July 28, 2026
Open windows, open drama
Cracking Windows Open: Porting RADV to Win32
Windows gamers are watching Linux’s favorite AMD graphics project make a wild leap across enemy lines
TLDR: A major open-source AMD graphics project from Linux has now been pushed far enough on Windows to run Counter-Strike 2, which is a big step toward a public alternative to AMD’s closed software. Commenters are split between dreaming of a fully open driver takeover and asking for the very unglamorous but useful compatibility chart first.
In a move that sounds like a dare from the internet, the open-source AMD graphics project RADV — basically the fan-favorite engine behind a huge chunk of Linux gaming — is being dragged onto Windows. And yes, the developers already got Counter-Strike 2 running, which instantly turned the comment section into a mix of applause, wish-casting, and backseat project management. For non-experts: this could eventually mean a community-built alternative to AMD’s Windows-only closed driver, with easier bug-fixing and more public tinkering.
The loudest reaction? "If you got this far, why stop now?" One commenter flat-out challenged the idea that making a fully open Windows graphics driver is off the table, arguing it would be a dream for users and even tossing in the now-obligatory AI angle: maybe LLMs could help with the boring glue work. That’s the big drama thread here — is this a clever shortcut piggybacking on AMD’s hidden Windows pieces, or the opening act for a full-blown open-driver rebellion?
Meanwhile, the practical crowd showed up with a very different vibe: less "storm the castle," more "please post a compatibility chart." One developer-minded commenter asked for a simple matrix of which graphics cards work, what features are supported, and what’s still broken. It’s a classic tech-community split: one side is posting revolution, the other side wants a spreadsheet. Honestly? Both are very online, and both make this story way juicier.
Key Points
- •The article describes an effort to port RADV, Mesa’s open-source Vulkan driver for AMD GPUs, from Linux to native Windows.
- •Faith Ekstrand’s earlier work showed that RADV could interface with Windows by reverse engineering undocumented WDDM2 private driver data and using AMD’s proprietary kernel driver.
- •A key enabler is Windows 10’s WDDM2 model, although undocumented D3DKMT private blobs keep the user-mode and kernel-mode drivers tightly coupled.
- •The current project improved flexibility, native Windows portability, stability, command handling, synchronization, and support for features including sparse bindings, tessellation, task shaders, and dynamic GPU property queries.
- •The project has reached a milestone where RADV on Windows can run Counter-Strike 2 using the Vulkan renderer, though the driver is still not conformant.