Radeon 6000 GPUs were brand new 3 years ago. AMD’s already dropping support
Updated 3:313 p.m. PT: The release notes for AMD Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 have apparently been rewritten to indicate that they are compatible with the RX9000, RX7000, RX6000, and RX5000 series of graphics cards, and make no mention of a “maintenance mode.” The original story continues.
When you buy an expensive tech device, you want to be sure that it will have manufacturer support for a long time. This goes double for graphics cards and similar technologies, where the latest games might require driver adjustments. That’s why the latest version of AMD Adrenalin is dismaying for owners of cards and laptops just a few years old: many of them have been left behind.
The new gaming support is specified for “Radeon RX 7000 and 9000 series graphics products” in the release notes… leaving the Radeon RX 6000 and 5000 cards, the most recent of which were released only two or three years ago, with only “maintenance mode” support. This is a line that hasn’t been included in other update posts, so the glaring absence of older maps immediately shocked many users. AMD has since confirmed that graphics hardware based on RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 will not be optimized for the latest games, but will only be moved towards critical security and bug support.
This means that these RDNA 1 and 2 graphics systems, including the integrated graphics on many laptops and handhelds, will start to fall behind the graphics curve much faster than they otherwise might. Some of these chips were released through 2023, although the majority were released in 2022 or earlier.
The Steam Deck may feel like it’s standing out like an 800-pound gorilla here – the custom 8-core APU designed for Valve’s portable gaming PC debuted in February 2022, with support for RDNA 2. With millions of users on the Steam Deck alone and no primary successor in sight, it seems shocking that AMD is dropping support for RDNA 2 in particular. But Valve actually uses Linux’s open source RADV drivers for the Steam Deck, so that shouldn’t be affected here. Gamers who install Windows on their Steam Deck or own a Windows-based handheld with AMD’s RDNA 2 technology inside suddenly seem to be looking at a bleak future.
Maintenance-only support does not mean that these graphics cards, laptops, and handhelds will suddenly stop working. They will be able to play new games… unless they encounter a problem, in which case the developers will be on their own to find a solution. Without significant driver updates, AMD’s RDNA 2-based GPUs will start to be less and less useful for newer games and other technologies. Latest Adrenalin driver package includes new gaming support tweaks for Battlefield 6 And Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2…adjustments that will not benefit the owners of this old equipment.
Simply put, PC gamers are pissed. While no hardware remains fully supported forever, the move comes at a time when AMD’s graphics market share is falling further and further behind Nvidia. Trying to rely on newer devices and leaving owners of older hardware in the lurch isn’t a great way to build loyalty, no matter how good the latest RDNA 3 and 4 features are. I also can’t help but wonder if AMD is redistributing some resources, trying to prioritize its best-performing processors and/or industrial AI.
