Path of Exile 2 players using Nvidia graphics cards can now install patch 9.5.4e alongside Nvidia GeForce Game Ready Driver 610.88 to address long-running freezes, shader-loading problems, and “device removed” crashes.
The issue has affected the action RPG since its December 2024 launch. During play, the screen could lock up for around 20 to 30 seconds before the game restarted its engine and returned the player to the area. Endgame mapping was especially troublesome, with some players seeing the problem repeatedly during a single session.
Grinding Gear Games director Jonathan Rogers explained that the issue originally caused full crashes on Nvidia hardware using driver version 566.36 and newer. The studio later added a fallback that cleared the game’s textures and shaders instead of closing the application. That kept players in the session, but it also produced loading screens, temporary frame-rate problems, and missing textures.
Finding the original cause was difficult because the crash could not be reproduced consistently. GGG spent about 18 months investigating the problem, expanded its debugging tools, and built a replay system that could run a recorded game session without manual input. One test session eventually reproduced the problem every five to seven minutes on average, giving the team a repeatable way to investigate it.
GGG then sent one of its test machines to Nvidia, including the PC, monitor, mouse, and keyboard used to run the replay. An Nvidia engineer reproduced the crash and found that increasing an internal value called the “shader heap size” stopped it. Nvidia returned a fix several weeks later, and the driver maker was able to adjust that value for Path of Exile 2, sharply reducing the number of crashes in testing.
The fix arrived in Nvidia GeForce Game Ready Driver 610.88, whose release notes specify that it fixed “intermittent long pauses that could occur after extended gameplay sessions in DX12 mode” in Path of Exile 2.
The patch also reduces shader sizes. The Nvidia driver associated with the original problem removed the ability to automatically clear a full shader cache, which contributed to longer loading times and performance issues. Players who continue to see trouble can check their shader cache size manually in the Nvidia app.
Because the shader system has been redesigned, the first visit to some regions and mechanics may take longer while resources are rebuilt. GGG says later sessions should settle into a better state once that process finishes. The fixes arrive as the studio continues work toward Path of Exile 2‘s eventual 1.0 release.
If the patch improves your sessions, or if Nvidia-related freezes are still appearing, share your thoughts in the comments and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
Path of Exile 2
Developed by Grinding Gear Games
Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players.
- Genre Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac
- Perspective Bird view / Isometric
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release December 6, 2024
- Publisher Grinding Gear Games, Kakao Games
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Age Rating
