Microsoft expands Advanced Shader Delivery support to all AMD Radeon GPUs since RX 5000 series

Microsoft has released Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) through the Xbox PC app, moving the feature out of the Insider program. According to Microsoft, ASD provides precompiled shaders during the game download to eliminate CPU-based compilation stutters and long load times, reducing Forza Horizon 6’s startup from approximately 90 seconds to 4 seconds.

How does Advanced Shader Delivery eliminate PC gaming stutters?

Advanced Shader Delivery stops the CPU from having to compile shaders locally at launch or during active gameplay. Normally, PC games compile these shaders on the fly, which often causes “traversal stutters”—brief freezes that happen when a player enters a new area. By delivering these shaders precompiled with the initial download, Microsoft removes that processing burden from the user’s hardware.

The performance impact is most visible during initial boots. Microsoft’s showcase data for Forza Horizon 6 shows a 95% reduction in load times. The game now loads in roughly 4 seconds, compared to nearly 1.5 minutes without the feature enabled.

Which GPUs and drivers support this update?

The update significantly expands support for AMD hardware, covering all Radeon GPUs since the RX 5000 series launched in 2019. This means any GPU based on the RDNA 1 architecture or newer is now compatible. To use ASD on these cards, users must install AMD Adrenalin driver 26.6.1 or newer.

NVIDIA and Intel have stated they plan to support the feature, but they haven’t released public driver support yet. Currently, NVIDIA users on the Xbox app have access to “Auto Shader Compilation,” which Microsoft positions as a limited stopgap measure compared to the full ASD implementation.

Hardware and Software Requirements

• OS: Windows 11 24H2 or newer
• App: Xbox PC app (Xbox Gaming Services 37.113.11003.0+)
• AMD GPU: RDNA 1 (RX 5000 series) and newer
• AMD Driver: Adrenalin 26.6.1 or newer

Why is Advanced Shader Delivery limited to the Xbox PC app?

Currently, ASD only functions for titles launched via the Xbox PC app. Games purchased through Steam or the Epic Games Store do not support the feature. This restriction means a large portion of the PC gaming population cannot access these load-time improvements, regardless of their hardware.

This creates a performance divide between launchers. While a Steam user might experience the standard shader compilation process, an Xbox app user playing the same title—such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 or Hogwarts Legacy—could see significantly smoother performance and faster boot times.

What happens next for shader compilation on PC?

The industry is moving toward a “console-like” delivery model where the hardware doesn’t have to guess how to render a scene. Microsoft’s push for ASD suggests a future where the OS and the GPU driver work in tighter synchronization to deliver pre-baked assets. This would effectively end the era of “compiling shaders” progress bars that currently plague many AAA PC ports.

The next logical step is cross-launcher compatibility. If Microsoft expands ASD to Steam or Epic, it would standardize performance across the Windows ecosystem. Without that expansion, the Xbox app gains a competitive advantage in user experience, specifically regarding technical stability and launch speeds.

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