23.5 - mouse clicks not registering during playback.

Does the same hold true in a new blank project?

Kevin

Rolled back to 23.3, performance is great again. No slowdown, nothing changed, just rolled back. Performance and responsiveness is instant again.

Delete the Media Cache and Media Cache files:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro/faq-how-to-clear-your-media-cache-in-30-seconds-in-premiere-pro-2020/m-p/11017257/thread-id/260446?page=1

If that doesn't work, try resetting the preferences:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro/faq-how-to-reset-trash-preferences-in-premiere-pro/td-p/8236158?page=1

If that doesn't work, try resetting the Workspaces:
Reset a workspace
Reset the current workspace to return to its original, saved layout of panels.
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Workspace menu icon and select Reset to Saved Layout.
• Choose Window > Workspace > Reset to Saved Layout.
from here:
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/workspaces.html

If that doesn't work, try Preferences > Audio Hardware and set Input to None.

If that doesn’t work, try updating or rolling back your graphics driver directly from the video card manufacturer’s site. If NVIDIA, do a clean installation of the latest Studio Driver (NOT the Game Driver)

If that doesn't work, try creating a new project and import the old one into it.

What happens if you twirl up your audio wave forms so they're not visible? Wondering if it's a rendering issue.

Might have solved the issue, my old workspace seemed to slow down timeline