Microsoft Divine Operation! Win11 push kernel isolation: Players were advised to turn off

Microsoft is forcing memory integrity to be turned on automatically on more eligible PCs through the November 2026 Patch Tuesday update (KB5132061).

This move has attracted the attention of hardware enthusiasts, because although the feature can improve security, it will have a perceived negative impact on game performance.

Know that four years ago, Microsoft published a technical support article explicitly advising players to turn off “memory integrity” and “virtual machine platforms” when pursuing the ultimate gaming experience.

However, in the latest Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 versions, Microsoft decided to install this setting by default. For users who have upgraded from an older version, the system will automatically activate after the update if the feature has not been manually turned off before.

Memory Integrity, also known as HVCI, uses VBS technology to create an isolation zone in memory, ensuring that all drivers are rigorously verified before execution, preventing malware from tampering with kernel code through driver vulnerabilities.

In terms of performance, according to the measured data of third-party agency Tom's Hardware, even on the high-end platform of i9-13900K with RTX 4090, the average game frame number will still drop by about 5% after turning on this function.

Some specific games lose up to 10% of their performance. For competitive gamers, this drop in performance is often unacceptable.

In addition to fluctuating frame numbers, compatibility is also a major concern. Official Microsoft documents acknowledge that the anti-cheat system of some games may conflict with memory integrity, causing the game to fail to start or crash abnormally.

However, Microsoft has also set up a protection mechanism: if the system fails to start due to driver incompatibility after turning on the function, Windows will automatically backtrack the setting and turn it off.

At present, if the user finds that the gaming experience is degraded, they can manually turn off the switch on the Windows Security Center - Device Security - Kernel Isolation Details page.

Source: MyDrivers (Fast Technology). Content is presented with source attribution. Read the original report.