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Tom’s Hardware
Tom’s Hardware
Technology
Zak Killian

Microsoft debuts DirectStorage 1.4 at GDC 2026, with Zstandard compression and GACL — update promises developers improved compression ratios, faster loading, and more

Microsoft GDC 2026 Noctua
An indistinct render with "Next-Gen Direct Storage API" text laid over.

Microsoft used its DirectX "State of the Union" session at GDC 2026 to introduce DirectStorage 1.4, the latest update to its storage API designed to accelerate game asset streaming on Windows PCs. The headline feature is support for Zstandard (Zstd) compression, alongside a new toolset called the Game Asset Conditioning Library, or GACL.

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(Image credit: Noctua)
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