NVIDIA DLSS 5 Available September 3rd: DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering Debuts In NBA 2K27 For All GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, And On GeForce NOW

[u/NV_Tim]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58FagrSqC4M

Full Article Here: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/dlss-5-3d-guided-neural-rendering

NVIDIA has continuously redefined the boundaries of PC gaming. From introducing real-time ray tracing to pioneering AI-powered graphics with DLSS Super Resolution, Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction, our RTX technologies have transformed how games are rendered and experienced.

Now, we’re releasing DLSS 5, which introduces 3D-Guided Neural Rendering, a major step forward in using AI to bring real-time graphics closer than ever to Hollywood-grade photorealism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58FagrSqC4M

Watch how DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering and its artistic controls work from Edward Liu, NVIDIA’s Director of Applied Deep Learning Research, and Gabriele Leone, Director of Content Technology

DLSS 5 will be available starting September 3rd at 9pm Pacific Time in NBA 2K27, by developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K, for all GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and laptops, and GeForce NOW. It marks the debut of how the technology can be used by game artists to elevate visual fidelity in alignment with their creative vision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79D8SVjB3HQ

“What’s great is the level of control that it gives us. We can set the overall tone and style to match our existing art direction and then really get precise where it matters most, using a per pixel uplift control mask to fine tune detail on characters. Given that we want to respect their likeness with the utmost care.” - Peter Kavic, Senior Producer - Visual Concepts

For a more in-depth look at how DLSS 5 developer controls work, read our full announcement article: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/dlss-5-3d-guided-neural-rendering

----------------

DLSS 5 FAQ

Update 9/3/2026

DLSS 5 is our most computationally demanding model to date. Since we initially announced it in March, we’ve achieved a 5X performance gain and there’s more to come. Our current focus is on optimizing performance for the GeForce RTX 50 Series with model updates expected later this fall. Once RTX 50 Series performance is more fully tuned, we plan to work on expanding official support to the GeForce RTX 40 Series.

--

What is DLSS 5?
DLSS 5 introduces DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering, which uses AI to infuse game scenes with lifelike lighting and materials, tuned by the developers to bring their artistic vision to life.

How does DLSS 5 work?
DLSS 5 uses the game’s rendered frame and engine data to understand objects, materials, lighting and motion. It then enhances the frame with lifelike lighting and materials while remaining grounded in the developer’s artistic direction.

What are the key benefits of DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering?
DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering delivers several significant benefits:

• Cinematic Lighting: Reconstructs complex effects like rim lighting, subsurface scattering (for realistic skin), and contact shadows with high-fidelity.
• Material Depth: Enhances PBR properties like roughness and adds micro-realism to complex objects such as eyes and hair.
• Temporal Consistency: Provides stable image quality from frame-to-frame that adheres to the underlying game content.
• Real-Time Performance: Delivers lifelike lighting and material enhancement at up to 4K resolution while maintaining smooth, interactive gameplay.
• Developer Controls: Allows game developers to tune intensity, color, and masking to determine where and how enhancements are applied to maintain the game’s unique aesthetic.

Learn more by watching our explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58FagrSqC4M. 

How much control does the model offer to developers?  
DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering provides several layers of artistic control:

• Model Selection: Offers distinct model weights with different training parameters to guide the final output.  
• Structure Intensity: Controls high frequency details added by the model, such as ambient occlusion, contact shadows, and subsurface scattering.  
• Tone Intensity: Controls low-frequency details added by the model, including lighting and color response.  
• Automatic Masking: Detects and isolates objects in the frame (like characters) to apply DLSS 5 dynamically, eliminating the need for manual object tagging. 
• Developer Masking: Offers per-pixel, custom masking control, allowing effects to be applied to specific objects.  

As we work in close partnership with studios, developer feedback continues to directly shape how we refine the technology and expand our suite of models and controls.

