AMD Adrenalin 26.2.1 Review: Neo3 Performance Boost, Fixes, and Known Issues

Limited bug fixes accompany performance enhancements across RX 7000 and RX 9000 series graphics cards.

Hardware by Tanvir Kabbo on Feb 15, 2026

AMD has released the new Adrenalin 26.2.1 drivers. As usual with the naming structure, 26 represents the year 2026, 2 stands for the month of February, and 1 indicates the first revision of that month. These are optional drivers, not beta drivers.

They are not recommended drivers either, but that does not mean they do not introduce changes or improvements. There are only a few updates in this release, but some performance gains are present, particularly in certain games.

AMD, Adrenalin 26.2.1 Review, Neo3 Performance Boost, Fixes, Known Issues, NoobFeed

New Game Support

The 26.2.1 drivers introduce new game support for Yakuza Kiwami 3, Dark Ties, and Neo3. While the additions are limited, support for new titles is always welcome, especially when accompanied by performance improvements.

Fixed Issues

Only two issues have been officially fixed in this release. Corrupted clouds that could be observed while playing Art Raiders on the RX 9000 series graphics products have been resolved.

Additionally, intermittent application crashes that could occur when playing The Finals with ray tracing enabled on the Radeon RX 7000 series products have been addressed.That is essentially the full list of fixes. Since this is an optional driver, the number of resolved issues is quite small.

Performance Improvements

Neo3 received a noticeable performance increase. Testing shows better fps on both the RX 7000 and RX 9000 series graphics cards, and most likely even on the RX 6000 series. The RX 7900 XTX showed a clear performance boost, while the 9070 XT also improved, although the gain appeared slightly smaller.

Another recently released title, Romeo Is a Dead Man, also showed some performance enhancements during testing. The gains were not massive on the 9070 XT, but they were measurable. If you are playing Neo3 or Romeo Is a Dead Man, you may want to consider updating to 26.2.1.

Otherwise, 26.1.1 remains a solid option, and if you are experiencing issues, 25.12.1 should still work reliably.

Ongoing Known Issues

Despite the minor fixes, several known issues remain. Intermittent application crashes or driver timeouts may occur while loading a saved game in Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing enabled. AMD has stated it is actively working on a resolution, but this issue has persisted for months.

Similar intermittent crashes or timeouts may occur when playing Battlefield 6 on the AMD Ryzen AI HX 370. Testing on a laptop with that chip did not reveal issues during limited playtime, but extended testing may tell a different story.

There are also reports of intermittent crashes or driver timeouts while playing Roblox player cars on racing and drifting when task switching between media on the Radeon RX 7000 series products. Texture flickering or corruption may appear while playing Battlefield 6 with AMD Record and Stream enabled on some AMD graphics products.

Another known issue is that AMD FSR upscaling and AMD FSR frame generation may appear as inactive in AMD Adrenalin software when playing Yakuza Kiwami 3, Dark Ties, and Call of Duty Black Ops 7 when enabled on the Radeon 9000 series graphics products. Additionally, AMD Install Manager is currently unable to install optional drivers properly, and users are recommended to use the installation link available on the official page instead.

Installation Recommendations

We always recommend performing a clean installation when updating drivers, especially if you are moving from much older versions. While it is not strictly necessary for every driver update, using DDU can help prevent potential issues down the road.

If you want peace of mind and wish to avoid unexpected problems, performing a clean installation is the safest approach. You do not have to do it every time, but when switching from significantly older drivers, it is highly advisable.

AMD, Adrenalin 26.2.1 Review, Neo3 Performance Boost, Fixes, Known Issues, NoobFeed

Recording and Stability Observations

Recording issues related to brightness, shadows, and contrast were previously present but were already fixed in 26.1.1. The recording quality in AMD Adrenalin software now appears correct in both 26.1.1 and 26.2.1.

Beyond that, nothing particularly significant was observed in terms of stability changes.

Feature Expectations and AMD’s Silence

People have been asking why there aren't any new features. There is still no support for FSR 4 on older cards, no beta version of FSR 4 INT8, no new features for machine learning frame creation, and no big changes to Radeon technology. AMD hasn't said anything, and they haven't given any fresh information.

Several major games are scheduled for release soon, including Crimson Desert and Death Stranding 2 on PC. There is hope that some of AMD’s newer technologies may be implemented in these upcoming titles. However, given the company’s recent pace of updates over the past several months, expectations remain cautious.

Final Thoughts

The 26.2.1 drivers don't add many new features or fixes, but they do make some games run better. Updating might be worth it if you're playing Neo3 or Romeo Is a Dead Man. If not, staying with 26.1.1 is still a good choice.

We suggest that you look at your existing setup and make a decision depending on the games you play and how stable it is.

Also, check our other AMD articles below: