Yes, games can sometimes stop working unexpectedly.
Yes, games can sometimes stop working unexpectedly.
I've experienced this problem consistently since the Windows update to 1803. It occurs with various games, often when interacting with certain controls. In Witcher 3, it appears with the ESC key, scrolling, or even a left-click. MGS:GZ triggered it spontaneously without any input. Dark Souls II also shows similar behavior. It seems some system component is overriding others. I've tested without MSI Afterburner open and GFE installed, but Ansel remains disabled. Please note this only happens once per game launch. If I return to the game after exiting, it resets until I restart.
Game not responding is due to loss of attention. This happens when something distracts the system. It might stem from a driver issue, a program that steals focus, or a game that doesn’t stay focused and then minimizes. Ensure all drivers are up-to-date. Disable mouse/keyboard drivers, remove software, turn off startup programs (excluding Task Scheduler), as A/V or security tools could be the cause.
All users have the latest updates except for M/KB. I'm employing a standard keyboard and Corsair M40 mouse, both running default Windows drivers. Only Realtek Audio Manager and the Windows Defender notification icon appear at startup. I also utilize the free MBAM version, which doesn't run continuously. Windows Defender remains set to its default configuration. By the way, I experimented with switching to borderless window mode in Witcher 3, which resolved the issue, though I still experience some stuttering, so I returned to fullscreen. This should help with the problem.
I made some advancement on the matter. It seems related to Steam. I started Witcher 3 using its .exe file, as it’s DRM-free; Steam didn’t open or add any overlay there either. There was no tab activity whatsoever. I also tried playing my Fallout NV copy without any tabbing. This appears to occur only with Steam titles.