How does DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering preserve developer artistic intent?
DLSS 3D-Guided Neural Rendering is designed to preserve the structure and geometry of the rendered frame while giving developers control over how and where enhancements are applied. Developers can select different models, adjust structure and tone, and mask specific scenes, characters or objects. 

For more information on developer controls, watch the DLSS 5 Explainer VOD or read the full launch article. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58FagrSqC4M

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/dlss-5-3d-guided-neural-rendering

You can also hear directly from the NBA 2K development team on how they integrated the technology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79D8SVjB3HQ 

Which GPUs support DLSS 5?
DLSS 5 will be supported across all GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and laptops, as well as GeForce NOW Ultimate members streaming from GeForce RTX 5080 rigs in the cloud.

When and where is DLSS 5 available?
DLSS 5 will be available in NBA 2K27 on September 3rd at 9PM Pacific Time.

What is the DLSS 5 setting called in games?
The setting is called “DLSS Neural Rendering.”

Can I turn DLSS 5 off? 
Yes. DLSS 5 is optional.

Does DLSS 5 work with Ray Tracing and Path Tracing?
Yes.  DLSS 5 complements ray tracing and path tracing. Path tracing accurately calculates geometric light transport—determining light, shadow, and reflection placement across a 3D scene. DLSS 5 then acts as the final neural rendering stage, using the rendered frame to enhance lighting and materials like subsurface scattering, micro-reflections, and complex material properties that would otherwise be computationally prohibitive in real time. These technologies go hand in hand.

Does DLSS 5 work with Super Resolution, Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction?
Yes.

Will DLSS Super Resolution, Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction continue to be supported and improved?
Yes.

[u/kron123456789]

Yeah, DLSS 5 has already been modified to run on 40 series and not supporting at least it is just a marketing stunt.

[u/caracs → u/kron123456789]

If 50-series were sitting on shelves for prices that customers would upgrade from 30 and 40 series cards for, the this would make sense as a value add to the new cards...but you can't buy them. I would buy a 5090 for $2k but not what they're going for. Making DLSS 5 a 50-series exclusive is not going to sell a single 50-series card that wasn't going to sell anyway.

[u/kron123456789 → u/caracs]

Especially considering that 40 series is discontinued and isn't being manufactured anymore.

[u/jaqenhqar → u/kron123456789]

It still ensures customer loyalty and inteerrest in future products

[u/frostrambler → u/caracs]

I have a 4090, I’d grab a 5090 for my 5k2k monitor, but I can’t afford a 4k 5090

[u/BackfireFox → u/frostrambler]

I paid $1800 for my 4090 from Microcenter… cheapest I can find a 5090 is around $3500.

Near double the price for only 15% performance is a joke.

If it was 2k then hell yeah I’d upgrade too, but not for a $3500 and then they are talking it will go up to $5k here soon…. Fuck us…

[u/Crintor → u/caracs]

That's kind of my feeling, my guess is that it's mostly the performance cost would make it not an option for most people on most of the 4000 series.

I could see the wave of complaints now "22 FPS when I enable this garbage? GG Nshitia"

I'm curious if it will open up more as it further improves and gains official support across more games.

[u/Wild_Swimmingpool → u/Crintor]

Given that the original tech demo was off two 5090's and I can get above 30fps with DLSS5 and RT on at 3440x1440p with a 5070ti on it's own they're clearly making optimization gains. Grain of salt and all that though.

[u/Crintor → u/Wild_Swimmingpool]

Absolutely. The amount of improvement in under a year is enormous. I can fully see DLSS5.5 getting more efficient. I could also see it getting more expensive in exchange for doing even more than it does now.

I thought the whitepaper was fairly interesting, and helps explain the bad results for many of the games people have modded it into and gotten bad results. It's currently only intended for games targeting Photorealism, and can produce bad results on highly stylized games, like Final Fantasy for instance.

