Microsoft's Advanced Shader Delivery Reaches NVIDIA GPUs on Windows 11
NVIDIA GPUs hold a large share among PC players, so extending the precompiled shader database to GeForce RTX cards puts the launch-time savings in front of the broadest slice of the Windows gaming audience, with Steam and the Epic Games Store named as the next storefronts.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Microsoft said on October 21 that Advanced Shader Delivery now works on Windows 11 machines with compatible GPUs from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm, and that NVIDIA added support in its GeForce Game Ready Driver 621.01 released the same day. The technology pre-builds compiled shader databases so games spend less time compiling shaders at first launch. Microsoft cites cuts of up to 85% for Avowed and a load time reduced from nearly a minute and a half to 4 seconds for Forza Horizon 6.
Support arrived in NVIDIA's GeForce Game Ready Driver 621.01, distributed the same day as the announcement, while Intel and Qualcomm shipped compatible drivers ahead of the others. Microsoft also said the technology will extend soon to compatible titles on Steam and the Epic Games Store; it currently covers titles on the Microsoft Store and the XBOX PC app.
The mechanism is a State Object Database that developers populate, paired with a precompiled shader database built by hardware makers' compilers and delivered alongside the game download. When a driver update is detected, the shader cache updates automatically. Recent supported titles include NBA 2K27 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.