AMD confirms focus shifts to RDNA3 and RDNA4, RX 6000 and RX 5000 lose day 1 game opt

[harlan4096]

Goodbye Radeon RX 6000/5000?



AMD launched the Radeon RX 5000 series in 2019 and continued releasing new models the following year. The RX 6000 series, which arrived during the peak of GPU shortages caused by the pandemic and cryptocurrency boom, received updates until 2023, when the last GRE models were released. It now appears both architectures are entering maintenance mode.

Following an earlier story and the latest driver update, AMD has confirmed that future drivers will no longer focus on game optimizations for RDNA2 and RDNA1 architectures. Instead, development will shift toward RDNA3 and RDNA4, the company told PC Games Hardware.
 

“RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 graphics cards will continue to receive driver updates for critical security fixes and bug corrections. To focus on optimizing and delivering new and improved technologies for the latest GPUs, AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 places Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 series graphics cards (RDNA 1 and RDNA 2) into maintenance mode. Future driver updates with specific game optimizations will focus on RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs.”
— AMD to PC Games Hardware (translation)

AMD’s statement does not clarify what will happen to RDNA2-based Ryzen APUs. Many products use this architecture, including the Steam Deck, which has Windows drivers, as well as the Mendocino APU, recently rebranded as the Ryzen 10 series.

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