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How to Enable Advanced Shader Delivery on PC: Skip Shader Compilation Waits (MW4, 2026)

Enable Microsoft Advanced Shader Delivery: Windows 11 24H2, NVIDIA 621.01, AMD Adrenalin 26.6.1, Intel 32.0.101.9150, Xbox PC app. Steps, how to confirm, fixes, MW4 notes.

T Terapep ·

TL;DR: Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) is a Microsoft feature that downloads precompiled shaders with a game, so you skip most of the "compiling shaders" screen and the stutter caused by compiling shaders mid-game. There is no toggle to flip. It works when you have Windows 11 24H2 or newer, a supported GPU on a new enough driver (NVIDIA 621.01, AMD Adrenalin 26.6.1, Intel 32.0.101.9150, Snapdragon X2 2026.08.3), the Xbox PC app installed, and a game that supports it. You'll know it's working when "Precompiled shaders installed" appears on the game's launch screen. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (full launch October 23, 2026) supports it, and Activision says to install the Xbox PC app even if you play on Battle.net or Steam.

What Advanced Shader Delivery actually does

Most DirectX 12 games compile shaders for your specific GPU and driver on your own PC. That's why you get a long "compiling shaders" bar on first launch or after a driver update, and why some games hitch the first time a new effect shows up.

With ASD, the developer uploads a state object database (SODB) to the store, and shaders matching your hardware and driver are delivered at download time. Microsoft says this cuts loading time, reduces shader stutter in game and saves power (DirectX blog, Oct 21, 2026).

How it rolled out (all dates from Microsoft's DirectX blog):

  • May 15, 2026: public preview for AMD RDNA GPUs through Xbox Insiders, with Forza Horizon 6 (post).
  • June 11, 2026: general availability in the Xbox PC app, extended to every AMD RDNA architecture (same post, edit note).
  • October 1, 2026: Gears of War: E-Day support, plus Qualcomm Snapdragon X2. Intel and NVIDIA were announced for "later this month" (post).
  • October 21, 2026: broadly available on AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and Qualcomm, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 as the showcase title (post).

Microsoft has also announced that ASD will come to the Epic Games Store and Steam, and that Fortnite will get support in an upcoming update. No date was given, so for now the general path is the Microsoft Store / Xbox PC app.

Requirements (verified October 23, 2026)

Component Supported hardware Minimum version
OS Windows 11 24H2 or newer
NVIDIA All GeForce RTX GPUs and RTX Spark Driver 621.01 (Game Ready, WHQL, released Oct 21, 2026)
AMD RDNA 1, RDNA 2, RDNA 3, RDNA 3.5, RDNA 4 (RX 5000 / 6000 / 7000 / 9000 and RDNA iGPUs) Adrenalin 26.6.1
Intel Arc B570, Arc B580, Core Ultra Series 2, Core Ultra Series 3 32.0.101.9150
Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Series 2026.08.3
Launcher Xbox PC app (Gaming Services kept up to date) Latest from Microsoft Store
Game Must ship ASD data (e.g. Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War: E-Day, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4) —

Sources: Microsoft hardware list, NVIDIA 621.01 driver page, AMD 26.6.1 release notes, Intel 32.0.101.9150 release notes (PDF).

Things the table doesn't show:

  • Intel Arc A-series is not on Microsoft's list. Intel's own release notes are a little narrower on laptops too: they cover Arc B-series, Core Ultra Series 3 and "certain Series 2 notebooks with built-in Intel Arc GPUs."
  • NVIDIA GTX cards are not covered. The list says "All RTX GPUs."
  • Microsoft's May post also gave a minimum Gaming Services version of 37.113.11003.0, updated from Microsoft Store > Library. The October post doesn't repeat it, but updating Gaming Services costs nothing.
Flow chart: Windows 11 24H2, then supported GPU and driver, then Xbox PC app and Gaming Services, then install the game, then check for Precompiled shaders installed

Step-by-step: getting ASD working

Step 1: Confirm Windows 11 24H2 or newer

  1. Press Win + R, type winver, and press Enter.
  2. The window must say Version 24H2 or a newer version. If it shows 23H2 or older, or Windows 10, ASD won't work.
  3. To update, go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates and install the feature update when it's offered.

Step 2: Update your graphics driver to the minimum version

NVIDIA (RTX):

  1. Open the NVIDIA app > Drivers and install Game Ready Driver 621.01 or newer. You can also download it from NVIDIA's driver page. It's 1.04 GB, for Windows 10 64-bit and Windows 11.
  2. To check: right-click the desktop, open NVIDIA Control Panel > Help > System Information, and read Driver version. Or look at the version in the NVIDIA app's Drivers tab.

NVIDIA's Game Ready announcement says that once this driver is installed, "all GeForce RTX gamers will also benefit from Advanced Shader Delivery" in Modern Warfare 4.

AMD (Radeon RDNA):

  1. Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition > System (or the update notification) and install 26.6.1 or newer.
  2. Confirm the version under System > Software & Driver.

Intel (Arc B570/B580, Core Ultra 2/3):

  1. Use Intel Graphics Software or the Intel Driver & Support Assistant to install 32.0.101.9150 or newer.
  2. The full driver version appears in Device Manager > Display adapters > (your GPU) > Properties > Driver. It should read 32.0.101.9150 or higher.

Snapdragon X2: install driver 2026.08.3 or newer through Windows Update or your laptop maker's support page.

Step 3: Install the Xbox PC app and update Gaming Services

  1. Install the Xbox PC app from the Xbox site or the Microsoft Store, then sign in.
  2. Open Microsoft Store > Library and click Get updates so that Gaming Services and the Xbox app are current.
  3. Restart the PC after big driver and Gaming Services updates.

