Your Nvidia RTX GPU will no longer receive new Windows 10 drivers

Linux and Windows are often considered the two operating systems that offer the best PC gaming experience, but if you’re still using Windows 10, Nvidia is dropping support due to declining user numbers. Nvidia announced that it would permanently end support for Windows 10 computers. Originally, the company wanted to pull the plug on the product on October 14, 2025 – the same day Microsoft ended support for Windows 10.

Nvidia delayed the inevitable by a year due to “the large number of GeForce users currently using Windows 10.” But now that time is up and the death knell is tolling for everyone still playing games on Windows 10 computers. It doesn’t matter which GPU you have; If you’re using an Nvidia graphics card on a computer still running Windows 10, you’ll be affected. When Nvidia announces the end of support, it only concerns Game Ready drivers. These drivers improve GPU performance when playing certain games and occasionally fix critical bugs and issues.

The latest Game Ready driver for Windows 10 will go live in October, probably October 14. Nvidia is not completely abandoning Windows 10 users, as it will provide critical security driver updates until October 2029. However, these are only intended to fix security vulnerabilities and protect users from virus attacks targeting their GPUs. If you’re planning to use an Nvidia GPU on a Windows 10 PC after 2029, you’re on your own.

You should keep all of your computer’s drivers as up to date as possible to ensure the best performance and maintain security. However, GPU drivers are the only exception. You can still play games if you don’t update your Nvidia drivers, but don’t start them expecting the best performance. Your GPU will ultimately determine your average FPS.

All things being equal, if you plan to play games like “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4” on PC, you will be able to experience smoother performance on Windows 11 because Nvidia Game Ready drivers will only support this operating system. Again, Game Ready drivers typically only target big-name titles, so more independent projects like “Edge of Memories” and “No Rest for the Wicked” likely won’t receive supporting drivers and therefore will offer the same performance on Windows 10 and 11 devices with similar hardware.

Overall, you might have a hard time noticing any performance differences if you stick with Windows 10. Sure, some games might annoy you every time you start them with pop-up messages saying your GPU driver is outdated, but it’s not like you’ll miss out on ray tracing or DLSS if you forgo Game Ready drivers. However, if a game becomes unstable or October 2029 rolls around, we highly recommend upgrading to Windows 11 so you can receive new Nvidia drivers. Just be prepared to deal with occasional buggy Windows 11 updates.