Skip to content
TroubleGrid

Screen flickering and dark flashes after the NVIDIA 616.56 driver

Last verified September 2026Tested against GeForce Game Ready Driver 616.56 (released 26 August 2026), GeForce Studio Driver 616.56, GeForce Game Ready Driver 616.64 (released 3 September 2026), GeForce Hotfix Driver 616.86 (released 4 September 2026), GeForce Game Ready Driver 616.92 (9 September 2026) — 8-bit flicker still present, GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.14 (22 September 2026) — 8-bit flicker not addressed, Windows 10, Windows 11Good evidence

Update to Game Ready 616.92 or later — 617.14 of 22 September 2026 is the current release. 616.92 is the WHQL driver this bug was waiting on, and it fixes the browser flicker NVIDIA had listed as an open issue in 616.64, so you no longer need the 616.86 beta hotfix. NVIDIA never documented the wider desktop flicker on 8-bit displays, and neither 616.92 nor 617.14 claims to fix it, so if the flashing continues after updating, setting Output color depth to 10 bpc or rolling back to 610.88 is still the answer. Do not bother with 616.64 on its own — it fixes nothing at all.

Start here

  1. Confirm you are on 616.56 or 616.64
  2. Update to Game Ready driver 616.92 or later
  3. Set the display output to 10 bpc

The flicker shows up on the desktop and in Chromium browsers as much as in games, which is what tells you it is a display-pipeline problem rather than a game problem. It has been reported on RTX 30, 40 and 50 series cards, on desktops and laptops, and on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, so there is no point hunting for a hardware cause. As of 23 September 2026 the position is this: NVIDIA has fixed the browser flicker it documented, first in the 616.86 hotfix on 4 September and then in WHQL driver 616.92 on 9 September. The wider flicker on 8-bit output was never listed in any NVIDIA release notes, and neither 616.92 nor 617.14 mentions it either way, so for that variant the workarounds below still matter.

Symptoms

  • The whole screen flashes dark or white for a fraction of a second, then returns to normal
  • It happens on the desktop, not only in games
  • It is worst in Chrome, Edge, Discord and other Chromium apps, and while playing video
  • Brightness or gamma shifts on its own for a few seconds
  • The taskbar or wallpaper darkens by itself
  • It started the day you installed driver 616.56 or 616.64

Why this happens

NVIDIA has confirmed the bug in the Release 615 driver branch

For the first week this was only a pattern in user reports. It is no longer: NVIDIA's own release notes for 616.64 list "Intermittent flicker may be observed in browsers when navigating to certain websites [6673430]" under Open Issues. The same notes list N/A under both Fixed Gaming Bugs and Fixed General Bugs, which means the driver released on 3 September 2026 changed nothing. The 616.56 notes did not mention flickering at all, so 616.64 is where NVIDIA first wrote it down. NVIDIA then addressed that specific browser flicker a day later in Hotfix driver 616.86. Reports outside NVIDIA match the vendor's wording — the flicker is worst in browsers — and span RTX 30, 40 and 50 series machines.

Update to Game Ready driver 616.92 or later · Roll back to driver 610.88

Reports point at 8-bit colour output

Coverage of the bug describes it affecting displays running 8-bit colour output, and the workaround people report is forcing the display to 10 bpc. NVIDIA's own wording does not name colour depth, and the 616.86 hotfix does not list a fix for it, which is the clearest sign that the wider display flicker and the browser flicker are being tracked as different things. Treat the colour depth theory as the cheap thing to try rather than a confirmed diagnosis. It only helps if your monitor and cable can carry 10-bit at your current resolution and refresh rate.

Set the display output to 10 bpc

Fixes

Confirm you are on 616.56 or 616.64

about 2 min

Everything below assumes the driver is the cause. Two minutes here saves you from rolling back a driver that was never the problem.

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11

  1. Right-click the desktop, open NVIDIA Control Panel, then click System Information at the bottom left. The Display tab lists the driver version in NVIDIA's own numbering, so you will see 616.56 or 616.64 rather than the longer Windows version number.
  2. The NVIDIA App shows the same thing under Drivers, if you have it installed.
  3. Both 616.56 and 616.64 are affected. 616.64 shipped on 3 September 2026 with no bug fixes at all, so updating to it from 616.56 will not have helped. If you already read 616.86 you have the beta hotfix, and 616.92 or later carries the documented fix in a WHQL driver.
  4. Now watch where the flicker happens. If it flashes on the desktop or while scrolling in Chrome, this article applies. If it only ever happens inside one game, it is a different problem.

Confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA, NVIDIA, NVIDIA

Update to Game Ready driver 616.92 or later

about 15 min

The fix NVIDIA documented is now in a WHQL driver, so trying it costs you nothing — unlike the beta hotfix it replaces.

