AMD Radeon Adrenalin 23.2.1 graphics driver boosts game performance and more

News
By Ben Wilson
published

Improvements to Cyberpunk, God of War, and even Windows 11.

AMD Software Adrenalin Edition
(Image credit: AMD)

What you need to know

  • AMD's latest Radeon Adrenalin Edition graphics driver boasts improvements to specific PC games alongside general bug fixes on Windows.
  • Recently released Forspoken saw up to 7% performance gains when running at 4K on AMD's test machine with a Radeon RX 6950XT GPU compared to the previous driver.
  • Improvements to live video encoding on RX 6000-series cards include H.264 and H.265 support, alongside AV1 enhancements on 7000-series cards.

AMD has announced its latest edition of Radeon graphics drivers, with the 'Adrenalin Edition' version 23.2.1 focused primarily on improving support for specific games. Demonstrating across-the-board enhancements with an RX 6900 XT GPU, AMD shows performance gains of up to 18% in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands compared to the previous 21.10.1 driver released in November 2022.

Recently released PC hits Hogwarts Legacy and Forspoken will reportedly see similar improvements when users update to the new driver, no doubt to the delight of those who perhaps have struggled with frustrating launch issues. For clarity, AMD tested games at various resolutions, including 4K, with a high-end Ryzen 9 7900X processor. Still, the continued upward trend of smoother gameplay means the future looks bright for Radeon gamers.

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AMD Software Adrenalin Edition
(Image credit: AMD)

Any PC gamers using a Radeon RX 6000-series GPU will benefit from features previously locked to the higher 7000-series cards with this latest driver, including live streaming optimizations for the H.264 and H.265 video format. Updates to OBS Studio also mean support for the AV1 encoder, exclusively available with Radeon RX 7000-series for improved image quality via onboard acceleration.

(Image credit: AMD)

A short list of game-specific bug fixes was also included alongside the driver launch notes, plus patches for general Windows 11 22H2 use.

  • AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition may fail to launch with the error message “Delayed Write Failed” on Microsoft® Windows 11 version 22H2.
  • Poor performance and load time may be observed while playing SpaceEngine™.
  • Corruption may be observed while scrolling the points shop in STEAM™ on Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs.
  • Performance drop may be observed during Fortnite™ and YouTube playback with Enhanced Sync enabled on some AMD Graphics Products such as AMD Radeon™ RX 5700 XT graphics.
  • Corruption or game crash may be observed while playing Door Kickers 2™.
  • Missing or flickering textures may be observed while playing Emergency 4™.
  • Application crash may be observed when launching Baldur's Gate 3™ using Vulkan® API on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
  • Stuttering may be observed while playing Sea of Thieves™ on Radeon™ RX 6000 graphics and above series GPUs.
  • Corruption may be observed while playing Battlefield™ 4 with Post Process Quality settings set to high or ultra on Radeon™ RX 6000 series graphics and above.
  • Intermittent system stuttering or UI flickering may occur when two videos are simultaneously playing using chromium-based browsers on some multi-display configurations.

XFX Speedster AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT

AMD's RDNA2 architecture delivers 4K gaming and support for FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) to keep your games running smooth.

Ben Wilson
Ben Wilson
Channel Editor

Ben is the channel editor for all things tech-related at Windows Central. That includes PCs, the components inside, and any accessory you can connect to a Windows desktop or Xbox console. Not restricted to one platform, he also has a keen interest in Valve's Steam Deck handheld and the Linux-based operating system inside. Fueling this career with coffee since 2021, you can usually find him behind one screen or another. Find him on Mastodon @trzomb@mastodon.online to ask questions or share opinions.