Hitman: World of Assassination locks graphics options on Intel Arc 140V iGPU — game ignores availabl

[HBPARK]

System Information:
- Device: MSI Claw 8 AI+
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake)
- GPU: Intel Arc Graphics 140V (integrated)
- RAM: 32GB LPDDR5X-8533
- OS: Windows 11
- Game: Hitman: World of Assassination (Microsoft Store version)
- Intel GPU Driver: Latest available

Issue Description:

Hitman: World of Assassination forcibly locks multiple graphics settings when running on the Intel Arc 140V iGPU. The
game reports approximately 10 GB of available graphics memory in its settings menu, yet the following options are
locked to their lowest values or completely inaccessible:

- Texture Quality: locked to Low (greyed out)
- Shadow Quality: locked to Low (greyed out)
- Ray Tracing: greyed out
- Frame Generation: greyed out
- Several other advanced graphics options: not visible

On a comparison system (Lenovo Legion Pro 7, NVIDIA RTX 4090 Laptop GPU), the same game from the same Microsoft Store
account has all options fully unlocked.

Additionally, the game's pre-game launcher — which contains the critical "Override Memory Safeguards" setting — never
appears on the Intel Arc system. It launches directly into the game, bypassing the launcher entirely.

Why This Appears to Be a GPU Profile Issue:

The game sees 10 GB of available graphics memory, ruling out insufficient VRAM as the cause. I have confirmed through
extensive testing that:

1. Manually editing registry values (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IO Interactive\HITMAN3) including TextureResolution,
ShadowQuality, and creating an OverrideSafeguard key (matching the working NVIDIA system's registry) has zero effect —
values persist but the game ignores them completely.
2. The game appears to detect the Intel Arc 140V hardware ID and apply a hardcoded restrictive profile that overrides
all user-configurable settings.

This suggests the game either does not recognize the Arc 140V as a capable GPU, or has it categorized under a
limited/unsupported device profile.

Request:

Could the Intel graphics driver team investigate whether a game-specific compatibility profile or workaround could be
added for Hitman: World of Assassination on Intel Arc 140V? Intel has previously implemented game-specific fixes in
Arc drivers 

This issue likely affects all Intel Lunar Lake-based handhelds (MSI Claw 8 AI+, MSI Claw 7 AI+, and upcoming devices),
as well as any Lunar Lake laptop running the Arc 140V iGPU.

A bug report has also been submitted to IO Interactive (the game developer) requesting proper Intel Arc GPU support.

Troubleshooting Already Performed:
- Full game reinstallation
- Clean GPU driver reinstall (latest version)
- Registry modifications (TextureResolution, ShadowQuality, OverrideSafeguard) — ignored by game
- Registry permission lock (read-only) — values persist, still ignored
- UWP settings.dat inspection — empty, not used by game
- Exiting Xbox Full Screen Experience to desktop mode
- External mouse connection

Thank you for any assistance.

[KentRusselP_Intel]

Hi HBPARK,

Thank you for reaching out to the Intel Community Forum. I appreciate your message and want to assure you that I’m here to assist you with your concern. To better understand the issue and provide accurate support, could you please share the following details:

1. Does the same issue occur with the Steam or Epic Games Store version of Hitman (if accessible only for testing)
2. Have you tried running the game with Windows compatibility modes?
3. Does manually launching HiTMAN3.exe with command line parameters (like -launcher) force the pre-game launcher to appear?
4. Do other demanding games (particularly those with similar graphics options) work correctly with unlocked settings on this Intel Arc 140V?

Additionally, to help us better understand your system configuration and provide accurate support, we kindly request that you share the Intel® System Support Utility (SSU) logs from your device. These logs contain important details about your hardware and software environment, which are crucial for troubleshooting.

Please follow these steps:

1. Download and run the Intel® SSU application.

2. The tool will generate a text file containing your system information.

3. Refer to this guide for detailed instructions: Help Guide for the Intel® System Support Utility

Once completed, please attach the generated file to your response.

If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Kent Russel P.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[HBPARK]

Hi Kent,

Thank you for the follow-up. Here are my answers:

1. Steam/Epic version: I only own the Microsoft Store version. Based on community reports, the Steam version's
launcher works normally.

2. Compatibility modes: The game has a separate Launcher.exe at C:\XboxGames\PC - HITMAN 3 - Base
Game\Content\retail\, but it refuses to run under any circumstances — direct execution, Administrator, forced
permissions, Super Admin account, and Windows 10/8 compatibility mode all fail.

3. Command line parameters: Tested HITMAN3.exe -launcher and --launcher. Neither caused the launcher to appear. The
game always launches directly, bypassing the launcher.

4. Other games: No other game on this device has locked graphics options. This issue is exclusive to Hitman: World of
Assassination.

The SSU log is attached.

Best regards,
HBPARK

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello HBPARK,

Thank you for providing the requested details and the SSU log file. For MSI Claw devices, our standard recommendation is to use the latest OEM drivers. However, I advise you to first try a clean installation of the latest Intel driver (version 32.0.101.8509). If the problem continues, then proceed with a clean installation of the latest OEM driver (version 32.0.101.8132).

Looking forward to your reply.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[HBPARK]

Wow, I had previously attempted a clean installation of the latest Intel drivers several times without success. However, it’s finally resolved after this clean install! It seems the update released on February 13th included a fix. I really appreciate your help.

[JeanetteC_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello HBPARK,

Thank you for sharing the update! I'm glad to hear that the clean installation of the latest Intel drivers resolved the issue, and that the February 13th update included the fix you needed.

We will proceed to close this thread now. Should you need assistance in the future, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Thanks again for your feedback and for working through this with us!

Sincerely,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician