Intel has published a new graphics driver for its Arc GPUs and Core Ultra processors. This update brings support for a trio of games and improves performance on another three, in addition to some welcome bug fixes.
Version 101.5252 debuts support for Helldivers 2, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, plus Skull & Bones. At the same time, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Palworld see their performance improve by 4% and 5%, respectively. But the most notable uplift targets Snowrunner with a 71% average fps increase at 1080p. While not the most played game, it’s nice to see titles moving from barely playable to smooth sailing after a single update.
Lastly, Intel has fixed several performance-related bugs, mainly concerning games. Specifically, Arcade Paradise, Ghostrunner 2, and Starfield should now deliver higher fps figures than before. Unfortunately, the intermittent crashes in games such as Starfield and Palworld have yet to be fixed. That said, the one that needs attention currently is Intel’s newly launched Core Ultra chips, which have a fair few issues. We can expect a focus on bug fixes in the next update.
You can download Arc and Iris Xe Graphics driver version 101.5252 from Intel’s website here. It’s not too big, but make sure you have 977MB of space free beforehand. Note that this driver package size temporarily increased due to the inclusion of Intel’s Core Ultra with Arc Graphics.
The full list of changes goes as follows:
New support
Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc A-series Graphics for:
- Helldivers 2
- Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
- Skull & Bones
Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Core Ultra with Intel Arc Graphics for:
- Helldivers 2
- Skull & Bones
Performance improvements
On Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products versus Intel 31.0.101.5186 driver:
- Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (DX12) – up to 4% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Very High settings
- Palworld (DX11) – up to 5% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Epic settings
- Snowrunner (DX11) – up to 71% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Ultra settings
Fixed Issues
Arc A-Series Graphics Products:
- Arcade Paradise (DX11) may exhibit colour corruption during gameplay.
- Ghostrunner 2 (DX12) may experience lower-than-expected performance.
- Starfield (DX12) may experience lower-than-expected performance.
Known Issues
Arc A-Series Graphics Products:
- Starfield (DX12) may experience an intermittent application crash while launching the game.
- Helldivers 2 (DX12) may experience application instability using certain display panels when opening the game options.
- Palworld (DX11) may experience an intermittent crash during extended gameplay sessions.
- Dead by Daylight (DX11) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
- Topaz Video AI may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.
Core Ultra with Intel Arc Graphics Products:
- Helldivers 2 (DX12) may experience application instability using certain display panels when opening the game options.
- Diablo 4 (DX12) may exhibit corruption on the terrain during gameplay.
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (DX12) may experience application crash after loading into gameplay.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (DX12) may experience an application crash after loading into gameplay on certain maps.
- Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 (DX12) may exhibit corruption in game menu and during gameplay.
- Autodesk Maya may experience an application crash while running SPECAPC benchmark.
- Blender may experience an application crash while rendering some scenes on certain system memory configurations.
- Topaz Video AI may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.
- Serif Affinity Photo 2 may experience application crash while running benchmark.
Iris Xe MAX Graphics Products:
- Driver installation may not complete successfully on certain notebook systems with both Intel Iris Xe + Iris Xe MAX devices. A system reboot and re-installation of the graphics driver may be required for successful installation.
Core Processor (12th-14th Generation) Products:
- Dragon Quest X Online (DX9) may experience sporadic application crash during gameplay.
Arc Control:
- Using Arc Control Studio capture with certain games may incorrectly generate multiple video files.
- The “Connector” type in the Display page may incorrectly show DP when using an HDMI display connection.
- Arc Control Studio capture recording file may become corrupted when the mouse cursor is enabled during HDR capture.
- Camera preview may turn off after the system goes into connected standby mode.
