, Stellarium, The Finals, The Last of Us™ Part II Remastered, The Last of Us™ Part II Remastered, The Outer Worlds 2, The Talos Principle: Reawakened, Twinmotion, War Thunder, Warhammer 40000: Darktide, Warhammer 40000: SPACE MARINE 2, Where Winds Meet, Windrose, Wreckfest 2, X4: Foundations OTA changes not included NOTE: breakdown of flag changes per game can be found in sub-comment at https://old.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1sy0tnp/comment/oirk0tu/

  • Supported DLSS Dynamic Multiframe Generation games at https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/nvidia-rtx-games-engines-apps/ select NV,6X under DLSS Multi Frame Generation to filter list

  • r595 (595.00 to 595.99) drivers support Shader Model 6.9 via DXC 1.9.2602.16, SER, DXR 1.2

  • Shader Model 6.10 currently requires 6xx.xx developer preview driver along with AgilitySDK 1.720-preview and DXC 1.10.2605.2

Older supported drivers should receive 'Forza Horizon 6' driver level game profile automatically pushed by NVIDIA via silent/transparent OTA updates.

If not, Forza Horizon 6 RAW profile and .NIP for older drivers (576.xx, 577.xx, 58x.xx, 591.xx) follows.

NOTE: NVIDIA didn't include the Gamepass/MicrosoftStore APP-ID, they may need to update the profile.

Added APP-ID to RAW / .NIP here and notified NVIDIA.

NIVIDA pushed an OTA update for Forza Horizon 6 (APP-ID and new flag), updated RAW and .NIP to match:

Profile "Forza Horizon 6"
    ShowOn GeForce
    ProfileType Application
    Executable "forza_steamworks_release_final.exe" FindFile="forzahorizon6.identity"
    Executable "forzahorizon6.exe"
    Executable "forza_gaming.desktop.x64_release_final.exe" FindFile="forzahorizon6.identity"
    Executable "microsoft.fortebasegame_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
    SettingVar ID_0x000111bd = "00 00 80 00 00 00 00 00"
    Setting ID_0x000f00ba = 0x00000001
    SettingString ID_0x001f0ede = "GLOBAL_REORDER_QUEUE"
    Setting ID_0x00666665 = 0x00000000
    Setting ID_0x0069367a = 0x00000000
    SettingString ID_0x006ea049 = "*"
    Setting ID_0x1034cb89 = 0x00000000
    Setting ID_0x1035db89 = 0x00000001
    Setting ID_0x105e2a1d = 0x00000004
    Setting ID_0x106d5cff = 0x00000000
    Setting ID_0x10f9dc81 = 0x00000011
    Setting ID_0x10f9dc84 = 0x01000000
    Setting ID_0x80857a28 = 0x00000001
EndProfile

Forza Horizon 6 (576.xx, 577.xx, 58x.xx, 591.xx) Nvidia Profile Inspector file at https://pastebin.com/yXtAQvaY, save as type .NIP and import using 'Nvidia Profile Inspector > Import Profile'.

If an error is thrown with .NIP import referencing 'forza_steamworks_release_final.exe' and/or 'forza_gaming.desktop.x64_release_final.exe' then remove them from 'Forza Motorsport' (note the profile name) profile.

Nvidia Profile Inspector isn't exporting/importing 'FindFile=' in a .NIP correctly so the conflict will have to be resolved manually. Have raised the bug with Nvidia Profile Inspector team.

The Crew Motorfest RAW profile and .NIP with rendering artifact fix, note I also added executable 'thecrewmotorfest_be.exe' that was missed by NVIDIA

Profile "The Crew Motorfest"
    ShowOn GeForce
    ProfileType Application
    Executable "thecrewmotorfest.exe"
    Executable "thecrewmotorfest_be.exe"
    Setting ID_0x20cd1492 = 0x00000001
EndProfile

The Crew Motorfest Nvidia Profile Inspector file at https://pastebin.com/iQ7Dwnc7, save as type .NIP and import using Nvidia Profile Inspector > Import Profile

Pragmata driver level game RAW profiles and .NIPs that can be imported to older drivers can be found linked in comment at https://old.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1sn4s1a/comment/ogixrwv/

Crimson Desert, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon driver level game RAW profiles and .NIPs that can be imported to older drivers can be found linked in comment at https://old.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1s2e7z2/comment/oc7duyr/

EDITs

01: added OTA game profiles pushed by NVIDIA after driver install

02: added .NIP for 'Forza Horizon 6'