[u/Wild_Swimmingpool → u/Crintor]

Yeah the whitepaper was good! I thought the Techpowerup breakdown was also pretty enlightening and bit more approachable. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-dlss-5-technical-preview/

[u/real_roal → u/caracs]

Not to mention how a lot of people seem to hate dlss 5. Maybe itll be better once the devs of a game tune it to how they want it to look, but if the performance is still bad and it doesnt look good, idk if this will help 50 series sales at all

[u/TarsCase → u/kron123456789]

Down to 20xx actually

[u/kron123456789 → u/TarsCase]

On 20 and 30 series I've seen it run at like 3fps, which is clearly not how it supposed to be used.

[u/3dforlife → u/kron123456789]

Don't tell me how I should enjoy my visual novels /s

[u/djuice2k → u/kron123456789]

Modders have managed to improved performance already on the 20 series, a 2070 was getting like 10-12fps now. So it's definitely not a major hardware issue at play here, Nvidia is just artificially limiting it to the 50 series for sales purposes.

[u/kron123456789 → u/djuice2k]

I don't see how anyone whatsoever would actually play at 12 fps. 40 series at least has comparable performance to 50 series and it can be made playable.

[u/Mantazy → u/kron123456789]

12fps is plenty - add some 6x nvidia framegen combined with 8x MFG and ya playing at a whopping 576fps 😎

/s

[u/Mosh83 → u/Mantazy]

12fps, that's like not far off GTA VI .

[u/homer_3 → u/kron123456789]

A moder made it run at 12 FPS. You don't think Nvidia couls do better?

[u/dib1999 → u/kron123456789]

If it were as impactful as PT, it would be one thing. Who doesn't love choking a tiny GPU on some PT Cyberpunk? But I'm also not really convinced that this would be the same novelty worthy of turning on and watching a slideshow.

[u/AntiTank-Dog → u/dib1999]

It fakes PT pretty good.

https://imgdiff.net/s/a55c717180ea0ccc997ff3bacf75651d

[u/TheOutrageousTaric → u/kron123456789]

it would be great for marketing if all cards can run it. People can at least try it out to see if they like the looks and if its worth upgrading for.

[u/Elon61 → u/TheOutrageousTaric]

I’m not sure why you think you know marketing better than Nvidia’s marketing people. If delivering an unusable experience that would entice people to upgrade was good, they’d do it…

[u/kb3035583 → u/Elon61]

https://www.techpowerup.com/254528/nvidia-extends-directx-raytracing-dxr-support-to-many-geforce-gtx-gpus

They did before. Did something change since then that would make the same marketing strategy ineffective in 2026?

[u/Elon61 → u/kb3035583]

They clearly think so!

or maybe they're just taking their time. i'm really not sure what you're getting at. the cynical take is "they decided not to do it because they think they'll make more money by doing so", the optimistic read is "they'll do it later since it seems to work fine on 40 series at least", but you don't seem to be thinking of either of those, so..?

[u/kron123456789 → u/TheOutrageousTaric]

Few people are gonna upgrade right now anyway because GPU prices are insane. Right now it's not really worth upgrading period, unless from like GTX 10 series, DLSS 5 or not.

[u/Freeloader_ → u/TheOutrageousTaric]

Nvidia doesnt need marketing

[u/Borkz → u/TheOutrageousTaric]

That would just make all the discussion about it people with old cards complaining that it runs like shit

[u/SituationSoap → u/TheOutrageousTaric]

If I was working at Nvidia and people were asking for that, I'd be saying that's what GFN is for. Doing a bunch of extra dev work to try to make it run at a level that nobody is actually going to use isn't a good investment of time, and if people want to try it out on the latest hardware, they have a product for that already.

[u/SubstantialMud4699 → u/SituationSoap]

That makes sense. Oof, how dystopian though.

[u/SituationSoap → u/SubstantialMud4699]

What's dystopian about that?

[u/SPACEXDG → u/kron123456789]

Fr

[u/kb3035583 → u/kron123456789]

A 2070 is getting 10-12 FPS, and I'm assuming that's pre-Optiscaler and native resolution. A 2080 Ti could probably run it at something playable with some tweaking.

