Path of Exile 2 players using NVIDIA graphics cards can finally avoid two serious technical problems after a new game update and NVIDIA driver version 610.88 addressed repeated crashes and severe shader stuttering.
The fixes followed a long investigation by Grinding Gear Games into a “device removed” crash that affected certain NVIDIA systems. According to Game Director Jonathan Rogers, the issue only appeared on NVIDIA graphics cards running driver version 566.36 or newer.
That driver arrived shortly before Path of Exile 2 entered Early Access, making the timing especially difficult. Players began reporting crashes, but the development team could not reproduce the problem on every system.
The studio eventually discovered that the issue was widespread among high level players, yet NVIDIA required reliable reproduction steps before assigning engineers to investigate it.
The studio shipped a complete working setup for testing
Grinding Gear Games could reproduce the crash on one of its own computers, so the team decided to send the entire setup for direct examination.
The shipment included the PC, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. This gave NVIDIA access to the exact hardware and software environment in which the problem appeared.
The process still took time. NVIDIA reportedly examined the system and confirmed the issue about a month before the final fix arrived. A driver engineer was then assigned to investigate the cause.
This step was necessary because the crash did not occur consistently across every NVIDIA configuration. Differences in hardware, drivers, game settings, background software, and shader behaviour can make this type of issue difficult to reproduce in a controlled testing environment.
| Issue | Affected systems | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Device removed crash | NVIDIA GPUs using driver 566.36 or newer | Fixed through driver 610.88 and a game update |
| Shader loading stutter | Certain NVIDIA configurations | Reduced through driver and game changes |
| Reproduction problem | The crash was difficult to trigger consistently | Developer shipped a full PC setup for testing |
| Technical adjustment | Internal shader memory allocation | Shader heap size was increased for the game |
Shader memory played an important role in the fix
The investigation also covered serious shader loading stutter. In some areas, the problem could interrupt gameplay and create noticeable pauses while new visual effects or environments loaded.
Engineers found that increasing an internal value called the shader heap size prevented the crash. NVIDIA could apply this adjustment specifically to Path of Exile 2 through its driver.
A shader heap is an area of memory used to store and manage shader related data. If the available space is too limited or handled incorrectly, a game may experience stuttering, instability, or a complete graphics device failure.
The latest driver includes the required adjustment, while the corresponding game update adds changes needed on the developer’s side. Players need both updates to receive the complete fix.
Early Access remains important to the game’s development
Path of Exile 2 is still in Early Access, so technical issues and balance changes are expected while development continues. However, these two problems were particularly serious because they could prevent affected players from completing demanding endgame activities.
The long delay also shows how complicated technical support can become when a bug exists partly inside a graphics driver rather than only within the game itself. The developer can collect crash reports and investigate patterns, but a permanent solution may require cooperation from the hardware company.
With the new updates installed, NVIDIA players should experience fewer crashes and smoother shader loading. Results may still vary depending on individual hardware and software configurations, but the specific problems identified during the investigation have now been addressed.
The timing is important because Path of Exile 2 has expanded considerably since its Early Access launch. The Return of the Ancients update released in May added more than 50 hours of endgame content, 15 bosses, two Ascendancy classes, and other additions.
Those improvements give players more activities to explore, but stable performance remains essential for a game built around long combat encounters, large numbers of enemies, and detailed visual effects.
The unusual decision to ship an entire PC eventually gave NVIDIA the evidence needed to reproduce the fault. It was an expensive and inconvenient step, but it helped resolve a problem that ordinary crash logs and written reports had not been able to explain.
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