AMD issues statement on axed RDNA/RDNA 2 “game optimisations”
AMD confirms that its older RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 GPUs are now in “maintenance mode”
In a new statement to PC Games Hardware, AMD has confirmed that its older RX 6000 and RX 5000 series GPUs will no longer be receiving “game optimisations”. AMD’s RDNA and RDNA 2 graphics cards are now in “maintenance mode”. This means that they will continue receiving bug fixes and security fixes, but they will not receive new game optimisations. This confirms what we reported yesterday.
AMD’s future driver updates will focus on the company’s newer RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 graphics cards. AMD claims that this will enable it to further optimise its latest products and deliver “improved technologies” for its newest hardware. This likely means that AMD’s planned FSR 4 Redstone update will focus on RDNA 3 and newer graphics cards.
Update – AMD has released a new statement clarifying its RDNA 1/2 GPU support plans.
Update 2 – AMD appears to have U-turned on its plans to cut “new game support” plans for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 GPUs.
RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 graphics cards will continue to receive driver updates for critical security and bug fixes. To focus on optimizing and delivering new and improved technologies for the latest GPUs, AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 is placing Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 series graphics cards (RDNA 1 and RDNA 2) into maintenance mode. Future driver updates with targeted game optimizations will focus on RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 GPUs.
While the above statement focuses on game-specific optimisations, AMD’s statement with its new 25.10.2 driver states that older Radeon GPUs will not be receiving support for “expanded Vulkan extensions”. This implies that AMD’s axed RDNA 1/2 support is not limited to just game optimisations. If new games rely on new Vulkan extensions, AMD’s older RDNA 1 and 2 GPUs will not be able to run them.
New Game Support and Expanded Vulkan Extensions Support is available to Radeon RX 7000 and 9000 series graphics products.
What does this mean for the ROG Xbox Ally (non-X)?
ASUS and Microsoft have just released their ROG Xbox Ally series of systems. With their baseline Xbox Ally model, they use a processor with an RDNA 2 GPU. AMD’s Ryzen Z2 A chip uses a Zen 2 CPU with an RDNA 2 graphics chip. Has AMD axed new game support for an Xbox product mere weeks after launch? If so, AMD has set a truly remarkable precedent. No new game support for a new AMD/Xbox product mere weeks after its release.
When it comes to driver optimisations, it makes sense for AMD to deprioritise its older RDNA 1 products. RDNA 1 is not DirectX 12 Ultimate compliant and lacks features such as mesh shaders, ray tracing, and others. If AMD has to axe product support, dropping game optimisation support for RDNA 1 makes sense. However, RDNA 2 GPUs remain available in currently shipping products. These GPUs are found in many laptops and mobile devices. It is crazy for AMD to drop game optimisation support for gaming-capable products that are still shipping. The ROG Xbox Ally (non-X) is the most egregious example of this.
AMD, if you have sense, reconsider your plans to drop RDNA 2 GPU support. A lot of people still use RDNA 2 GPUs, and it’s worth remembering that the newest RDNA 2-powered discrete GPU launched in 2023 (the RX 6750 GRE).
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