AMD promises “Continued Support for Every Radeon Gamer” with RDNA 1/2 U-Turn
AMD promises continued support for its older RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 graphics cards following backlash
AMD has released a new blog post titled “Continued Support for Every Radeon Gamer”, which promises continued support for its RDNA and RDNA 2-based graphics cards. This post was made to “clear up the confusion” regarding future RX 5000 and RX 6000 series GPU support. That said, it is hard to call this anything other than a U-Turn.
Last week, we received conflicting messaging (1,2) about AMD’s planned support for its older GPUs. AMD previously stated that its RDNA and RDNA 2 GPUs are now in “maintenance mode” saying that support is focused on “critical security and bug fixes”. Furthermore, they said that “Future driver updates with targeted game optimizations will focus on RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs.” Now, AMD has new messaging.
AMD has confirmed that its older RDNA and RDNA 2 GPUs will now use a different driver path than its newer RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs. RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 will continue to receive new game support, stability and game optimisations, and security and bug fixes. Newer GPUs will use a new driver branch that will allow AMD’s engineers to move faster and integrate new features at a faster pace.
Below is AMD’s full statement on its GPU support plans.
We’ve heard your feedback and want to clear up the confusion around the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 driver release.
This update introduces two optimized driver paths: one for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 (Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 series), and one for RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 (Radeon RX 7000 and RX 9000 series).
Here’s What this Means for You:
This is not the end of support for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2. Your Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 series GPUs will continue to receive:
- Game support for new releases
- Stability and game optimizations
- Security and bug fixes
The difference is that these products now benefit from a dedicated, stable driver branch, one built on years of tuning and optimization. This approach helps deliver a smoother, more consistent experience for your games while insulating previous generation GPUs from rapid changes designed for newer architectures.
Why We’re Doing This:
Our goal is simple: to give every Radeon gamer the best experience possible. By separating the code paths, our engineers can move faster with new features for RDNA 3 and RDNA 4, while keeping RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 stable and optimized for current and future games.
Our Commitment:
We’ve supported Radeon gamers for generations and that commitment isn’t changing. Whether you’re gaming on an RX 5000, RX 6000, or the latest RX 9000, you’ll continue to get the reliability, performance, and care you expect from AMD. Because we’re all part of the same gaming community and every Radeon gamer matters.
– AMD
AMD RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 GPU users can expect continued game support
The good news today is that users of older AMD GPUs will continue to receive the support they expect. However, it’s now clear that many new driver features will be exclusive to AMD’s new RDNA 3/4 driver branch. It’s clear that AMD is now working on driver features that are exclusive to AMD’s RDNA 3 and 4 architectures. RDNA 1/2 users can expect continued game support. However, they shouldn’t expect many new driver features and other upgrades.
It seems like AMD is preparing for the future of Radeon. AMD’s “Project Amethyst” work with Sony and new partnership with Xbox will bring console and PC closer than ever before. Next-gen will focus on feature upgrades, rather than traditional increases in raw compute performance. With this in mind, AMD needs to focus on GPUs that support the next-generation feature set and make sure that its software is ready for the next generation of gaming. Ultimately, this is why AMD is changing the way it creates its GPU drivers.
You can join the discussion on AMD’s continued support for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 graphics cards on the OC3D Forums.
