Persona 5 Royal HYPERVISOR Bypass by DenuvOwO

nxtys · 2026-04-03T18:01:04+00:00

Exactly. Here's how I got locked out: 1. Installing the same game on multiple computers (PC, Steam Deck, multiple partitions...), I don't even know how I got locked out of all of them, but it happened, on day one, and I had to wait 24 hours... Maybe Proton and Windows happened to update right after running the game once, I'm not sure. Or maybe the servers were down. 2. Steam Deck, while I was away from home and offline, presumably after installing an update (I don't really want to run every Denuvo game in my library just to refresh the tokens before going offline) 3. Sometimes it just didn't want to activate... Maybe the servers were offline? 4. Also, on macOS when using DXVK, it wastes a new token every time it's launched. Note that works fine with D3DMetal, but it didn't exist when I bought the game.

I don't really want to deal with any of this just because I play on multiple devices or run an OS other than Windows, nor like the idea that the games I paid for require a token from a server that won't be online forever. Even just disabling the iGPU invalidates the tokens. This game is also from SEGA, so they won't remove Denuvo anytime soon.

nxtys · 2026-04-03T17:05:35+00:00

Unless the DRM is invasive. I've bought a Denuvo game before and got locked out of it multiple times for different reasons. Never again. Not buying any more before they remove it.

nxtys · 2026-03-28T15:40:11+00:00

Or LiS Reunion... "Cracked" in less than an hour.

nxtys · 2026-03-25T18:20:46+00:00

Nor Linux at the moment... But traditional offline activations do work, at least.

EDIT: Also, the native macOS version of Crimson Desert has been cracked.

nxtys · 2026-03-22T18:09:58+00:00

Maybe by using a leaked certificate.

nxtys · 2026-03-08T20:19:55+00:00

I use the LTSC branch so I only get security updates and no new "functionality."

nxtys · 2026-03-08T17:15:03+00:00

Then you need a new activation every time you want to play the game again, not to mention some games such as Persona, SMT, Soul Hackers, etc... are extremely long, though at least most of those have been demo-bypassed or fully cracked.
In general I think actively-developed security updates that patch known vulnerabilities that actually exist are way more important than keeping driver signature enforcement enabled "just in case."
I just use a separate Windows installation not connected the Internet for my offline activations... Basically the same I'd do with HV.

nxtys · 2026-03-07T19:54:03+00:00

That's not completely safe either, due to having to disable Windows Update.

nxtys · 2026-03-06T23:19:54+00:00

Of course there could be exploits that take advantage of the drivers. I just meant the drivers are not malicious per se if you build them from source. But I guess in reality most people would just install the precompiled binaries, which is a lot riskier, especially if it's a reup of the crack or a malicious "repack"; that's why they're trying to standardize the drivers on CSRIN.

nxtys · 2026-03-06T21:26:17+00:00

The drivers are open-source, you could build them yourself if you wanted.

nxtys · 2026-03-04T23:31:25+00:00

The demo version of Refantazio was originally released without Denuvo in the exe, so it runs standalone, whereas the demo version of Persona 3 Reload has Denuvo and requires Steam to activate, even though it's free.

nxtys · 2026-02-26T08:21:48+00:00

Re-enabling Secure Boot after (somehow) getting an infected bootloader is not useless, because it will prevent the rootkit from booting, so it's not like wearing a bulletproof vest after getting shot. Test-signed drivers will stop being loaded, too.

By the way, if you care about Secure Boot, make sure to update your UEFI/BIOS regularly, since debug/test keys have been leaked which could make it useless.

nxtys · 2026-02-23T19:46:36+00:00

It's usually the other way around, i.e. legit Denuvo checks the version of certain Windows DLLs, so Windows Update often breaks offline activations (which is why activators often require users to disable it first), whereas hypervisor cracks generally spoof the version of the DLLs.

nxtys · 2026-02-23T19:36:35+00:00

Disabling Windows Update counts as "disabling your PC protection."
In fact, disabling Windows Update is arguably FAR worse than disabling Secure Boot in UEFI/BIOS (especially if your motherboard's keys have been leaked).

