AMD's next-gen Radeon GPUs based on the RDNA 5 architecture are still far away from launch as memory shortages grip the PC segment.
Memory Shortages & Rising Component Prices Are The Reason Behind AMD's Push Back on Radeon "RDNA 5" Gaming GPUs
The Radeon RX 9000 GPUs based on the RDNA 4 graphics architecture launched last year. This year, AMD launched the Radeon RX 9070 GRE for gamers, still based on the RDNA 4 architecture. While the new card aims to provide gamers with a good 1440p solution, the majority of those who have been waiting for next-generation solutions from Team Red will have to wait quite a while.
As per Tweakers, who asked multiple sources (AIB partners of AMD) at Computex 2026, the next-gen AMD Radeon gaming GPUs won't arrive soon. The outlet reports that partners are expecting a Q3 2027 launch & some even call this wishful thinking, with an actual launch taking place in early 2028. This delay will mean that we will have to wait at least 2-2.5 years to see next-generation gaming graphics cards.
One of them expects the first AMD RDNA 5 GPUs in the second or third quarter of 2027. Another board partner considers that too optimistic; they are thinking more of the end of next year, or possibly even the beginning of 2028.
NVIDIA is in the same situation with its RTX 50 lineup now entering the 1.5-year mark since launch. There are reports that the "RTX 50 SUPER" family is back on track, but those are going to be a mid-cycle refresh on the same architecture. NVIDIA's Rubin architecture was expected to launch in 2027, as indicated by the announcement of the Rubin CPX GPU, but the company doesn't talk about that much these days.
The reason for the long delay in next-gen gaming graphics card launches is due to the unusual market situation, due to memory shortages, and rising prices of components in general. All major vendors are currently prioritizing AI hardware, and memory firms are unable to meet the supply-demand gap. This is likely going to remain the case till 2028-2029.
Previous reports indicated a Q2 2027 launch for AMD's Radeon GPUs based on the RDNA 5 architecture. Besides this, we have seen a few leaks here and there, but nothing conclusive yet. Some rumors have hinted at over 12,000 cores and 128 cores per compute unit, plus we have also seen a few early configs detailed.
Certain next-gen RDNA GPUs, GFX13 IP, have already shown up in early Linux Kernel codebases. It was also previously rumored that AMD's next-gen RDNA 5 GPUs were going to enter production by Q2 2026 on TSMC's N3P node, though that might be pushed back to late 2026. AMD recently stated that it will be generations before they are able to build the perfect Radeon platform.
Potential AMD RDNA 5 / UDNA GPU Configurations (via Kepler_L2):
| GPU Die | Navi 5X | Navi 5X | Navi 5X | Navi 5X |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Flagship-Tier | Mid-Tier | Low-Tier | Entry-Tier |
| Max Compute Units | 96 CUs (12288 Cores) | 40 CUs (5120 Cores) | 24 CUs (3072 Cores) | 12 CUs (1536 Cores) |
| Max Memory Bus | 512-384 bit | 384-192 bit | 256-128 bit | 128-64 bit |
| Max VRAM Capacity | 24-32 GB | 12-24 GB | 8-16 GB | 8-16 GB |
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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