If shader stutter has ever ruined a smooth gaming session, Microsoft may finally have some good news. Advanced Shader Delivery is now out of beta and available for Windows users with newer AMD Radeon GPUs, helping cut down on those annoying shader-related hiccups. The downside is that it only works with Xbox app games at the moment, and Nvidia users will need to hang tight until support arrives later this year.
Shader compilation stutter is the brief freezing or slowdown players often encounter when launching a game for the first time or after installing new graphics drivers. The issue occurs when the GPU must compile shaders in real time. Microsoft’s ASD addresses this by shifting much of that work to the cloud, allowing shaders to be prepared in advance and delivered alongside game downloads or driver updates. As a result, games can load faster and run more smoothly from the outset.
Microsoft first introduced ASD on the Asus ROG Ally and other Xbox-branded handheld devices last year. The feature was rolled out across a range of games, including Avowed, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Control, Farming Simulator 25, Forza Horizon 5, Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Silent Hill f. According to Microsoft, ASD can reduce Forza Horizon 5’s initial load time by as much as 95%.
Microsoft expanded ASD testing in May to Xbox Insiders using AMD RDNA 3, RDNA 3.5, and RDNA 4 graphics hardware. The feature now also supports RDNA 2 and RDNA 1 GPUs, covering all Radeon graphics cards from the RX 5000 series and newer. To use ASD, players need AMD Adrenalin driver version 26.6.1 or later and must launch supported games through the Xbox app on Windows.
Nvidia users will have to wait a bit longer, with Microsoft planning to add support later this year. Intel has also announced plans to bring the feature to its graphics hardware. Until then, Nvidia’s beta app offers Auto Shader Compilation, which keeps compiled shaders intact across driver updates. Although shaders still need to be compiled locally the first time, users can avoid repeating the process after routine driver installs.
The big question now is whether ASD will make its way beyond the Xbox app. Steam is where most PC gamers buy and play their games, so broader support would significantly increase the feature’s reach. The idea feels a lot like the Steam Deck’s precompiled shader system, but that’s easier to manage because every Steam Deck uses the same hardware. Bringing a similar solution to the huge variety of PC configurations on Steam could be a much tougher challenge.
At the moment, Radeon users who play through Microsoft’s ecosystem are the first to enjoy the benefits of ASD.
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