Microsoft has released DirectX 12 Agility SDK 1.620 Retail and 1.722 Preview, introducing major raytracing improvements designed for highly detailed, dynamic game environments. Announced on October 28, 2026, the updates also expand Advanced Shader Delivery, improve GPU diagnostics and introduce new tools for more efficient graphics processing across supported PC hardware.
Microsoft describes the raytracing changes as the most significant expansion of DirectX Raytracing (DXR) since its introduction in 2018. The new capabilities include Clustered Geometry, Partitioned Top-Level Acceleration Structures (PTLAS) and GPU-driven indirect acceleration-structure builds. These features are currently available through the 1.722 preview rather than the production-ready 1.620 release.
The improvements target a technical challenge in modern raytraced games: maintaining acceleration structures as complex scenes change. These structures organize geometry so graphics hardware can efficiently determine which objects rays intersect. Updating them can become expensive when games contain large amounts of moving, animated or procedurally generated geometry.
Clustered Geometry allows developers to organize triangles into reusable groups that can be assembled into larger acceleration structures. Instead of repeatedly rebuilding geometry from scratch, game engines can reuse clusters and their associated data, potentially reducing the processing required to manage detailed scenes.
Partitioned Top-Level Acceleration Structures address a related problem at the scene level. Traditional approaches can require extensive updates when objects move, while PTLAS allows engines to retain unchanged partitions and update only affected regions. This could make raytracing more practical in environments containing large numbers of independently moving objects.
The third addition, indirect acceleration-structure builds, allows graphics hardware to obtain build inputs directly from GPU memory. This reduces reliance on CPU-generated descriptions and gives engines greater flexibility when handling dynamically generated geometry.
Together, the changes provide developers with new ways to manage raytracing workloads, although their effects on frame rates and visual quality will depend on implementation, driver support and the characteristics of individual games.
Hardware compatibility varies between GPU manufacturers. Microsoft’s official feature-support table lists NVIDIA’s entire RTX GPU family as supported for the new preview raytracing capabilities. AMD support is currently limited to Radeon RX 9000 graphics cards, while Intel lists Arc B-Series GPUs and supported Core Ultra integrated graphics, including the 200V family and Series 3.
AMD has also released a dedicated Agility SDK developer-preview driver, version 26.20.12.01, enabling the new raytracing features on Radeon RX 9000 hardware. Support for individual capabilities requires compatible drivers, and broader DirectX 12 compatibility does not automatically guarantee access to every new feature.
Separately, Agility SDK 1.620 introduces production-ready improvements to Advanced Shader Delivery, Microsoft’s system for distributing precompiled shaders with games. The technology is intended to reduce shader compilation during gameplay and shorten loading times by performing compilation work before the game reaches the player’s PC.
One of the important additions is Partial Graphics Programs, which allows developers to reuse compiled shader program components across multiple graphics pipeline configurations. Microsoft says this approach can reduce compilation time and download sizes by avoiding repeated storage and compilation of shared program components.
The update also introduces more flexible shader database management, including APIs for enumerating and modifying state-object databases and improved support for serialized root signatures. These changes expand the tools available to developers integrating shader precompilation into their games.
The developments also complement Advanced Shader Delivery integration in Unreal Engine 5.8, which gives developers another route to reducing shader compilation stutter in Windows PC games.
Microsoft expanded Advanced Shader Delivery availability across supported AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and Qualcomm hardware earlier in October. The company also confirmed plans to extend the technology beyond the Xbox PC app and Microsoft Store to Steam and the Epic Games Store, with Fortnite among the games expected to receive support.
However, the new Partial Graphics Programs capability has narrower initial driver support. Microsoft’s release documentation lists Radeon RX 7000 and RX 9000 GPUs as supported, while NVIDIA, Intel and Qualcomm support is planned for future drivers.
Agility SDK 1.620 also brings several additional DirectX 12 features into retail availability. Fence Barriers Tier 1 allows developers to signal or wait on GPU fences within command lists, providing more control over synchronization. Batched Asynchronous Command List APIs allow independent GPU operations to be submitted together, potentially improving execution efficiency when workloads can safely overlap.
Another significant addition is DirectX Dump Files, which enables developers to capture GPU crash information from retail games and investigate failures using Microsoft’s PIX graphics debugging tools. Combined with extended PIX markers and additional driver diagnostics, these capabilities are intended to make GPU-related problems easier to identify across supported hardware.
Both Agility SDK releases are available to developers, with support in the latest PIX tooling. Shader Model 6.10 remains in preview, while Microsoft expects to bring it into a retail Agility SDK 1.621 release in early December 2026.
For PC gamers, the distinction between the two releases is important. Agility SDK 1.620 makes several shader delivery, synchronization and diagnostic improvements available for production games, while the major raytracing architecture changes remain experimental in version 1.722.
Neither release automatically improves performance across existing DirectX 12 games. Developers must integrate the new capabilities into their engines and rendering pipelines, and players will need compatible graphics drivers and hardware. The most visible benefits of the new raytracing features will therefore depend on future game-engine adoption rather than an immediate performance increase from updating DirectX.
