Which Windows version introduced the DirectX 12 API?

The DirectX 12 API was introduced with Windows 10. Microsoft announced DirectX 12 in 2014 and released it alongside Windows 10 in 2015, presenting it as a lower-level graphics API designed to give games and other demanding applications more direct control over CPU and GPU resources.

Compared with earlier DirectX versions, DirectX 12 can reduce driver and software overhead, improve multithreaded command submission, and expose features such as explicit resource management. These changes can help developers use modern hardware more efficiently, although the actual performance benefit depends on the game, engine, graphics card, and quality of the developer’s implementation.

DirectX 12 is centered on Direct3D 12, its 3D graphics component, but DirectX is a broader family of multimedia technologies. Windows 10 did not replace every earlier version: games can still use DirectX 9, 10, or 11, and compatibility layers allow older software to continue running. Windows 11 also supports DirectX 12, but it was Windows 10 that introduced the API.