Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

AMD drops support for Raptr-developed PC performance app Gaming Evolved

By

amd drops support for gaming evolved pc performance app raptr head
Image used with permission by copyright holder
AMD video card owners who relied on the hardware manufacturer’s Gaming Evolved app to regulate in-game performance may see a range of compatibility issues cropping up in the months ahead, as AMD announced that it is dropping support for the once-useful app.

While installed versions of the Gaming Evolved app will still function, AMD notes that it will no longer issue updates adding compatibility and recommended settings for forthcoming games, rendering its feature set largely useless.

Recommended Videos

Developed in collaboration with online gaming activity tracker Raptr, AMD’s Gaming Evolved app automatically tweaked in-game graphics settings for supported games in order to achieve maximum performance based on a user’s hardware setup. AMD previously hired a team of developers to keep the app updated with support for new games as they were released, increasing compatibility and boosting performance for a majority of supported titles as a result.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!
Privacy Policy

In addition to serving as a valuable tool for AMD video card owners, the Gaming Evolved app was a rewards program that allowed gamers to earn points for their in-game playtime and community participation. Points could then later be redeemed for free games, hardware, and apparel during frequent giveaway promotions.

Noticing that the app was no longer included as part of AMD’s downloadable Crimson driver packages, tech news source WCCFtech questioned the company regarding Gaming Evolved’s future. AMD afterward issued a response that put a definitive end to the app’s lifespan.

“Starting September 12 2016, AMD is no longer bundling the ‘AMD Gaming Evolved App’ by Raptr with builds of Radeon Software,” AMD told WCCFtech. “The application will still work. AMD will cease to undertake any compatibility testing, install support, or general technical support for this application, nor will it be available through Radeon Software or its installer. Previous builds of Radeon Software that include the ‘AMD Gaming Evolved App’ dated before September 12 2016 will remain intact and will not be affected.”

As of this writing, AMD’s Gaming Evolved app is still available for download from Raptr’s site, though a lack of updates will limit its usefulness in the months ahead.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
How AMD boosted Ryzen 9000 CPUs by 17% overnight
amd ryzen 9000 retested dt respec

AMD's Zen 5 CPUs, called Ryzen 9000, released with a collective sigh. None of them have it made it onto the list of the best processors, not so much because they're bad, but just because they aren't the best option. Outside of a few niche tasks, they felt more like a price increase and less like a performance increase compared to the previous generation. But that's changing.

We've seen a handful of updates from AMD over the last couple of months, which have culminated in a new BIOS for AMD motherboards that boosts performance across the range -- or so AMD says. I retested the full range of Zen 5 CPUs across games and productivity apps to see where they really sit now that the launch dust has settled.
How did we get here?

Read more
PC gaming is more popular than ever — so why is it still so frustrating?
Cyberpunk 2077 running on the Alienware AW2725QF.

Although I started gaming at the age of 4 on a Super Nintendo, I've spent most of my life as a PC gamer. I have nothing against consoles -- I own a couple, still -- but nothing beats a gaming desktop for me. I love gaming on a PC for things like versatility, upgrade potential, and compatibility with many different games. But PC gaming is far from perfect, even in 2024.

Even with more PC gamers than ever before, issues persist in PC releases. Many of these boil down to the fragmentation of game graphics, and how consoles tend to just work whereas PC gamers have to fiddle with the settings before everything looks good. Here are a few of the PC gaming annoyances that we all have to contend with, and that I hope get addressed in the future.
Resolution woes

Read more
Nearly two years later, AMD’s RX 7000 GPUs don’t even make up 1% of Steam players
RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT on a pink background.

AMD's latest RX 7000 GPUs may be some of the best graphics cards you can buy, but they aren't popular among gamers, at least according to the latest Steam hardware survey. Only one of AMD's RDNA 3 graphics cards even shows up on the survey, with the RX 7900 XTX occupying just 0.37% -- down by 0.03% compared to last month.

It's worth noting that Steam doesn't list every GPU represented in the hardware survey each month, but it at least lists every GPU that represents a decent chunk of players. For context, the lowest-ranking GPU on the list is AMD's RX 5500 XT at just 0.16% of players. Other RX 7000 GPUs like the excellent RX 7900 GRE are likely represented further down, though with a share of only one-tenth of 1% or less.

Read more