NVIDIA Ceases Support for Various GTX Graphics Cards, Yet Offers Some Positive Aspects
In a move that will provide relief to many users, NVIDIA has announced an extension of Game Ready Driver support for all RTX GPUs on Windows 10 until October 2026. This decision comes one year beyond the end-of-life date for Windows 10, which is scheduled for October 14, 2025.
The Turing architecture, the first with ray tracing acceleration, was introduced by NVIDIA in 2018 alongside the RTX 20-series GPUs. With this extended support, RTX graphics card users on Windows 10 will continue to receive driver updates, including day-0 optimizations for new games and applications, for an additional year after Microsoft ends official Windows 10 support.
In contrast, NVIDIA's GTX 10 series GPUs (based on Pascal architecture) will stop receiving new Game Ready drivers in October 2025. These GPUs will only receive quarterly security updates until October 2028.
The Volta architecture, introduced in 2017, was confined to Titan, Quadro, and Tesla workstation GPUs. NVIDIA has been applauded for continuing to provide regular updates for the Maxwell cards for 11 years, which were introduced in 2014 and concluded with the GTX 900-series hardware.
NVIDIA's latest GeForce Game Ready Driver update marks the end of support for Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta graphics cards. However, the company plans to release one more major driver update for these architectures in October 2025. After this, the usual "Game Ready" updates containing new features and optimizations will no longer apply.
This extended RTX support aligns with Microsoft's extended support timeline for consumers who have not yet upgraded to Windows 11 or whose hardware does not meet Windows 11 requirements, giving users extra time to transition their systems.
As the main gaming PC from Windows 10 to Windows 11 has not yet been switched over by the author, the implications of this extended support are significant. It provides a buffer for users who may be hesitant or unable to make the switch to Windows 11.
The RTX 50-series Blackwell cards, representing an evolution of the Turing architecture, were released in 2025. With the extended support for RTX GPUs on Windows 10, users can continue to enjoy the benefits of these modern GPUs for an additional year.
However, with only about a month and a half of full Windows 10 support remaining, many users are scrambling for an exit strategy. After the final major update, these architectures will receive only quarterly security updates through October 2028.
In conclusion, NVIDIA's decision to extend Windows 10 driver support for an extra year for RTX GPUs is a welcome move for many users. It provides a reprieve for those who are not ready to transition to Windows 11 or whose hardware does not meet the requirements for the new operating system.
[1] NVIDIA's official announcement [2] Microsoft's end-of-life date for Windows 10 [3] NVIDIA's end-of-life date for RTX GPUs on Windows 10 [4] NVIDIA's end-of-life date for GTX 10 series GPUs on Windows 10 [5] NVIDIA's security update schedule for GTX 10 series GPUs
- NVIDIA officially announced an extension of Game Ready Driver support for all RTX GPUs on Windows 10, lasting until October 2026.
- Microsoft has set the end-of-life date for Windows 10 as October 14, 2025.
- NVIDIA's end-of-life date for RTX GPUs on Windows 10 is now October 2026, one year beyond the original schedule.
- NVIDIA's end-of-life date for GTX 10 series GPUs on Windows 10 is October 2025.
- After October 2025, GTX 10 series GPUs on Windows 10 will only receive quarterly security updates until October 2028.
