NVIDIA releases GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 596.02 to fix stuttering in one game

NVIDIA has released its second hotfix driver for the month, resolving issues with its main GeForce Game Ready drivers. GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 596.02, available as a Beta release, was issued by NVIDIA within a day of the recent GeForce Game Ready Driver 595.97 WHQL official driver update.

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However, unlike some of the most recent hotfixes that have addressed serious performance-related bugs, this hotfix appears to be limited to one of the known issues listed in the GeForce Game Ready Driver 595.97 WHQL release notes. And that is, stuttering when playing Arknights: Endfield on PC with a GeForce RTX graphics card.

Arknights: Endfield is an action role-playing game based on the popular 2019 tower defense game Arknights, with gameplay similar to gacha-style titles like Genshin Impact and base-building elements. With its anime-inspired visuals, the game made its PC debut earlier this year, so this Hotfix driver release is probably only recommended for those playing the game.

GeForce Hotfix Display Drivers are beta releases meant to address specific issues for GeForce owners, with the fixes making their way to the next official driver release. With NVIDIA noting that hotfixes are offered via a "much abbreviated QA process," they're optional.

"GeForce Hotfix Display Driver version 596.02 is based on our latest Game Ready Driver 595.97," NVIDIA announces on the support page. Adding that it fixes the following specific issue.

Arknights: Endfield - Stutter may be observed in during gameplay (5950402)

"The GeForce Hotfix driver is our way to trying to get some of these fixes out to you more quickly," NVIDIA explains. "These drivers are basically the same as the previous released version, with a small number of additional targeted fixes. The fixes that make it in are based in part on your feedback in the Driver Feedback threads and partly on how realistic it is for us to quickly address them. These fixes (and many more) will be incorporated into the next official driver release, at which time the Hotfix driver will be taken down."