diff --git a/GCPad_Lib/src/GamepadManager.cpp b/GCPad_Lib/src/GamepadManager.cpp
index 93b3c35..7cebbfa 100644
--- a/GCPad_Lib/src/GamepadManager.cpp
+++ b/GCPad_Lib/src/GamepadManager.cpp
@@ -276,10 +276,17 @@ void GamepadManagerImpl::setGamepadDisconnectedCallback(GamepadDisconnectedCallb
 }
 
 void GamepadManagerImpl::updateAll() {
+    // Lock against the hotplug thread. Without this, updateAll() (called every
+    // frame from the polling thread) iterates gamepads_ and dereferences each
+    // device while the hotplug thread can simultaneously destroy a device in
+    // check_for_disconnected_devices() (gamepads_[i].reset()) — a data race and
+    // use-after-free that crashed the host whenever a pad dropped mid-frame.
+    // The hotplug thread already uses try_lock_for and simply skips a cycle if
+    // it can't acquire the lock, so this can never deadlock game launch.
+    std::lock_guard<std::timed_mutex> lock(mutex_);
     for (auto& gamepad : gamepads_) {
         if (gamepad) {
-            if (!gamepad->updateState()) {
-            }
+            gamepad->updateState();
         }
     }
 }