A December cumulative/security update for Windows 11 appears to have done something Microsoft and AMD haven't loudly announced: several users report that long-standing AMD GPU hangs and driver crashes stopped after installing KB5070311.
That’s the headline enjoying a slow burn across PC forums and hardware sites. While Microsoft rolled out a batch of Windows 11 updates this month — including setup and recovery patches (reportedly KB5072537, KB5071416 and KB5072543) as well as cumulative builds like KB5072033 and KB5071417 — it’s KB5070311 that users keep pointing to when their RX 9000- and RX 7000-series cards started behaving again in games such as Battlefield 6, Arc Raiders and Call of Duty titles.
What people are seeing
Reports aren’t from a single corner of the web — multiple users and smaller outlets describe GPU driver crashes and system hangs stopping after the December patch. One notable change Microsoft documented in the patch notes is that Windows 11 should no longer show an “unsupported graphics card detected” message when a supported GPU is present. That by itself wouldn’t explain every crash, but it’s the only explicit GPU-related note in the update documentation.
AMD’s own recent Adrenalin release (25.12.1) lists game and driver fixes, but AMD hasn’t directly blamed Windows updates for the trouble or said Microsoft’s December patches resolved AMD-specific crashes. Put together, the situation looks a lot like what happened with Nvidia last month: Microsoft changed something in an October update that indirectly impaired GPU performance and stability, and GPU makers responded with driver hotfixes. In this case, though, Microsoft’s December patches may have accidentally rolled back or tweaked whatever was irritating some AMD drivers.
Why this matters
For gamers and creators, driver hangs and crashes are more than an annoyance — they interrupt play, waste time, and can corrupt running workloads. If a system-level patch from Microsoft can mitigate those problems without waiting for a new GPU driver, that’s good news. But it’s also a reminder that interactions between Windows updates and GPU drivers remain delicate: a change intended to tighten security or improve reliability can ripple unpredictably across the driver stack.
If you were burned by the October updates and have been wary of new patches, there’s precedent for mixed outcomes: that earlier roll caused BitLocker recovery prompts for some business PCs. If that experience left you cautious, review Microsoft’s guidance before installing broad changes and ensure you have backups in place. (For context on the October BitLocker fallout, see the advisory about those recovery prompts.)(/news/windows-bitlocker-recovery-update-warning)
Practical steps for affected users
- Install the December Windows 11 cumulative/security update (it’s non-optional and will normally arrive automatically). Many users report improvement after the update, but results aren’t universal.
- Update your AMD drivers to the latest Adrenalin build in case the combined changes are required for best stability. AMD’s notes show some fixes in 25.12.1 even if they don’t credit Microsoft.
- If problems persist, try a clean driver install (use AMD’s cleanup utility) or roll back to a previously stable driver while you troubleshoot.
- Keep System Restore or a full backup handy before applying major updates so you can revert if something goes wrong.
If you want to reduce friction with Windows 11 updates and background features in general, our guide to tidying up Windows 11 25H2 can help you disable noisy extras and regain control of update behavior.(/news/clean-up-windows-11-25h2)
The cautious conclusion
Right now this is largely a user-reported story: the December patch and related setup/recovery updates are out, and enough people saw their AMD GPUs stabilize afterward that it looks credible. Microsoft and AMD have not issued a joint confirmation that the update fixed AMD driver crashes system-wide, so treat the improvement as encouraging but not definitive.
For most people with modern AMD graphics cards, installing the December security update and the latest Adrenalin drivers is a sensible next move. Keep an eye on official release notes from Microsoft and AMD for any retroactive explanations, and if you rely on your PC for work or competitive gaming, take the usual precautions (backups, restore points, driver hygiene) before you let broad platform updates land.