Time for gamers to upgrade to Windows 11? Nvidia GPU driver support for Windows 10 ends in two months — here's what you need to know

Nvidia GPUs are about to run out of road in Windows 10 Game Ready Driver support finishes in just two months With the last such driver coming in October, you need to bear in mind issues around game performance optimization and fixes – but you'll still get security updates Gamers running Windows 10 n

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>Nvidia GPUs are about to run out of road in Windows 10</strong></li><li><strong>Game Ready Driver support finishes in just two months</strong></li><li><strong>With the last such driver coming in October, you need to bear in mind issues around game performance optimization and fixes – but you'll still get security updates</strong></li></ul><p>Gamers running Windows 10 need to be aware that if they have an <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/graphics-cards/best-graphics-cards-1291458">Nvidia GPU</a>, they're only two months away from that graphics card running out of road for support with drivers.</p><p><a href="https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-ends-windows-10-game-ready-support-in-october" target="_blank">VideoCardz reminded us</a> that Nvidia's deadline for ditching Windows 10 support is now nearly upon us, with the final Game Ready Driver that supports the older operating system arriving in October 2026.</p><p>Does that mean you need to be thinking about upgrading to Windows 11 if you have an Nvidia graphics card?</p><p>No, it doesn't – well, not necessarily, although there is a major downside to remaining on Windows 10 after October of this year. In case you're at all unsure, let's dive into the exact ins-and-outs of what's happening here – as well as touching on the subject of whether Nvidia might just have a change of heart here.</p><h2 id="you-39-ll-still-be-secure-with-an-nvidia-gpu">You'll still be secure with an Nvidia GPU</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="aVVGwyeKbyPmdcU6WfmBif" name="Gamer girl.jpg" alt="A PC gamer looking happy" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aVVGwyeKbyPmdcU6WfmBif.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Shutterstock)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The key point to remember is that while the Game Ready Driver that comes out in November 2026 won't support Windows 10, Nvidia will still provide security updates for your graphics card. As <a href="https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5695/~/geforce-support-plan-for-windows-10" target="_blank">Team Green explained</a> in a short FAQ: "Windows 10 driver support will transition to a quarterly security update for a period of three years where critical bug fixes will be delivered to end users through October 2029."</p><p>That means Windows 10 users will get an update every three months to fix any critical bugs or security flaws with the Nvidia drivers. This will continue for another three years, so effectively to the end of the decade.</p><p>At that point, when 2030 is about to roll around, you will then potentially be risking exposure to a vulnerability as any driver security holes will no longer be patched. But that's still a good long way off.</p><h2 id="so-what-does-the-end-of-game-ready-driver-support-really-mean">So what does the end of Game Ready Driver support really mean?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="ijhrxXurFWn98GQJhMbbhe" name="Gamer girl.jpg" alt="A frustrated looking girl sat in front of a gaming PC" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ijhrxXurFWn98GQJhMbbhe.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Shutterstock / Dean Drobot)</span></figcaption></figure><p>After October, Windows 10 PCs will only get the benefit of these quarterly security updates, and they won't be covered by Nvidia's regular Game Ready Driver packages. That means as new games come out, Windows 10 users won't get the performance optimizations that these driver releases contain – or bug fixes for these titles.</p><p>As time goes on, then, more and more PC games will be left out in the cold in terms of that tweaking and optimization. That's bad news, of course, although it doesn't mean those games will be somehow unplayable. In fact, in many cases they might be just fine – but there are no guarantees, and you may get subpar frame rates (indeed, that's quite likely to be the case to some extent).</p><p>Of course, existing games will continue to run just as they always have, and you shouldn't run into any issues on that score.</p><h2 id="could-there-yet-be-a-reprieve-from-nvidia">Could there yet be a reprieve from Nvidia?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="JdvnjYa4pLfVebBzerVgfC" name="rtx-5080-vs-rtx-4080-super-flat" alt="An Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 resting on an RTX 4080 Super" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JdvnjYa4pLfVebBzerVgfC.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1125" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future)</span></figcaption></figure><p>If you're not happy about the idea of not getting the latest patches, tweaks, and optimizations for new <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/best-pc-games">PC games</a>, then you'll have to seriously start to think about planning your upgrade to Windows 11.</p><p>Assuming you have an upgrade path, that is, because your PC may not meet the hardware requirements of the newer OS. (Although bear in mind that a <a href="https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-enable-tpm-20-for-windows-11">simple BIOS tweak may be all that's needed</a> to ensure compatibility with the TPM requirement). If you're looking at a major PC upgrade, or an entirely new rig, that's a painful prospect given the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/computing/gpu/pc-gamers-are-asking-whats-next-as-ram-crisis-sparks-further-rumors-of-gpu-price-hikes-and-gaming-monitors-could-get-more-expensive">RAM crisis and all the price hikes around that</a>. </p><p>As one <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1vzmk9n/comment/p667htq/" target="_blank">Redditor puts it</a>: "'This is terrible news considering PC prices."</p><p>However, as another gamer on that <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1vzmk9n/comment/p6691zf/" target="_blank">Reddit thread</a> observes, there may yet be a glimmer of hope of a reprieve from Nvidia. If you recall, just a couple of months ago, <a href="https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-extends-windows-10-support-out-of-the-blue-consumers-now-get-updates-for-another-year-to-october-2027">Microsoft quietly extended consumer support for Windows 10</a> for a further year, through to October 2027.</p><p>Now, when Nvidia announced the end of driver support for October 2026, which happened last year, as far as Team Green was concerned, it was aligning the curtailment of Game Ready Driver releases for Windows 10 with Microsoft's original consumer support extension. But now Microsoft has pushed out extended support for another additional year to October 2027 – could Nvidia mirror this move?</p><p>It doesn't seem likely, in all honesty, and I'd think Nvidia would have announced this already if it was the intention. Concrete driver plans are likely already in place that can't be changed. That said, you never know – and we can't fully rule out the notion of a last-minute reprieve. Watch this space.</p> </article> ]]>