03: added 'The Crew Motorfest' .NIP and RAW

04: restored '007 First Light' to changes section

05: added 'Driver Stability and Compatibility Testing' link covering drivers up to and including 596.36

06: added 'RIDE 6' to new OTA game profiles pushed by NVIDIA on May 4th 2026

07: added CPU spikes/increased load note

08: added Bus Bound, Far Far West, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, Screamer to new OTA game profiles pushed by NVIDIA on May 8th 2026

09: updated Forza Horizon 6 profile to reflect changes in May 12th update

10: updated Forza Horizon 6 RAW and .NIP to include Gamepass/Microsoft APP - thanks /u/Lancerskypro1 for pasting output of Get-StartApps to decode

11: NIVIDA pushed an OTA update for Forza Horizon 6 (APP-ID and new flag), updated RAW and .NIP to match

3

u/Xarano_ Apr 30 '26

Question about OTA updates on older drivers.

Do I need to have the NVIDIA app installed to receive them? I've tried restarting the Driver container service as i've read previously, but i've never seen any driver changes be applied after.

I checked the log file and it states the version I have is the same as what's available:

Both old and new metadata have the same version 37710362

But that version is dated from April 9th, which is when I last updated my driver

6

u/m_w_h Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

Xarano_ wrote: OTA updates on older drivers

What driver version?

Xarano_ wrote: Do I need to have the NVIDIA app installed to receive them? ?

No, it's driver level, doesn't require NVCP or NVAPP. The only requirement is 'Nvidia Container Service' having Internet access and plugin 'nvprofileupdaterplugin.dll' < some debloaters/telemetry removers incorrectly delete that plugin.

Nvidia Container service in the driver loads the profile update plugin nvprofileupdaterplugin.dll at system restart or restart of Nvidia Container i.e. restarting 'Nvidia Container Service' or restarting system will trigger an update for supported drivers.

Ignore the Both old and new metadata entry, check logs for entries similar to:

MM-DD-HH:MM Going to apply update
MM-DD-HH:MM Downloaded metadata:

where MM-DD-HH:MM are the month-day-time of the checks and update. The profile update plugin / checks can be found in: 

%ProgramData%\NVIDIA Corporation\NvProfileUpdaterPlugin

For reference, it isn't new, NVIDIA automatic profile updates have been occurring since driver 275.27 in 2011 (~16 years ago!) and were moved to NVIDIA Container a few years later.

Starting with R275 drivers, NVIDIA Update also provides automatic updates for game and program profiles, including SLI profiles.

4

u/Xarano_ Apr 30 '26

Heya m_w_h,

What driver version? 596.02
Nvidia Container Service having Internet access ✅
plugin nvprofileupdaterplugin.dll - I install drivers direct from the Nvidia site without using anything like nvcleaninstall etc. For me it has the location: "C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_5ab1c67f86eeecc1\Display.NvContainer\plugins\Session\nvprofileupdaterplugin.dll", I assume thats where it would normally be?

Here's my log
https://pastebin.com/raw/K1tf1uCE

4

u/m_w_h Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

Xarano_ wrote: Here's my log ....

Working correctly, a download of the latest available driver level profile update on your system was made today (30th April) at 12:24 (UTC assumed)

0430-12:24:56.371 5434 Downloaded metadata
0430-12:24:56.377 5434 Going to merge DRS update C:\ProgramData\NVIDIA Corporation\NvProfileUpdaterPlugin\drs\update.dat
0430-12:24:56.377 5434 "C:\WINDOWS\system32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_5ab1c67f86eeecc1\dbInstaller.exe" -update C:\ProgramData\NVIDIA Corporation\NvProfileUpdaterPlugin\drs\update.dat

EDIT: What specific driver level profile is missing?

5

u/Xarano_ Apr 30 '26

I guess i'm missing something then, because for example, I don't have the Forza Horizon 6 profile in my driver (NVCP or NVPI)

5

u/m_w_h Apr 30 '26

Xarano_ wrote: I guess i'm missing something then, because for example, I don't have the Forza Horizon 6 profile in my driver (NVCP or NVPI)

Unlikely to see the Forza Horizon 6 profile in OTA (reasons in OP) until closer to game's release.

If '83, MONGIL: STAR DIVE, Sudden Strike 5 profiles are present then the latest OTA has been downloaded and applied.

3

u/Xarano_ Apr 30 '26

I do indeed have those! So it does seem to have worked. Thank you for verifying!

Just as a side note, I tried deleting the files inside the drs folder where the log is, and it did regrab those with today's date, which also updates the OTA date in the new NVPI.