NVIDIA’s recent announcement regarding its GeForce Game Ready Driver update brings a bittersweet note for long-time users of its Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta graphics cards. After more than a decade of dedicated service, these architectures will soon transition to a different support model, marking the end of an era for many gamers.
Transitioning Support for Older Architectures
In a strategic move, NVIDIA has confirmed that it will issue one final major driver update for the Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta architectures in October 2025. Following this update, these cards will receive only quarterly security updates, aligning with the end-of-life date for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. While NVIDIA assures users that GPU architectures will continue to be supported until October 2028, the absence of regular “Game Ready” updates means that newer features and optimizations will no longer be available for these older models.
The Pascal architecture, which debuted in 2016 with the GTX 10-series cards, has enjoyed a relatively short yet impactful lifespan. The subsequent Turing architecture introduced ray tracing capabilities, evolving through the RTX 20, 30, and 40 series, culminating in the anticipated RTX 50-series Blackwell cards set for release in 2025. Meanwhile, the Volta architecture, launched in 2017, found its niche in Titan, Quadro, and Tesla workstation GPUs.
Despite the aging of Maxwell cards, NVIDIA’s Pascal hardware remains prevalent among gamers. According to Steam’s hardware survey from June 2025, the GTX 1060 still ranks as the twelfth most popular GPU, powering 2.15% of PCs. In contrast, the leading GPU, NVIDIA’s RTX 4060 Laptop card, boasts a usage rate of 4.99%. This indicates that a significant number of gamers continue to rely on Pascal cards, even as they face the reality of diminishing support.
(Image credit: Future)
While the transition to less frequent updates may raise concerns, it is important to note that a lack of feature updates does not render these cards unusable. Gamers can continue to enjoy their Pascal cards, albeit with the understanding that stability may not be as robust as before.
Also, we’re extending Windows 10 Game Ready Driver support for all GeForce RTX GPUs to October 2026, a year beyond the operating system’s end-of-life, to ensure users continue to receive the latest day-0 optimizations for new games and apps.
Andrew Burnes, NVIDIA
In a positive turn, NVIDIA has announced that it will extend Game Ready driver support for its newer RTX GPUs on Windows 10 until October 2026, providing a buffer for users who are hesitant or unable to transition to Windows 11. With the clock ticking on full Windows 10 support, many users are actively seeking alternatives, and this extension offers a welcome reprieve.
NVIDIA’s commitment to supporting its hardware for over a decade deserves recognition. While no technology can remain perpetually supported, the longevity of updates for Maxwell cards is a testament to NVIDIA’s dedication to its user base.