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11

  1. Open the NVIDIA app and check for updates, or download Game Ready 616.92 or later from NVIDIA directly. As of 23 September 2026 the current release is 617.14.
  2. Install it and restart. NVIDIA lists three 616.56 regressions fixed in it: intermittent flicker in browsers on certain websites, virtual displays that could not be created, and Remote Desktop sessions showing a black screen.
  3. Use the PC normally with a Chromium browser open for a few minutes. That is where the flicker shows up fastest. If the flashing has stopped, you are done.
  4. If the desktop still flashes, your symptom is the wider flicker on 8-bit output, which NVIDIA has never documented and which neither 616.92 nor 617.14 claims to fix. Carry on to the next fix.

Confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA, NVIDIA, NVIDIA

Set the display output to 10 bpc

about 5 min

Reports cluster on displays running 8-bit output, and this variant is the one NVIDIA has never documented or claimed to fix. Moving to 10-bit stops the flicker without giving up the current driver.

Applies to: Monitors that support 10-bit colour, GeForce drivers 616.56 and 616.64

  1. Right-click the desktop and open NVIDIA Control Panel.
  2. Go to Display, then Change resolution. Select the monitor that flickers.
  3. Under section 3, choose "Use NVIDIA color settings".
  4. Set Output color depth to 10 bpc and click Apply. If 10 bpc is not offered, your monitor, cable or current refresh rate cannot carry it — skip to the hotfix or rollback below.
  5. If 10 bpc is unavailable, turning on Windows Automatic Colour Management is also reported to help on displays that support it.
  6. Use the PC normally for a few minutes with a Chromium browser open. That is where the flicker shows up fastest.

Reported to work by one user; not confirmed by the vendor.

Source: Club386, NVIDIA

Roll back to driver 610.88

Check before applyingabout 20 min

610.88 is the last release before the affected branch and is the version people who reported this went back to.

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11

Before you do this

Download the installer before you uninstall anything. A driver swap blanks the screen for several seconds and can leave you on the basic Microsoft display driver until it finishes, which is awkward to recover from if you have nothing to install.

First:

  • Download the 610.88 installer before you start
  1. Go to NVIDIA's driver download page, pick your card, and download version 610.88 for your version of Windows. Save it before doing anything else.
  2. Run the installer, choose Custom (Advanced), and tick "Perform a clean installation". That clears the newer driver's settings rather than carrying them over.
  3. Let it finish and restart the PC.
  4. Turn off automatic driver updates in the NVIDIA App, or Windows will offer you the affected driver again.

Reported to work by 3 users; not confirmed by the vendor.

Source: DxO Forum, Steam Community, spacedesk by datronicsoft, Club386

Known issues

  • NVIDIA listed "Intermittent flicker may be observed in browsers when navigating to certain websites [6673430]" as an open issue in the 616.64 release notes. It is not in the 616.56 notes, and 616.64 lists no fixed bugs of any kind. Hotfix 616.86 of 4 September 2026 fixed it first, and Game Ready 616.92 of 9 September 2026 lists it under Fixed General Bugs, so it is now fixed in the WHQL branch and flicker appears nowhere in that driver's open issues.

    Affects 616.56, 616.64 · Status: fixed

  • The wider flicker on 8-bit displays is a different matter and is still unfixed. Coverage on 2 September 2026 reported NVIDIA staff testing a fix, expected in a Game Ready driver on 10 September at the earliest. Two WHQL drivers have shipped since — 616.92 on 9 September and 617.14 on 22 September — and neither claims this fix nor lists the problem as open. 617.14's fixed list covers three unrelated bugs.

    Affects 616.56, 616.64, 616.86, 616.92, 617.14 · Status: workaround only

  • Separately from the flickering, 616.56 broke virtual displays used by second-screen software, with black screens and crashes. The 616.86 hotfix fixed it and Game Ready 616.92 now carries that fix too [6674464]. Before either, reverting to a 610-branch driver resolved it.

    Affects 616.56, 616.64 · Status: fixed

  • Remote Desktop Protocol sessions displaying a black screen after updating to 616.56 is also fixed, in the 616.86 hotfix and then in Game Ready 616.92 [6687328]. That regression was never listed in the 616.56 or 616.64 release notes at all.

    Affects 616.56, 616.64 · Status: fixed

  • Two new game-specific regressions from the same 616.56 driver are still open in 616.92: Assassin's Creed Shadows crashing to desktop after extended gameplay [6685219], and Judgement, Lost Judgement and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. failing to launch [6681537]. Neither is a flicker, so neither is fixed by anything on this page.

