Leaker indicates that Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3060 returns this June, retaining its 12GB VRAM offering

Nvidia seems to be going against the grain when it comes to resurrecting certain last-generation GPUs, as new reports suggest that Team Green is bringing its GeForce RTX 3060 12GB back into production after it was discontinued in August 2024.

Given that the current tech market is struggling with memory shortages and shocking price hikes, this move could give budget-minded gamers an affordable and capable option for their first build.

The news comes from Chinese industry sources. According to Chinese Board Forums, Nvidia will resume production of the RTX 3060 12GB in June 2026. Add-in board partners will also start mass-producing the GPU for a July 2026 launch, involving the usual names like MSI, ASUS, Colorful, and Palit Group’s GALAX brand.

Leveraging older process nodes to ease supply pressures

According to reports, the board partners will receive a newly fabbed batch of 8nm Ampere chips to begin production. This is contrary to a simple inventory dump, as Nvidia is rumored to be restarting production using Samsung’s older 8nm process, which prevents the company from tapping into resources needed to produce its Blackwell GPUs.

The first details surfaced on the Chinese forum Board Channels and were quickly picked up by leakers. Among them, one leaker known as MEGAsizeGPU explained the bigger picture on X as early as April 17, saying, “The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 9G is delayed, with its launch becoming pretty uncertain now. The newly produced RTX 3060 will fill the gap, ETA June 2026.”

A separate report sourced from the forum stated that the rumored RTX 3060 reproductions are “not to clear the existing inventory, but to fulfill the current market demand due to GPU shortages.”

With this much information, it’s clear that Nvidia might reintroduce the tried-and-tested RTX 3060 despite its older design and architecture, while entry-level RTX 50-series launch plans hit roadblocks due to the ongoing memory crunch.

Released in 2021 with 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM, a 192-bit memory bus, and 3,584 CUDA cores, the RTX 3060 still holds up in modern games at 1080p and 1440p at respectable visual settings, especially with DLSS enabled. However, it’s estimated to be about 10–15% slower than the upcoming RTX 5050. Still, the extra VRAM should help its longevity.

A supply-centric conundrum?

The big question right now is supply. Will Nvidia face supply constraints with an RTX 3060 re-release? Furthermore, pricing remains a major unknown. If Nvidia crosses the $250-$300 retail threshold for the re-released RTX 3060, it might be a hard sell for gamers looking for a budget-friendly GPU.

What is possibly more important here is how supply will be managed at both the AIB and consumer levels, with most high-VRAM Nvidia GPUs already trading at a significant premium over their advertised MSRPs.