Microsoft's new tech cuts Forza Horizon 6's shader loading time from 90 seconds to four seconds

[Daniel Sims]

In a nutshell: Forza Horizon 6 is the first title to support Microsoft's Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) tech on most Windows 11 PCs. Users with recent Radeon graphics cards who join the company's Xbox Insider program can now try the feature, which circumvents the need to compile shaders after starting the game.

When Microsoft introduced ASD last year, it was restricted to Asus Xbox ROG Ally devices, but Turn 10 Studios' new racing title brings the feature to standard Windows 11 PCs. Currently, ASD only supports RDNA 3, RDNA 3.5, and RDNA 4 GPUs and integrated graphics, but Nvidia RTX hardware will receive support later this year.

ASD dramatically shortens the long load times users often experience when starting a freshly installed game or booting a game after updating their GPU drivers. Many recent titles employ a complex web of shaders that developers previously could not compile for the near-infinite variety of PC configurations, forcing users to choose between lengthy local compilation or unstable performance.

Also Read: Shader Compilation and Why It Causes Stuttering, Explained

Microsoft addressed the problem by reorganizing shader categorization to store pre-compiled shaders in the cloud. Users can download the shaders during installation or after updating drivers, significantly reducing startup time.

Microsoft claims that, on a system using a Radeon RX 7600 GPU and a Ryzen 7 5800 CPU, ASD shortened Forza Horizon 6's initial loading screen by 95%, from around a minute and a half to just four seconds. Those interested can try the feature by signing up for the beta, updating the Gaming Services in the Microsoft Store, and selecting PC Gaming Preview in the Insider Hub.

Avowed, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Control, Farming Simulator 25, Forza Horizon 5, Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Silent Hill f, and many other titles also support ASD on the ROG Xbox Ally through the Xbox PC app. Microsoft did not confirm whether those games now support ASD on additional devices or PC platforms such as Steam.

TechSpot's analysis shows that Forza Horizon 6, one of 2026's most highly anticipated games, runs smoothly on a wide variety of GPUs, even with ray tracing, as long as they have at least 12GB of VRAM. Although 8GB graphics cards have begun to struggle with some recent titles, 12 years after the debut of the first GPU to feature that amount, component shortages might ensure that they remain common for a while yet.

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Microsoft's new tech cuts Forza Horizon 6's shader loading time from 90 seconds to four seconds

 

[NumberNine]

And yet the best artistic element of this series is the sound design. The cars do look great though.

 

[The Talking Tech]

Microsoft is preparing to implement these new technologies on the new Xbox Project Helix.

If that system hits the ground running there's no PlayStation 6 stopping it.

 

[dangh]

Microsoft is preparing to implement these new technologies on the new Xbox Project Helix.

If that system hits the ground running there's no PlayStation 6 stopping it.

You forgot PlayStation IS an xbox ;D
/s

 

[Billybobjoey]

Microsoft did not confirm whether those games now support ASD on additional devices or PC platforms such as Steam.

Lame. Unless you're playing through Game Pass, 95% of people playing on PC are gonna be buying their games through steam. Since FH6 just released to everyone today it's hit over 200k+ concurrent on Steam alone. The Xbox app isn't as bad as it used to be, but people are creatures of habit. They've got a lot of work to do if they want to have a storefront people actually want to buy from.

 

[The Talking Tech]

You forgot PlayStation IS an xbox ;D
/s

According to the new Xbox CEO, nothing is an Xbox but an actual Xbox....You know the whole Corporate talk....

 

[Gravitytr1]

Lame. Unless you're playing through Game Pass, 95% of people playing on PC are gonna be buying their games through steam. Since FH6 just released to everyone today it's hit over 200k+ concurrent on Steam alone. The Xbox app isn't as bad as it used to be, but people are creatures of habit. They've got a lot of work to do if they want to have a storefront people actually want to buy from.

Never gonna go to Xbox app even if it becomes better than steam.

Worse than flowers after the beating

 

[Gezzer]

As someone who's first PC was an AT form factor with an HDD booting to Win95, I really don't have a problem waiting for a reasonable amount of time.
Booting Win10 off a M2 PCIe SSD is so fast to me that I have no need for putting my PC into sleep or hibernation. The SSD is supposed to be magnitudes faster than the SATA M2 it replaced and I don't really see too much of a difference. The majority of the time is spent with windows loading/initializing more than anything else.
As for shaders compiling, I go grab a drink, something to eat, or take piss during that time. Hell, a game's splash screens/opening cut-scenes often take longer than the compiling (looking at you Dune Awakening). Thankfully most games let you skip them after the first time.