    Affects 616.56, 616.64, 616.92 · Status: open

  • Do not confuse this with the DxO PhotoLab and PureRAW failure. 616.56 also broke AI-powered exports in DxO's Windows apps; DxO shipped PhotoLab 10.0.1 and 9.12.1 on 4 September 2026 to fix it, and says rolling back the driver is no longer necessary for PhotoLab. DxO states NVIDIA's separate system-level issues in 616.56 are independent of DxO software and are not addressed by that update — so a PhotoLab update will not stop your screen flickering.

    Affects 616.56, DxO PhotoLab 10.0.1 and 9.12.1, DxO PureRAW · Status: fixed

If none of this worked

If the flicker predates 616.56, the driver is not your problem. Check the DisplayPort or HDMI cable first, since a marginal cable at high refresh rates produces exactly this symptom. Monitor overdrive and variable-refresh settings cause their own brightness flicker on some panels, usually only in games and usually when the frame rate swings. And if a single game flashes black while the desktop is fine, look at the game's fullscreen mode and any overlay software before touching the driver.

Common questions

Is my monitor dying?
Almost certainly not, if the flicker started the day you installed 616.56 or 616.64. NVIDIA has confirmed the bug exists in this driver branch and lists it as an open issue, so the driver is the first thing to rule out. The test that settles it is changing the driver.
Will updating to 616.64 fix it?
No. 616.64, released 3 September 2026, lists N/A under both Fixed Gaming Bugs and Fixed General Bugs — it fixes nothing — and it still carries the flicker in its own list of open issues. Update to 616.92 or later instead.
Has NVIDIA fixed this?
The flicker NVIDIA documented, yes. Hotfix 616.86 of 4 September 2026 fixed the browser flicker, and Game Ready 616.92 of 9 September put that fix in a WHQL driver, where flicker no longer appears among the open issues. The wider flicker on 8-bit output is less clear cut: NVIDIA never listed it in any release notes, so neither 616.92 nor 617.14 of 22 September claims to fix it or lists it as outstanding. Update first, and if the desktop still flashes, use 10 bpc or roll back.
Do I still need the 616.86 hotfix?
No. It was the only route for a few days, and NVIDIA labels hotfix releases beta, optional and provided as-is with a much abbreviated QA process. Game Ready 616.92 carries the same flicker fix with full WHQL certification, so there is no longer a reason to run the beta driver for this.
Does 10 bpc cost me anything?
On a monitor that genuinely supports it, no. At very high resolutions and refresh rates the extra bandwidth may not fit, in which case the option will not be offered or the display will drop to a lower refresh rate.
I updated DxO PhotoLab and the flickering is still there. Why?
Because those are two different bugs. Driver 616.56 broke AI-powered exports in DxO PhotoLab and PureRAW, and DxO fixed that in PhotoLab 10.0.1 and 9.12.1 on 4 September 2026 by adapting its own software. DxO says plainly that NVIDIA is separately working on other issues in 616.56 that affect Windows and applications outside DxO, and that those are not addressed by the PhotoLab update. The display flickering is one of those. Update PhotoLab for the export problem, but use the steps on this page for the flickering.

Did this fix work?

If a step is wrong, outdated, or did not help, telling us is the fastest way to get it corrected. Reports are reviewed before new articles.

Report a problem with this page

Related problems

Sources

  • Release Notes: NVIDIA Release 615 Driver for Windows, Version 617.14 (RN-08399-617.14_v01)Official

    NVIDIA · Release notes · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • 617.14, dated September 22, 2026, is the WHQL release following 616.92
    • The Fixed Issues in Version 617.14 WHQL cover the Judgement/Virtua Fighter 5 launch failure, the Samsung Odyssey G95NC HDMI blank screen and DisplayPort monitors failing to wake from sleep — no flicker entry appears
    • No flicker issue appears under Open Issues in Version 617.14 WHQL, whose only entry is the Assassin's Creed Shadows crash
  • Release 615 Driver for Windows, Version 616.64 — Release NotesOfficial

    NVIDIA · Release notes · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • NVIDIA documents the flicker in its own release notes: "Intermittent flicker may be observed in browsers when navigating to certain websites [6673430]" is listed under Open Issues in Version 616.64 WHQL.
    • 616.64 WHQL lists N/A under both Fixed Gaming Bugs and Fixed General Bugs, so it fixes nothing and does not resolve the flicker.
    • 616.64 is a Release 615 driver, the same branch as 616.56.
    • The only other open issue carried in 616.64 is that "Prefer Maximum Performance" Power Management Mode may not be applied correctly [6007998].
  • Release 615 Driver for Windows, Version 616.56 — Release NotesOfficial

