Intel fixes the game DRM issue affecting 12th-gen Intel CPUs

Denuvo, a popular but resource-intensive digital rights management program, has been the bane of PC gamers for years. With the recent introduction of Intel’s impressive new 12th-gen processors, it looks like gamers have yet another reason to dislike DRM. According to a report from Intel itself, dozens of popular games which use the Denuvo anti-tamper system are crashing when running on the new hardware.

Update 1/10/2022: Intel’s support page doesn’t list any games that are currently affected. “Intel has resolved the DRM issue on 12th Gen Intel Core Processors that caused games to crash or not load in Windows 11 and/or Windows 10 by working with game publishers and Microsoft,” Intel said. “At this time, all games originally identified as having this DRM issue have been fixed through game patches or OS updates.

Intel recommends that you run Windows Update on your operating system (Windows 10 or Windows 11) if you experience issues. The original story follows.

HardwareLuxx.de editor Andreas Schilling spotted the update from Intel, which lists games affected in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. While Denuvo isn’t mentioned by name as the culprit, the list is mostly from huge publishers like EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Square Enix, and Sega, who are fond of the controversial system, and Intel’s note specifically says the titles are being impacted by conflicts with DRM. A few games (listed in bold below) are already projected to be fixed via a Windows 11 patch later this month. The rest of the games will have to wait for a patch at an unspecified time.

Here’s the full list:

Games affected on 12th-gen Intel processors with Windows 11 (expected November fix in bold):

• Anthem
• Bravely Default 2
• Fishing Sim World
• Football Manager 2019
• Football Manager Touch 2019
• Football Manager 2020
• Football Manager Touch 2020
• Legend of Mana
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 and 2
• Warhammer I
• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Far Cry Primal
• Fernbus Simulator
• For Honor
• Lost in Random
• Madden 22
• Maneater
• Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit Remastered
• Sea of Solitude
• Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
• Tourist Bus Simulator
• Maneater

Games affected on 12th-gen Intel processors with Windows 10:

• Ace Combat 7
• Assassins Creed Odyssey
• Assassins Creed Origins
• Code Vein
• eFootball 2021
• F1 2019
• Far Cry New Dawn
• FIFA 19
• FIFA 20
• Football Manager 2021
• Football Manager Touch 2021
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint
• Ghost Recon Wildlands
• Immortals Fenyx Rising
• Just Cause 4
• Life is Strange 2
• Madden 21
• Monopoly Plus
• Need For Speed Heat
• Scott Pilgrim vs The World
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Shinobi Striker
• Soulcalibur VI
• Starlink
• Team Sonic Racing
• Total War Saga – Three Kingdoms
• Train Sim World
• Train Sim World 2
• Wolfenstein Youngblood

While gamers wait for a patch to their titles and/or Windows itself, there is a current work-around. Users have to dive into their BIOS or UEFI system, switch on the Legacy Game Compatibility Mode, reboot, then toggle the Scroll Lock on their keyboards to on. It’s a weird fix, but it seems to be working for at least some of the affected titles.

This story was updated on Jan. 10 to note that the issue has been resolved. Additional reporting by Mark Hachman