Mesa 26.0 brings significant raytracing performance improvements to the RADV Vulkan driver

Mesa 26.0 has been released, introducing major updates to this open source 3D graphics library's supported APIs. The new version now includes updated implementations for Vulkan 1.4, OpenGL 4.6, OpenGL ES 3.2, and OpenCL 3.0. These core API upgrades expand compatibility and bring advanced graphics and compute features to more platforms.

Building on performance improvements, the RADV driver for AMD hardware achieves notable gains in raytracing since Mesa 25.3. Additionally, the RadeonSI driver now defaults to the ACO backend, which speeds up code generation and enhances overall GPU performance and compile times for users of Radeon graphics cards.

Alongside these technical updates, the Mesa 26.0 release alters how some RADV driver configurations are set. Deprecated RADV_DEBUG options have been removed in favor of new driconf variables, streamlining the configuration process for advanced users.

These mainline enhancements are joined by the introduction of KosmicKrisp, a new Vulkan to Metal layered driver designed for macOS, extending Vulkan API capabilities to Apple's platforms. Across all supported drivers and components, Mesa 26.0 also delivers new extensions and further improvements in graphical functionality.