AMD has officially discontinued active driver support for its Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 series graphics cards, marking the end of the company’s RDNA1 and RDNA2 architectures on the PC platform.
The change appeared quietly in AMD’s latest Adrenalin Edition driver release notes, which no longer list these two GPU families under the supported products. Moving forward, the legacy branch of drivers will be the last to receive updates for these cards, limited to occasional critical security patches rather than performance optimizations or feature updates.
No More New Features or Game Optimizations
The decision means owners of popular models such as the RX 5700 XT, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6900 XT will no longer receive performance tuning, bug fixes, or support for upcoming AMD software technologies such as FSR 3.1, HYPR-RX, or future Anti-Lag+ iterations.
AMD’s official reasoning centers on streamlining software development and focusing resources on current and upcoming architectures — specifically RDNA3 (RX 7000 series) and RDNA4, which is expected to debut in 2025. Maintaining support for multiple generations reportedly slows down driver validation and release cycles.
A Surprising Move for Still-Capable GPUs
The decision comes as a surprise to many users, as the RX 6000 series is still considered highly capable for modern gaming. The RX 6800 XT and RX 6950 XT, for instance, continue to perform competitively at 1440p and even 4K resolutions.
Moreover, the underlying RDNA2 architecture remains current in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, both of which will continue receiving long-term optimization and support from AMD and game developers.
A Shorter Support Cycle
By retiring RDNA1 and RDNA2 just a few years after launch — the RX 5700 XT debuted in mid-2019, and the RX 6950 XT in mid-2022 — AMD has shortened its effective GPU support window to roughly three to five years, depending on the model.
While this approach aligns with similar moves by NVIDIA, it may frustrate users who expected more extended driver longevity for premium products, especially as GPU prices have continued to rise in recent years.
End of an Era
With this announcement, AMD closes a defining chapter in its graphics history. RDNA1 brought AMD back into performance parity after years of lagging behind NVIDIA, while RDNA2 powered both high-end gaming PCs and the current generation of consoles.
From this point onward, all AMD driver development will focus exclusively on RDNA3 and newer hardware — signaling a complete shift toward next-generation optimization.
Summary
AMD has ended driver support for the RX 5000 and RX 6000 GPU series, transitioning them to legacy status. Users will retain basic functionality, but no further performance or feature updates are planned, as AMD shifts its attention to RDNA3 and RDNA4 development.