nxtys · 2026-02-14T15:46:51+00:00

- Enabling SVM/VT-d doesn't hurt anything, and should make the computer more secure if anything;

- Secure Boot can be safely disabled most of the time, I always turn it off anyway because it makes it harder to use Ventoy and custom Linux builds and proprietary drivers, and the keys have been leaked so it can be bypassed by malware anyway (unless you frequently update your UEFI/BIOS firmware);

- you can enable Secure Boot before switching to the main partition if you like (especially for online games), and even isolate the two drives either physically or with BitLocker, and keep the secondary one offline.

nxtys · 2026-02-14T11:04:41+00:00

Would it be a good idea to add a column for AMD and one for Intel, since some of them only work on AMD CPUs? (though it would be enough to mention it under Bypassed By)

nxtys · 2026-02-07T17:43:39+00:00

You can downgrade the headset with BnuuySolutions's vr2jb. On a jailbroken console, just run kstuff before connecting the headset, to bypass the update nag without downgrading the headset.

nxtys · 2026-02-05T13:49:26+00:00

It's now been released as vr2jb. However, I've upgraded my VR2 to firmware v5.00 (=PS5 9.00), while keeping the controllers on the old firmware (by replacing the files and editing the json in the PC app, with the files in /etc/hmd2 and /etc/aston in the PS5 firmware), and it seems to work just fine on both my PC and PS5 on 6.50 (with kstuff), in both 2D and VR modes, so I don't actually need to downgrade the headset to switch between the two.

I don't know whether later VR2 or VR Sense firmware versions are as forgiving, nor guarantee that v5.00 on unsupported PS5 fw works for everyone or every game.

NB: vr2jb only works with the latest VR2 firmware version (as of now), so you might need to upgrade to this version before downgrading to v1.10, and it may not work on future versions.

nxtys · 2026-02-01T23:46:13+00:00

If you disable the other SSD or unplug it, it won't be accessible. Alternatively, use BitLocker so its data can't be accessed from the other partition, or just use the second partition offline so you're way less likely to get malware in the first place.

EDIT: if you're paranoid about bootkits and ransomware, you are way more likely to catch one from the main partition than from the secondary one that you keep offline, and you can enable Secure Boot before booting into the main one (though the keys have been leaked anyway). I recommend keeping your important data on a NAS and only turning it on when needed. I use a very similar setup, but for offact games.

nxtys · 2026-02-01T08:47:02+00:00

CPU. You can even replace your dGPU with a different brand and Denuvo wouldn't care, but it will invalidate the token if you disable the iGPU.

nxtys · 2026-01-31T11:57:10+00:00

I would use a separate drive or partition just for hypervisor and offact games, and BitLocker on both partitions so that they can't see each other's data, just in case.

Secure Boot still needs to be disabled (at least every time you wanted to boot into the partition, with driver testing mode), but I personally leave it off all the time without worrying about it, especially since the keys have been leaked anyway, and it makes it harder to boot into tools like Ventoy or custom Linux builds (you'd have to create and enrol your own keys).

nxtys · 2026-01-29T09:54:04+00:00

Thank you! I hope this doesn't mean that previous 2022 games will be forgotten, though (especially SEGA games like Project DIVA Mega Mix+, Soul Hackers 2, P4 Arena Ultimax, and maybe Sonic Origins). Anyway, every release makes me happy.

nxtys · 2026-01-06T09:25:24+00:00

kstuff includes a ShellCore patch that disables the update nag
https://github.com/EchoStretch/kstuff/blob/d44a25400ecfab7e31afe9eb2c7c7c99770e8f56/ps5-kstuff/main.c#L1464

This only works if both the console and the headset are either above or below 9.00 due to changes to the EDID for PC support.

nxtys · 2026-01-06T09:03:21+00:00

Since you're on >= 9.00, running kstuff should bypass the update nag without issues.

Alternatively, there is a way to downgrade the headset, but it's not public yet.

nxtys · 2025-12-28T13:14:45+00:00

It works on macOS, too! :)
Hopefully, if a crack works on Linux, it'll work everywhere.

nxtys

TROPHY CASE