Full Breakdown
NVIDIA Pulls GeForce 595.59 Driver Amidst Widespread Issues
2/27/2026, 12:15:00 AM
Overview of the Driver Release and Immediate Fallout
On February 26, 2026, NVIDIA released the GeForce Game Ready Driver 595.59, intended to optimize performance for the upcoming games Resident Evil Requiem and Marathon. However, shortly after its launch, users began reporting significant stability issues, particularly with fan control on RTX 3000, 4000, and 5000 series GPUs. Complaints included the driver only detecting a single fan, leading to overheating and system instability.
Critical Bugs and User Experiences
The 595.59 driver has been linked to various critical failures, including complete breakdowns in fan monitoring for RTX 50 series GPUs, such as the 5090 Founders Edition and 5080 models. Users reported that monitoring tools like HWInfo and Fan Control failed to detect fans, which could pose serious hardware safety risks. Additionally, gamers experienced issues with popular titles like Battlefield 6 and Cyberpunk 2077, where games would crash or become unlaunchable.
NVIDIA's Response and Recommendations
In response to the mounting complaints, NVIDIA has temporarily removed the 595.59 driver from its downloads page. The company advised users experiencing issues to roll back to the previous stable version, 591.86 WHQL. NVIDIA acknowledged the bug, stating, "We have discovered a bug in the Game Ready and Studio 595.59 WHQL drivers and have removed the downloads temporarily while our team investigates."
Background Context on Driver Stability
This incident follows a series of problematic driver releases from NVIDIA. The previous 591 branch had already faced criticism for stability issues, including black screens and HDR corruption. The ongoing challenges raise concerns about NVIDIA's quality control processes, especially as the company has faced scrutiny for its handling of driver updates in the past.
Criticism and Community Sentiment
The community's reaction has been overwhelmingly negative, with users expressing frustration over the lack of thorough testing before the release. Some users speculated that NVIDIA may have bypassed traditional quality assurance methods, leading to the widespread issues. The sentiment on forums indicates a growing dissatisfaction with NVIDIA's recent driver management, particularly given the frequency of critical bugs in recent updates.
Conflicting Reports and Gaps
While many users reported severe issues with the 595.59 driver, some users did not experience any problems. This discrepancy highlights a potential gap in understanding the root causes of the failures, as well as the varying hardware configurations that may influence driver performance.
What's Next for NVIDIA
As NVIDIA investigates the issues with the 595.59 driver, users are advised to revert to the 591.86 version until a hotfix is released. The company is expected to provide updates as it works to resolve the problems, particularly as the launch of Resident Evil Requiem approaches on February 27, 2026.
Verbatim Quotes
- “59 WHQL drivers and have removed the downloads temporarily while our team investigates.” — NVIDIA
- “The driver cut off all detection functions when a fan outage happened or thermal throttling began.” — Hardware Tester
- “For the second consecutive month, updates from Microsoft and NVIDIA have shipped with critical hardware and software flaws, raising fresh concerns about quality control and release stability.” — Industry Analyst