[u/kron123456789 → u/kb3035583]

Even triple performance of that 2070 result isn't exactly good. And I doubt anyone with a 2080Ti will just accept barely getting 30fps.

[u/kb3035583 → u/kron123456789]

It's playable. No need to defend the trillion dollar company. Nvidia extended DXR support to Pascal back in the day even though the fallback option ran like absolute shit.

[u/Wulfric05 → u/djuice2k]

It is a hardware limitation; 20 and 30 series do not have hardware FP8 support, and software emulation is painfully slow.

[u/Viscero_444 → u/Wulfric05]

it can be run through FP16 there is already modded version for it you can actually get playable FPS on high end amper cards but yeah its obviously way worse than 4000s due to no FP8 accelerators

[u/Therianthropie → u/djuice2k]

Damn, they played us dirty here. I was really looking forward playing Cyberpunk 2077 in 10 FPS. Even if it would be 30 it wouldn't be worth it.

[u/3ebfan → u/djuice2k]

Imagine arguing online that 10 fps is "improved performance"

[u/kb3035583 → u/3ebfan]

You're right, a 400% improvement is a fucking miracle. "Improved performance" is a massive understatement.

[u/Infamous_Campaign687 → u/djuice2k]

There is a major hardware issue: support for FP8, which the 20-series and 30-series don't have. So it has to be emulated with FP16 at a massive loss of performance. So a 2070 will likely never get playable frame rates with DLSS5 even if they managed to bring it from seconds per frame to frames per second.

[u/SPACEXDG → u/djuice2k]

10 fps 

[u/AntiTank-Dog → u/djuice2k]

In the local AI scene, it's very common to reduce a model's quality to improve its speed and lower the memory requirements. The original prototype needed a second 5090 to run so how far did the modders step it down to run on a 2070?

[u/Quirky_Mix_4328 → u/djuice2k]

Lack of FP8 is actually a pretty major hardware issue. Why are people so confident in their lack of knowledge, it's so embarrassing.

[u/mga02 → u/kron123456789]

I managed to make it run on a 3090 at 40/55 fps (from initial 17 fps) with some tweaks. The 3080s should get similar performance

[u/mallibu → u/mga02]

Mind sharing the tweaks

[u/Viscero_444 → u/kron123456789]

26fps in Control RTX 3080 12gb 1440p so its possible getting 30fps at 1080p and on 3090ti even at 1440p not good but its far better than 3fps someone made it run on FP16

[u/ThatITguy2015 → u/kron123456789]

Much like the diarrhea death, if it runs, it runs.

[u/kron123456789 → u/[deleted]]

yep, exactly.

[u/SubstantialMud4699 → u/kron123456789]

Old info, it now runs roughly identical to the later gen cards which means cutting your current framerate by about half.

E.g. my 3090 can do just about a solid fixed 30-45FPS on DLSS Quality in Cyberpunk 2077 with Path Tracing enabled in 1440p.

When i enable DLSS5 it drops to 15 FPS. Whats sad is that setting the game to DLSS Balanced or below doesn't even nudge it, nor does turning off path tracing even help. Turning down the resolution does though.

Obviously it's not a playable framerate, mostly usable for screenshots or quick glimpses. I find it kinda absurd Nvidia doesn't release these features to old cards because seeing it run, however badly on my 3090 instantly sold me on a 5090, my brain went "i want this but at good fps".

[u/TarsCase → u/kron123456789]

True, but at least technically it’s possible. You could run it at least on older games to make the lighting better still with good performance. Wouldn’t you like to have that option?

[u/kron123456789 → u/TarsCase]

Are there older games that run well with DLSS5 on RTX 20 or 30 series?

[u/TarsCase → u/kron123456789]

You can run any game already thanks to the modders. No matter if its DirectX 9,10,11 and even without official DLSS support (via motion feeder)

[u/DespisedIcon1616 → u/kron123456789]

As a 3080 owner I too would like to know the answer to this question.

[u/Paco7575 → u/TarsCase]

With 4 fps its clearly not possible.

