AMD's next generation of Radeon GPUs might not launch until 2028, according to its partners

If you’ve been holding off on a GPU upgrade, not just because graphics cards are really expensive at the moment, but also because you were hoping a new range of cards might arrive later this year, you’ll be disappointed in the latest AMD GPU rumor. According to “several manufacturers producing AMD graphics cards,” its next-generation RDNA 5 GPUs won’t launch until at least late 2027, and possibly not until 2028.

This would actually only make for a two to three-year gap between the launch of its current RX 9000 series cards and the new models, which is far from unprecedented. However, because AMD didn’t produce a GPU to compete with Nvidia’s most powerful RTX 5000 options, coupled with the fact that GPU prices have been so high recently, it is going to feel like a lot longer for those hoping a bit of refreshed competition would drive prices down.

This AMD GPU rumor comes from Dutch tech site, Tweakers, which claims to have spoken to several AMD graphics card board partners – which could be companies such as Asrock, Asus, Gigabyte, Powercolor, Sapphire, or XFX.

Understandably, the site hasn’t named any individual companies in its report but claims that, “One of them expects the first AMD RDNA 5 GPUs in the second or third quarter of 2027.” However, it also goes on to say that another board partner is “thinking more along the lines of the end of next year, or possibly even the beginning of 2028.”

In many ways, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the current chip manufacturing shortage caused by AI data centers buying up all the GPUs and RAM. This latest news also tallies with the latest rumors surrounding Nvidia’s gaming GPUs, with it previously being expected that a refreshed lineup of RTX 5000 series cards would be arriving later this year with boosted amounts of VRAM. However, it’s now expected that this refresh won’t happen and that Nvidia will also wait until late 2027 for a proper refresh.

So where does this leave the humble gaming GPU buyer right now? Well, our best graphics card guide has already been adjusted to account for the very latest graphics card price rises, so if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck right now, it can point you in the right direction. You can also check out my AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE review (as pictured above), which will get you up to date on AMD’s latest GPU release.

Otherwise, patience will be the key to surviving the next few years of PC gaming. That or hoping the AI bubble pops.