Windows 11 24H2 update blocked on PCs with Assassin's Creed, Star Wars Outlaws

Microsoft is blocking the Windows 11 24H2 update on computers with some Ubisoft games, like Assassin's Creed, Star Wars Outlaws, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, after changes in the operating system cause the games to crash, freeze, or have audio issues.

Since Windows 11 24H2 was released, users have reported on Reddit [1, 2] and the Microsoft Answers forums [1, 2, 3] that Ubisoft games are no longer working correctly.

"Is anybody else experiencing strange lag after the latest windowd update? I can play for some minutes and then crash. I also crash when fadt [sic] travelling, and in the abilities menu. Before the update everything was running smooth," an Assassin's Creed Origins player posted on Reddit.

Windows users are particularly frustrated as they have been reporting these issues on Reddit and in the Windows Insider Feedback Hub while Windows 11 24H2 was in preview.

"Since updating the Windows 11 24H2 Star Wars Outlaws crashes to desktop suddenly with no error message. Users online report this also happens with the new Avatar game on Ubisoft platforms as well. There is a thread with info about this on Reddit," as Windows 11 24H2 user posted to the Feedback Hub.

When playing the impacted games, the issues are erratic, with some stating the games immediately crash after launching and others saying they crash, freeze, or display a black screen a few minutes after loading a saved game.

Microsoft confirms problem

Yesterday, Microsoft confirmed that people are having problems playing Ubisoft games after upgrading to Windows 11, version 24H2

"After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, you might encounter issues with some Ubisoft games," explained Microsoft.

"These games might become unresponsive while starting, loading or during active gameplay. In some cases, users might receive a black screen."

Microsoft says the affected games are:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Assassin's Creed Origins Assassin's Creed Odyssey Star Wars Outlaws Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

However, other gamers reported having problems after installing Windows 11 24H2, including Farcry and Activision's Call of Duty.

Ubisoft has released a temporary hotfix for Star Wars Outlaws while they work on a permanent fix.

"Also, we have just deployed a temporary hotfix (v1.4.1) for players who were experiencing issues playing on Windows 11 24H2," explains Ubisoft.

"Please note that you may experience some performance issues while we work on a more permanent fix. As soon as it is ready, we will let you know. Thank you for your patience."

The company has also posted to the Steam Assassin's Creed Origins forum that they are also looking into the issue for that game.

For now, if a game no longer responds, you can open the Task Manager and end the associated process.

Microsoft has now blocked the Windows 11 24H2 update on devices running these Ubisoft games until a fix can be released.

The company also warns users not to manually update the operating system until the issue is resolved.