Step 4: Install the game after steps 1–3

The order matters. Microsoft's instruction for both Gears of War: E-Day and Modern Warfare 4 is to "install the XBOX PC app before downloading" because shaders are delivered at download time.

  • Xbox PC app / Game Pass: open My Library, select the game, and click Install. If you can't find MW4, Activision says to untick the Installed filter in the play-state filter (Activision install guide).
  • Battle.net or Steam (MW4 only): Activision's PC tech post says to "download and install the XBOX PC app ahead of time no matter what your PC platform, so ASD can deliver your precompile shaders at game install and throughout live updates." It adds that the Xbox app is "only necessary if you wish to utilize ASD." So install the Xbox app, then install or update MW4 in your usual launcher.

Step 5: Confirm it's working

Launch the game and look at the launch/loading screen:

  • If you see "Precompiled shaders installed", ASD is active. In Modern Warfare 4 the message appears in the bottom left (per Microsoft).
  • The shader step should take seconds instead of minutes. Microsoft says both Gears of War: E-Day and MW4 go from "several minutes on a typical PC" to "just a few seconds."
Bar chart: Forza Horizon 6 first load almost 1.5 minutes without ASD versus 4 seconds with ASD on Radeon RX 7600

The one measured figure Microsoft has published: Forza Horizon 6 loaded in 4 seconds instead of almost 1.5 minutes on a Radeon RX 7600 with a Ryzen 7 5800, which is about 95% less time (May post). Your result will vary by game and hardware.

Troubleshooting: no "Precompiled shaders installed" message

Work through these in order:

  1. Windows version. Run winver again. Anything below 24H2 falls back to normal on-device compilation.
  2. Driver version. Check the exact number. NVIDIA 621.01, AMD 26.6.1 and Intel 32.0.101.9150 are minimums. An older driver installed by Windows Update or your laptop maker can quietly replace a newer one.
  3. Unsupported GPU. GTX cards, Intel Arc A-series and pre-RDNA Radeons (for example the RX 500 series) aren't on the list, so they compile shaders locally as before.
  4. Install order. If the game was downloaded before you updated the driver or installed the Xbox app, the matching shaders may not have been delivered. On Microsoft's DirectX blog, a commenter with 621.01 reported that Gears of War: E-Day showed the ASD label but still compiled for as long as before, and another reader asked whether the game was downloaded before or after the driver update. That's a user exchange, not a Microsoft fix. Still, the practical step is: update the driver first, then let the game update or reinstall it so shaders are fetched for your current driver.
  5. Gaming Services / Xbox app out of date. Go to Microsoft Store > Library > Get updates, then reboot.
  6. Game doesn't support ASD. ASD only works when the developer has uploaded shader data. Microsoft's named examples are Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Microsoft has also referred to earlier titles from the ROG Xbox Ally launch, but no other game should be assumed to support it.
  7. Steam or Epic version of another game. Apart from MW4's Xbox-app route, Steam and Epic support is announced but not live yet. A Steam copy of most games will still compile shaders the old way.

If it still fails, Microsoft collects ASD feedback through the DirectX Discord, linked from its blog post.

Modern Warfare 4: quick facts for today's launch

  • Full launch: October 23, 2026, at midnight local time, on Xbox on PC, Battle.net and Steam. Campaign Early Access started October 16 (Call of Duty blog).
  • ASD: supported. Install the Xbox PC app before you install or update the game, whatever launcher you use.
  • Other PC requirements: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required, and Intel Arc needs Resizable BAR. Activision lists 115 GB of SSD storage.
  • Upscalers: NVIDIA DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR Redstone, Intel XeSS 3 and Filmic SMAA T2X. NVIDIA says RTX 50 Series cards can use DLSS Dynamic Multi Frame Generation in MW4 at up to 6X, and RTX 40 Series cards get DLSS Frame Generation (NVIDIA).

Bonus: Cyberpunk 2077 2.5 and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation

Cyberpunk 2077 isn't on Microsoft's ASD list, but it got a related NVIDIA update this week. CD PROJEKT RED's Edgerunners 2 Update (2.5) went live on October 22, 2026. It adds "support for DLSS 4.5, including up to 6X Multi Frame Generation or Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, and the 2nd Generation Transformer Model" (official patch notes via Steam).

To use it:

  1. Make sure the game shows 2.5 (Steam, GOG and Epic update it automatically).
  2. Install NVIDIA 621.01, which NVIDIA lists as Game Ready for Cyberpunk 2077.
  3. In the game's graphics settings, pick the DLSS frame generation option. Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and up to 6X multi frame generation are new in 2.5.
  4. Hardware split: NVIDIA's MW4 notes describe DLSS Dynamic Multi Frame Generation on GeForce RTX 50 Series cards and standard DLSS Frame Generation on RTX 40 Series. Expect the same split here.

Other 2.5 changes for AMD users: FSR 3 upscaling was removed, while FSR 2.1, FSR 4 and FSR 3.1 Frame Generation remain, and there's a new FSR Anti-Lag 2 toggle.

If you're deciding which DLSS preset to use with frame generation, see our Preset C vs Preset B comparison.

Related on Terapep

Sources

Caution: if a fresh driver causes crashes in another game, roll back with a clean install. ASD will simply stop applying until you're back on a supported version.

#advanced-shader-delivery#shader-compilation#xbox-pc-app#nvidia-621-01#modern-warfare-4#windows-11#2026
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