diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 025b2b8aa12..ce18f1b62dd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ env:
   REPO_MSRV: "1.85"
   # This is the MSRV used by the `wgpu-core`, `wgpu-hal`, and `wgpu-types` crates,
   # to ensure that they can be used with firefox.
-  CORE_MSRV: "1.76"
+  CORE_MSRV: "1.81"
 
   #
   # Environment variables
diff --git a/wgpu-core/Cargo.toml b/wgpu-core/Cargo.toml
index bf8e84eefe9..f5d69924c34 100644
--- a/wgpu-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/wgpu-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ license = "MIT OR Apache-2.0"
 # copy the crates it actually uses out of the workspace, so it's meaningful for
 # them to have less restrictive MSRVs individually than the workspace as a
 # whole, if their code permits. See `../README.md` for details.
-rust-version = "1.76"
+rust-version = "1.81"
 
 [package.metadata.docs.rs]
 all-features = true
diff --git a/wgpu-core/src/device/mod.rs b/wgpu-core/src/device/mod.rs
index 5bb1aad6f21..91f466d2310 100644
--- a/wgpu-core/src/device/mod.rs
+++ b/wgpu-core/src/device/mod.rs
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ impl fmt::Display for DeviceMismatch {
     }
 }
 
-impl std::error::Error for DeviceMismatch {}
+impl core::error::Error for DeviceMismatch {}
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Error)]
 #[cfg_attr(feature = "serde", derive(serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize))]
diff --git a/wgpu-core/src/error.rs b/wgpu-core/src/error.rs
index b5881825e69..8c5eb8ab12d 100644
--- a/wgpu-core/src/error.rs
+++ b/wgpu-core/src/error.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 use alloc::{boxed::Box, string::String, sync::Arc, vec::Vec};
-use core::fmt;
-use std::error::Error; // TODO(https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/6826): use core::error after MSRV bump
+use core::{error::Error, fmt};
 
 use thiserror::Error;
 
diff --git a/wgpu-hal/Cargo.toml b/wgpu-hal/Cargo.toml
index c54f9db1c99..0b286494755 100644
--- a/wgpu-hal/Cargo.toml
+++ b/wgpu-hal/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ license = "MIT OR Apache-2.0"
 # copy the crates it actually uses out of the workspace, so it's meaningful for
 # them to have less restrictive MSRVs individually than the workspace as a
 # whole, if their code permits. See `../README.md` for details.
-rust-version = "1.76"
+rust-version = "1.81"
 
 [package.metadata.docs.rs]
 # Ideally we would enable all the features.
diff --git a/wgpu-hal/src/auxil/renderdoc.rs b/wgpu-hal/src/auxil/renderdoc.rs
index c5fa96c7941..82750cc3a76 100644
--- a/wgpu-hal/src/auxil/renderdoc.rs
+++ b/wgpu-hal/src/auxil/renderdoc.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 //! RenderDoc integration - <https://renderdoc.org/>
 #![cfg_attr(not(any(feature = "gles", feature = "vulkan")), allow(dead_code))]
 
+use alloc::format;
 use alloc::string::String;
 use core::{ffi, ptr};
 
diff --git a/wgpu-hal/src/gles/wgl.rs b/wgpu-hal/src/gles/wgl.rs
index 0e7acc1884c..71dedf19492 100644
--- a/wgpu-hal/src/gles/wgl.rs
+++ b/wgpu-hal/src/gles/wgl.rs
@@ -440,14 +440,13 @@ impl crate::Instance for Instance {
     unsafe fn init(desc: &crate::InstanceDescriptor) -> Result<Self, crate::InstanceError> {
         profiling::scope!("Init OpenGL (WGL) Backend");
         let opengl_module =
-            unsafe { LibraryLoader::LoadLibraryA(PCSTR("opengl32.dll\0".as_ptr())) }.map_err(
-                |e| {
+            unsafe { LibraryLoader::LoadLibraryA(PCSTR(c"opengl32.dll".as_ptr().cast())) }
+                .map_err(|e| {
                     crate::InstanceError::with_source(
                         String::from("unable to load the OpenGL library"),
                         e,
                     )
-                },
-            )?;
+                })?;
 
         let device = create_instance_device()?;
         let dc = device.dc;
diff --git a/wgpu-hal/src/lib.rs b/wgpu-hal/src/lib.rs
index cd7139b27de..c68bab6e686 100644
--- a/wgpu-hal/src/lib.rs
+++ b/wgpu-hal/src/lib.rs
@@ -240,8 +240,9 @@
 
 extern crate alloc;
 extern crate wgpu_types as wgt;
-// TODO(https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/6826): disable std except on noop and gles-WebGL.
-// Requires Rust 1.81 for core::error::Error.
+// Each of these backends needs `std` in some fashion; usually `std::thread` functions.
+// TODO(https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/6826): gles-WebGL backend should be made no-std
+#[cfg(any(dx12, gles, metal, vulkan))]
 #[macro_use]
 extern crate std;
 