    NVIDIA · Release notes · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • 616.56 WHQL is a Release 615 driver and the release notes list changes made since version 610.88.
    • Display flickering is not listed anywhere in the 616.56 release notes. The word flicker appears once, in an unrelated fixed Outer Worlds texture-flicker entry [6238668], so 616.64 is the first release in which NVIDIA documented the browser flicker.
    • NVIDIA documents the output colour depth control as NVIDIA Control Panel -> Change Resolution -> "Use NVIDIA color settings" -> Output color depth.
  • GeForce Hotfix Display Driver version 616.86Official

    NVIDIA · Support page · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • GeForce Hotfix Display Driver version 616.86, released 4 September 2026 and based on Game Ready Driver 616.64, lists three fixes: intermittent flicker in browsers when navigating to certain websites, virtual displays that could not be created after updating to driver 616.56, and Remote Desktop Protocol sessions displaying a black screen after updating to driver 616.56.
    • The hotfix does not list any fix for display flickering on 8-bit colour output.
    • NVIDIA states that hotfix drivers are beta, optional and provided as-is, produced through a much abbreviated QA process, and that the safest option is to wait for the next WHQL certified driver.
  • Release 615 Driver for Windows, Version 616.92 — Release Notes (RN-08399-616.92_v01)Official

    NVIDIA · Release notes · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • Game Ready driver 616.92, released 9 September 2026, lists "Intermittent flicker may be observed in browsers when navigating to certain websites [6673430]" under Fixed General Bugs, putting that fix in a WHQL driver for the first time.
    • 616.92 also fixes virtual displays that could not be created after updating to 616.56 [6674464] and Remote Desktop Protocol sessions displaying a black screen [6687328].
    • Flicker of any kind no longer appears in the 616.92 open-issues list, which names only the Prefer Maximum Performance bug [6007998], an Assassin's Creed Shadows crash [6685219], and Judgement/Lost Judgement/Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. failing to launch [6681537].
    • Re-checked on 16 September 2026: 616.92 remains the newest Game Ready driver and makes no mention of flicker on 8-bit output.
  • Nvidia GeForce driver 616.56 causes screen flickeringReputable

    Club386 · News · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • Reported on 2 September 2026 that NVIDIA staff acknowledged the flickering in the official 616.56 feedback thread, with staffer Manuel@Nvidia saying the firm is "testing a fix for this".
    • The flickering is described as affecting displays running 8-bit colour output.
    • A full fix was expected no earlier than 10 September 2026 in a subsequent Game Ready driver, and the driver released on 3 September was not expected to contain it.
    • The workarounds described are switching from 8-bit to 10-bit colour, enabling Windows Automatic Colour Management, and rolling back to 610.88.
    • Re-checked on 16 September 2026: the page is unchanged, still carries the 10 September estimate, and mentions neither the 616.86 hotfix nor 616.92.
  • [UPDATED] NVIDIA driver 616.56 — DxO PhotoLab & PureRAW compatibility restoredCommunity report

    DxO Forum · Forum · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • DxO warned its users on 28 August 2026 not to install 616.56, describing display flickering, brief black screens and colour shifts in browsers, Discord and video playback.
    • The advisory states the problems are not specific to DxO applications and affect RTX 30, 40 and 50 series desktops and laptops.
    • It recommends rolling back to 610.88 from NVIDIA's driver archive using the clean installation option.
    • The thread was retitled and updated on 4 September 2026: DxO PhotoLab 10.0.1 and 9.12.1 resolve the DxO-specific export failure, which DxO traced with NVIDIA to a change in 616.56 affecting an NVIDIA component used for AI processing, and rolling back the driver is no longer necessary for PhotoLab.
    • DxO states that NVIDIA is separately working on other issues in driver 616.56 that affect Windows and applications outside DxO, and that those system-level issues are not addressed by the PhotoLab update.
    • Forum members using Studio driver 616.92 report no PhotoLab export problems on 11 and 14 September 2026.
  • Nvidia 616.56 driver black screen — Battlefield 6 General DiscussionsCommunity report

    Steam Community · Forum · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • A user reported on 29 August 2026 getting blank black screens between games after installing 616.56, with audio still audible.
    • Rolling back to 610.88 is reported in the thread to have stopped the black screens.
  • Nvidia Driver 616.56 issues Not workingCommunity report

    spacedesk by datronicsoft · Forum · checked Sep 23, 2026

    • A user reported on 27 August 2026 that 616.56 broke spacedesk virtual displays over IP and USB, with the display showing as connected but off, and that going back to driver 610.88 fixed it.
    • The same user reported on 28 August 2026 that the display could not be extended or duplicated and that reverting to an older GPU driver was the only fix.