AMD has reassured its users by confirming that its older Radeon GPUs based on RDNA 1 & RDNA 2 architectures will continue to receive driver support. This statement comes amidst recent confusion regarding the Adrenalin 25.10.2 driver release.
Clarifying Driver Support for Radeon GPUs
In the past few days, AMD’s Radeon team faced challenges due to unclear communication during the recent Adrenalin 25.10.2 driver update. The update changelog indicated that the older RDNA 1 & RDNA 2 GPUs would transition to a separate driver branch, with Radeon RX 5000 & RX 6000 GPUs entering “Maintenance Mode.” Additionally, there was a temporary removal of USB-C power charging from the RX 7900 series, which was later reversed, alongside an increase in package size to over 1 GB. However, the primary concern revolved around driver support.
In response, AMD has clarified through various statements that it is not ending game driver support and optimizations for these older GPUs. Instead, these will be provided as dictated by market demands. But the ambiguity around “market needs” left many users puzzled. With a new statement, AMD aims to dispel any remaining confusion about Radeon GPU driver support.
Ongoing Support for RDNA 1 & RDNA 2
AMD has committed to ensuring that the AMD RDNA 1 “RX 5000” and RDNA 2 “RX 6000” GPUs will continue to receive updates for new game releases, stability improvements, game optimizations, and essential security fixes. These updates will be on par with those provided for the latest RDNA 3 “RX 7000” and RDNA 4 “RX 9000” GPUs. The notable change is that older GPUs will benefit from a dedicated, stable driver branch, maintaining stability and optimization for both current and future games.
This approach allows older GPUs to remain insulated from rapid advancements targeted at newer architectures, while the newer driver branch facilitates quicker deployment of new features for the latest GPU families.
AMD’s Commitment to the Gaming Community
AMD has reiterated its commitment to delivering the best possible experience for all Radeon gamers. By creating separate driver paths, the company ensures faster innovation for RDNA 3 and RDNA 4, while maintaining stability and optimization for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 users. AMD affirms its dedication to supporting Radeon gamers across all generations, promising continued reliability and performance for RX 5000, RX 6000, and the most recent RX 9000 series GPUs.
This announcement from AMD is encouraging, pledging extended game support and optimizations for all RDNA GPU families. Observers will be watching closely to see how AMD fulfills this promise in future driver updates. The Adrenalin 25.10.2 driver is currently the latest available update for RDNA GPUs.