PC Game Pass & Gaming Services hitch/stutter in only specific games.

Nonn · Feb 21, 2025

I'm wondering if others have run into this issue. I've seen it posted sporadically, but finding this specific issue has been few and far between.

I have purchased these games on Steam(refunded) to test and the issue does not exist with the Steam versions. I have no issues with any other games bought on different platforms.

When playing Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader and MechWarrior 5 Clans, every couple of seconds my PC will "hitch" or "stutter" to the point that it causes a half second of audio distortion, mouse lag, etc. This causes the games to be unplayable as it is constant in start screens, menus, cut scenes, and active gameplay. This issue stops if I end task "Gaming Services" from the processes list in task manager. However, after doing so you cannot do things in the games that require any of the Xbox connected services like saving, loading, new game, etc. So, that resolution isnt really a resolution.

The majority of Gamepass games work well and don't have this issue. Avowed and Sniper Elite Resistance have been running extremely well at near max. Exoprimal had this issue for a little while, but after one of their patches the problem was fixed in that game.

I have run all of the Microsoft troubleshooting for the Store, Xbox App, & Gaming Services. I've run all of the reset, uninstalls, re-installs, scan disk, check disk, dism repairs, in place OS upgrade reinstalls, new profiles etc. Nothing seems to resolve or help this issue. There arent really good places to report this kind of problem, which seems to obviously be something with the Gamepass versions of the games and how they are interacting with "Gaming Services" executables.

i9-11900KF, RTX3090, 32gb DDR4, 980 Pro NVMe

Any thoughts are appreciated.

:)

Miyeon.S - MSFT

Hello Nonn，

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

Based on your description, the fact that this issue is occasional and only occurs with certain specific Game Pass games suggests that it may have something to do with the specific implementation of the Gaming Services process, the connection between the game and the service.

Below are some further suggestions that may help locate or resolve this issue:

1. Update or Rollback the Gaming Services Version
Gaming Services, as a core component associated with the Xbox service, may be affected by updates or unstable versions that cause some games to behave abnormally. Try the following:
Open Windows PowerShell (run as administrator).
Run the following command to reinstall Gaming Services:
get-appxpackage *gamingservices* | remove-appxpackage -allusers
Once this is done, reinstall Gaming Services manually through the Microsoft Store.
Open the Microsoft Store, search for Gaming Services, and install or update it. 2.

2. Disable the Xbox Game Bar and Related Background Services
The Xbox Game Bar and other Xbox-related services can sometimes affect performance, especially when interacting with Gaming Services. While the Game Bar is a useful feature in its own right, it can be one of the causes of lag.
Go to Settings > Gaming and turn off the Xbox Game Bar.
Check for and end Xbox Live Networking Service, Xbox Game Bar, or other unnecessary Xbox service processes in the Task Manager.

3. Check and optimize GPU drivers
In case you have RTX 3090, make sure your NVIDIA drivers are up to date. Sometimes a graphics driver update can fix compatibility issues with games and services.
Use NVIDIA GeForce Experience to update your graphics drivers.
Check the Vertical Synchronization, Power Management Mode, and Render Mode in the driver settings and try adjusting these settings to see if they fix the lag.

You can also contact the support staff of the corresponding game to find out why.

Best regards

|Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Smwutches

If you buy Game Pass for PC, you're only going to get Game Pass for PC. You would only upgrade to Ultimate if you already have an Ultimate subscription on your account or you specifically purchase Ultimate.

Jalouf01

Hello Hayabusa,

Thank you for answering my question, i wanted to ask you if you could send a request to the specific service who can find a solution , i think that it is easy to activate the game pass since it's only digital, same as "netflix" , "spotify" or any other service that we have in morocco, if you can ask them to activate the service so that we can subscribe to xbox and pc games pass and thank you !

Ricardo Cintra

Hi the Game Pass Ultimate is the pack of this Services: Game Pass(Xbox) + Game Pass(PC)+Live Gold

If you only play in Xbox, Subscribe the Game Pass Ultimate is the Same with you Subscribe Game Pass + Live Gold but you only go pay $ 15.00 vs $20.00 by Subscribe Game Pass and Live Gold Se-pared

HomegrownSilky

Since you weren't too specific, did you purchase Xbox Game Pass, Game Pass for PC, or Game Pass Ultimate?

PC Game Pass & Gaming Services hitch/stutter in only specific games.