@@ -290,12 +291,12 @@ use alloc::boxed::Box;
 use alloc::{borrow::Cow, string::String, sync::Arc, vec::Vec};
 use core::{
     borrow::Borrow,
+    error::Error,
     fmt,
     num::NonZeroU32,
     ops::{Range, RangeInclusive},
     ptr::NonNull,
 };
-use std::error::Error; // TODO(https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/6826): use core::error after MSRV bump
 
 use bitflags::bitflags;
 use parking_lot::Mutex;
diff --git a/wgpu-hal/src/metal/layer_observer.rs b/wgpu-hal/src/metal/layer_observer.rs
index 6f1fade72ec..8acd83b5314 100644
--- a/wgpu-hal/src/metal/layer_observer.rs
+++ b/wgpu-hal/src/metal/layer_observer.rs
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ const NSKeyValueObservingOptionNew: usize = 0x01;
 #[allow(non_upper_case_globals)]
 const NSKeyValueObservingOptionInitial: usize = 0x04;
 
-const CONTENTS_SCALE: &CStr = unsafe { CStr::from_bytes_with_nul_unchecked(b"contentsScale\0") };
-const BOUNDS: &CStr = unsafe { CStr::from_bytes_with_nul_unchecked(b"bounds\0") };
+const CONTENTS_SCALE: &CStr = c"contentsScale";
+const BOUNDS: &CStr = c"bounds";
 
 /// Create a new custom layer that tracks parameters from the given super layer.
 ///
diff --git a/wgpu-hal/src/vulkan/instance.rs b/wgpu-hal/src/vulkan/instance.rs
index a67781dba73..cf216e62f30 100644
--- a/wgpu-hal/src/vulkan/instance.rs
+++ b/wgpu-hal/src/vulkan/instance.rs
@@ -34,10 +34,8 @@ unsafe extern "system" fn debug_utils_messenger_callback(
         // https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-ValidationLayers/issues/5671
         // Versions 1.3.240 through 1.3.250 return a spurious error here if
         // the debug range start and end appear in different command buffers.
-        const KHRONOS_VALIDATION_LAYER: &CStr =
-            unsafe { CStr::from_bytes_with_nul_unchecked(b"Khronos Validation Layer\0") };
         if let Some(layer_properties) = user_data.validation_layer_properties.as_ref() {
-            if layer_properties.layer_description.as_ref() == KHRONOS_VALIDATION_LAYER
+            if layer_properties.layer_description.as_ref() == c"Khronos Validation Layer"
                 && layer_properties.layer_spec_version >= vk::make_api_version(0, 1, 3, 240)
                 && layer_properties.layer_spec_version <= vk::make_api_version(0, 1, 3, 250)
             {
@@ -611,7 +609,7 @@ impl crate::Instance for super::Instance {
         let app_info = vk::ApplicationInfo::default()
             .application_name(app_name.as_c_str())
             .application_version(1)
-            .engine_name(CStr::from_bytes_with_nul(b"wgpu-hal\0").unwrap())
+            .engine_name(c"wgpu-hal")
             .engine_version(2)
             .api_version(
                 // Vulkan 1.0 doesn't like anything but 1.0 passed in here...
@@ -653,8 +651,7 @@ impl crate::Instance for super::Instance {
                 .find(|inst_layer| inst_layer.layer_name_as_c_str() == Ok(name))
         }
 
-        let validation_layer_name =
-            CStr::from_bytes_with_nul(b"VK_LAYER_KHRONOS_validation\0").unwrap();
+        let validation_layer_name = c"VK_LAYER_KHRONOS_validation";
         let validation_layer_properties = find_layer(&instance_layers, validation_layer_name);
 
         // Determine if VK_EXT_validation_features is available, so we can enable
@@ -678,11 +675,9 @@ impl crate::Instance for super::Instance {
             .intersects(wgt::InstanceFlags::GPU_BASED_VALIDATION)
             && validation_features_are_enabled;
 
-        let nv_optimus_layer = CStr::from_bytes_with_nul(b"VK_LAYER_NV_optimus\0").unwrap();
-        let has_nv_optimus = find_layer(&instance_layers, nv_optimus_layer).is_some();
+        let has_nv_optimus = find_layer(&instance_layers, c"VK_LAYER_NV_optimus").is_some();
 
-        let obs_layer = CStr::from_bytes_with_nul(b"VK_LAYER_OBS_HOOK\0").unwrap();
-        let has_obs_layer = find_layer(&instance_layers, obs_layer).is_some();
+        let has_obs_layer = find_layer(&instance_layers, c"VK_LAYER_OBS_HOOK").is_some();
 
         let mut layers: Vec<&'static CStr> = Vec::new();
 
diff --git a/wgpu/src/api/surface.rs b/wgpu/src/api/surface.rs
index dddfd13ecf8..9c49996bc14 100644
--- a/wgpu/src/api/surface.rs
+++ b/wgpu/src/api/surface.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 use alloc::{boxed::Box, string::String, vec, vec::Vec};
-use core::fmt;
-use std::error; // TODO(https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/6826): use core::error after MSRV bump
+use core::{error, fmt};
 
 use parking_lot::Mutex;
 use raw_window_handle::{HasDisplayHandle, HasWindowHandle};
diff --git a/wgpu/src/api/surface_texture.rs b/wgpu/src/api/surface_texture.rs
index 16aa4cc3c6f..7ceeffb9550 100644
--- a/wgpu/src/api/surface_texture.rs
+++ b/wgpu/src/api/surface_texture.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-use core::fmt;
-use std::error; // TODO(https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/6826): use core::error after MSRV bump
+use core::{error, fmt};
 use std::thread;
 
 use crate::*;