Following community feedback and confusion surrounding the recent AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 driver, AMD has issued a statement to clarify its driver strategy for Radeon GPUs, reassuring gamers that support for older cards is not ending.
The update introduces a new two-path driver system: one optimized branch for RDNA 1 (Radeon RX 5000 series) and RDNA 2 (Radeon RX 6000 series), and a separate branch for RDNA 3 (Radeon RX 7000 series) and the new RDNA 4 (Radeon RX 9000 series) GPUs.
AMD was quick to emphasize that this is not the end of support for its popular RX 5000 and RX 6000 series graphics cards.
Continued Support for RDNA 1 & 2
For gamers running RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 hardware, AMD has committed to providing continued updates on a dedicated, stable driver branch. This support will include:
- Game support for new releases
- Stability and game optimizations
- Ongoing security and bug fixes
According to the company, this approach allows RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 products to benefit from a driver built on “years of tuning and optimization.” This move is intended to deliver a smoother, more consistent experience and insulate the previous-generation GPUs from rapid changes being developed for newer architectures.
Why AMD is Making the Change
AMD’s goal with this strategic split is to provide a better experience for all its users, regardless of their hardware generation.
By separating the code paths, AMD engineers can “move faster” to implement new features and optimizations for the latest RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 architectures. Simultaneously, the dedicated branch for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 ensures that those users maintain a stable and reliable platform for current and future games.
AMD concluded its statement by reinforcing its long-term support: “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.”
