How I Resolved the Annoying Flickering Issue in Windows 10 While Gaming

In the realm of PC gaming, few things are as frustrating as performance interruptions caused by unexpected glitches. Recently, I conquered a long-standing annoyance—screen flickering while playing games on my Windows 10 machine. I’m sharing my journey in the hopes that it might assist someone else facing this dilemma.

Identifying the Problem

For years, I endured a peculiar issue where my screen would flicker between various open programs and tabs during gameplay. This often diverted my focus from the game and, on occasion, led to distorted windows appearing on my screen. In more severe instances, it caused certain games to crash altogether, necessitating restarts that resulted in lost progress.

The frequency of this interruption varied wildly: sometimes it occurred just once every few hours, while other times, it manifested multiple times within a single minute. The randomness of it all made troubleshooting particularly maddening, as it exclusively affected gaming—other applications remained perfectly stable. My initial attempts at resolution included updating my graphics drivers, testing different monitors and cables, switching between fullscreen and windowed modes, and closing background programs. Unfortunately, these efforts yielded no results.

The Turning Point

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I stumbled upon a potential solution while delving into the Windows Event Log each time the flickering occurred. I noticed that a process named dwm.exe, which stands for Desktop Window Manager, had crashed at the onset of the flickering episodes. Intrigued, I sought advice online regarding this process and the related error codes. However, the common solutions I encountered—such as reinstalling Windows or replacing hardware—seemed overly drastic and likely not the root cause of the issue.

Then, I discovered a forum post suggesting that outdated Xbox controller firmware might be responsible for the problem. This insight resonated with me because I frequently use an Xbox controller for gaming, which could explain why the flickering was exclusively linked to my gaming sessions. Moreover, I recalled that the flickering often coincided with controller inputs, further validating this theory.

Implementing the Solution

Driven by newfound hope, I downloaded the Xbox Accessories app from the Windows Store to update my controller firmware. The process was straightforward, and to my relief, the flickering issue vanished shortly after the update.

Conclusion

Now, I can immerse myself in gaming without the fear of disruptive flickering or unexpected crashes. I’m grateful for the