Latest Intel Arc beta driver boosts GPU performance in 13 games

Hot on the heels of an earlier full driver release with performance upgrades, Intel has a new beta driver with enhancements for no fewer than 13 games. Ranging from elderly DX9 classics like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to the latest DX12 titles including Dying Light 2, the new beta driver is compatible with all Intel Arc discrete graphics from the A310 right up to the top Intel Arc A770 board.

Ostensibly it's a "Game On" driver release to coincide with the launches of WoW: Dragonflight, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Midnight Suns, The Callisto Protocol, and the latest Unreal Engine 5.1 version of Fortnite. 

For a GPU architecture that was very up and down in terms of its gaming performance, having a new driver which aims to up its performance on a broader suite of games is certainly welcome.

Intel hasn't quantified the performance gains on offer, perhaps because this isn't a final release driver. The last official release saw some games step up by as much as 19%, so fingers crossed this latest beta driver will deliver something similar when it eventually progresses to a full release.

You can check out the full release notes and download the driver here.

The full list of DX9 titles:

• League of Legends
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• Payday 2
• Stellaris
• Starcraft 2
• Guild Wars 2
• NiZhan
• Moonlight Blade

DX11 and DX12 titles:

• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
• Far Cry New Dawn
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• DOTA 2
• Dying Light 2