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Nvidia hasn’t yet announced a release date for DLSS 5, which it revealed to widespread backlash earlier this year. But a recent leak has provided PC modders the ability to inject the neural rendering in almost any game, which is being used to showcase just how awful its AI-powered face filters can get.
Accidentally included in a build of NBA 2K27 (via VideoCardz), an early version of DLSS 5 was accessed and made useable by the RenoDX modding community, who quickly developed a crude toolset allowing anyone to use the suite across a variety of games. These ranged from extensive tests on Control, Cyberpunk 2077, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and even Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, each showcasing some of the benefits and the many, many drawbacks of the heavily AI-reliant post-processing that Nvidia plans to introduce.
Control is one of the most interesting examples as it offers good looks at both sides of the coin. When toggled on, protagonist Jesse Faden’s character model definitely looks more detailed, gaining more facial shadowing and detailing across the skin’s surface. But it also makes her look quite different to the original model, sticking out even more in motion as you navigate through a world that is unevenly enhanced in the same way. There are clear benefits to some environmental details, especially some models that are starting to show their age. But it just looks unnatural in so many ways, clearly showcasing how just minor blemishes can make a whole scene feel incohesive.
Another interesting example is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, particularly because of how old the game is. Back when DLSS 5 was announced, Nvidia defending the technology by stating that it was simply enhancing geometry already present in a game, and not fundamentally altering it. It was difficult to take at face value then given the examples, but it completely breaks down when looking at how much it alters a PlayStation 2 title. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks this is a superior-looking version of the Rockstar classic, which makes sweeping changes to character and environmental models that just look wrong.
The ability to test this neural-rendering suite out has also been eye-opening in terms of how it performs. Modders using DLSS 5 have managed to get it working across various RTX 50- and 40-series cards, but across the board, performance takes a massive hit with the filters turned on. As expected, the consumes a massive amount of GPU VRAM as its models run locally to make conversions in real astime, sometimes halving frame rates in the process, too. This is obviously an early version not intended for public release, and will certainly be optimized further. But it confirms some fears from its initial reveal, where the tech was running on multiple RTX 5090s.
Nvidia released DLSS 4.5 during Gamescom this week, introducing the next generation of Ray Reconstruction to improve image quality in supported ray-traced and path-traced games. DLSS 5 is expected to launch later in 2026, although Nvidia has not spoken about it significantly since its reveal. In one of its last messages, Nvidia stressed that game developers will have full control over the post processing effect and how much it can alter a scene, while several developers spoke out against its existence.
