Laptop goes to black screen after launching games but games continue to run and function properly in background

Hi Elijah,

Thanks so much for the update. I really appreciate the detailed explanation. Based on what you’ve described, especially the fact that everything runs fine when accessed remotely, it does seem very likely that the issue is tied to the way your system is switching between the integrated and dedicated GPU, specifically the AMD Smart Access Graphics feature or the MUX switch settings.

Here are a few steps I’d suggest trying next:

1. Force the Laptop to Use Only the Dedicated GPU (MUX Switch in BIOS)

Since the AMD Adrenalin software shows that it’s stuck on Power-Efficient APU, that likely means it's not switching properly to your RX 7600S GPU.

Try this:

Restart your laptop and press F2 or DEL repeatedly to enter the BIOS.

Look for a setting under Advanced > Graphics Configuration or something similar.

If available, change the GPU mode to Discrete Graphics (or something that sounds like "dedicated only").

Save and exit.

This will force your system to use the dedicated graphics all the time, avoiding automatic switching which seems to be causing the black screen.

2. Disable Smart Access Graphics (if it shows up)

Sometimes in AMD Adrenalin settings, under Preferences or Graphics, there’s a toggle for Smart Access Graphics or Hybrid Graphics. If you see it, try turning it off.

3. Increase the Display Timeout Delay (TDR Delay)

It’s possible your system is hitting a delay when switching GPUs and just freezing the screen output. You can give Windows more time to recover by adjusting a registry setting:

Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.

Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers

Right-click in the right pane > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value

Name it: TdrDelay

Set the value to 10

Restart your laptop afterward.

4. Launch Games in Borderless or Windowed Mode (as a temporary workaround)

For the heavier games like Hitman or Palworld, try launching them in windowed or borderless mode. This can sometimes avoid the fullscreen GPU handoff that’s likely causing the freeze.

If this still doesn’t fix it, I’d honestly recommend reaching out to ASUS support with all this info, there might be a firmware issue affecting how your internal display is routed during GPU switching.

Let me know how it goes, happy to keep troubleshooting with you if needed.

Best regards,

Udit

Thank you for the reply. I've done all the steps except for #7 due to not having another external monitor. Unfortunately, the problem has not been resolved yet. Games with lighter requirements run just fine but heavier games such as Hitman - World Of Assassination, Palworld, Schedule 1, Paint The Town Red, all run into this issue. It shows the launching prompt from Steam then freezes. Audio continues to play and my friend remotely accessing can play the game and fully use the laptop while my screen remains frozen. The only way to avoid a manual force shutdown is if my friend closes the game via remote desktop. In that case, everything reverts to normal.

I suspect it has something to do with the AMD SmartGraphics switch function that automatically switches from the integrated GPU to dedicated GPU. The MUX switch function in AMD Adrenalin is also stuck to "Power-Efficient APU". Could either of these features be causing the black screening and freezing?

Hello Elijah

Thank you so much for reaching out, I am Udit an independent advisor, and I am glad to assist you today with this issue.

Here's a step-by-step approach you can follow to work toward a stable solution:

1. Check Windows Graphics Settings Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics settings. Add the affected game manually if it's not listed, then click Options and set it to High performance* (which uses your RX 7600S). This ensures the game uses the dedicated GPU directly.
2. Disable Variable Refresh Rate In the same Graphics settings window, scroll down and disable Variable refresh rate if it's enabled. Some games don’t behave well with VRR on certain laptops.
3. Update BIOS and Chipset Drivers Visit the official ASUS support page for your model and make sure you’re on the latest BIOS version and chipset drivers. This can improve hardware stability and compatibility with recent games.
4. Use AMD Adrenalin Software Clean Install Download the latest AMD Adrenalin software directly from AMD’s website for the RX 7600S. Run the installer, and choose the Factory Reset option during installation. This will completely remove previous driver traces and can help resolve persistent black screen issues.
5. Set Display Scaling to 100% Go to Display settings, and under Scale and layout, set scaling to 100%. High scaling values can sometimes interfere with full-screen rendering, especially in older or non-optimized games.
6. Disable Fast Startup Open Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck Turn on fast startup. Then restart the system. This helps in clearing any GPU-related memory conflicts on boot.
7. Test with External Monitor If you have access to an external monitor, try connecting one and see if the issue persists when a game launches. If the external display works fine, this could indicate a panel or internal display output issue.
8. Create a New Windows User Profile Sometimes, corrupted user profiles cause odd behavior. You can create a new local user account and try running the games from there to check for differences.

If the issue continues after these steps, feel free to share which specific games are affected and whether this happens consistently with all fullscreen applications. That can help narrow it down further.

Best regards,

Udit