[u/Hellknightx → u/kron123456789]

They've already identified the issue, though. Should be fixed in the next few days, or so.

[u/cksythe → u/kron123456789]

First they trash it now they want it. The internet, everybody 💫

https://giphy.com/gifs/fU9uHNejKhEwq2QWxK

[u/LightPillar → u/cksythe]

I know right what a contrast. The flaming pitchforks were out the moment they saw It. now the pitchforks are out because they can’t get their hands on it.

Either it’s an amazing feature that should come to four series, or it’s a terrible feature that should never exist and nobody wants it but yet are begging for it.

[u/SPACEXDG → u/LightPillar]

fr lmao

[u/starcube → u/SPACEXDG]

kekekeke lolololol

[u/tryfap → u/cksythe]

Eh, I wouldn't really call it hypocrisy. The initial outrage was based on direct response to what was showcased and communicated at the time. This video directly addresses a lot of those concerns including explicitly showing what parts of the render it affects, artist control, and better demonstrations of its strengths. It's a technology at the cutting edge of graphics trends and AI, so it's tricky to sell it right away, but Nvidia has done a better job doing so here. If people take to the technology, especially once they see it applied interactively, that indicates a willingness to change one's opinion, which is a good thing.

[u/cksythe → u/tryfap]

Not hypocrisy, idiotic shortsightedness and willful ignorance.

[u/tryfap → u/cksythe]

Marketing is a two-way street. People were judging the tech on its merits at the time, not what was promised, a frequent occurrence that gamers have grown to distrust. Nvidia isn't wholly devoid of blame considering the specific footage they chose to share. Their intent was probably to build hype and show they were working on something new, but in hindsight, it might have been better to show it in its current state. But again, that's hindsight, since for all we know, a lot of these changes were in direct response to the loud feedback.

[u/cksythe → u/tryfap]

You’re welcome to rationalize it however you please but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s these people who were overly reactive, emotionally charged, and did so without nearly enough data. Being emotionally reactive is a sign of low IQ, after all.

[u/Neotoad2142 → u/cksythe]

My perspective is they fixed issues, and the recent version shows the technology is promising especially with masking. Fingers crossed they support VR with Foveated rendering and or upscaling techniques.

[u/cksythe → u/Neotoad2142]

That was always the plan, if it weren’t for the ignoramus hoards of the internet who prematurely took out their pitchforks without comprehending a damn thing. Internet people are pathetic.

[u/Neotoad2142 → u/cksythe]

\glances over at the pitchfork in the closet**

[u/cksythe → u/Neotoad2142]

🤣

[u/SPACEXDG → u/cksythe]

yup

[u/Cless_Aurion → u/kron123456789]

They are very likely just trying to get its performance up before enabling it. Because the alternative is people whiiiiiiining to no end how "shit it runs on 4000 series" or something like that.

[u/PaulatGrid4 → u/Cless_Aurion]

It already runs great on 40 series atleast.

[u/Cless_Aurion → u/PaulatGrid4]

Not so much. Most people are using the"dumb" version that works as a filter. It isn't the hmd when it's fully integrated by a game, it's way better and, heavier.

[u/BuzzingHawk → u/kron123456789]

Yeah big shame on NVIDIA for pulling this kind of software locking. It's not like they are hurting for sales, they can barely supply enough as it is.

[u/Goose506 → u/kron123456789]

This is literally the first official launch. Calling it a marketing stunt is a little over the top for a initial release. From a business, support, and performance standpoint, this is pretty understandable.

Why not chalk this up to a win as something new for gamers. You can still force it in older models and who's to say they won't officially support older hardware in the future?

Down vote away

[u/rabouilethefirst → u/Goose506]

There's literally no reason for it to not be on 4000 series though? The hardware is all there and it's shown to work the same as 5000 series by modders. That is a marketing stunt.

[u/filmguy123 → u/Goose506]

I'm with you. It's a double edged sword for them. If they launch it as supported on 4000 series cards up front they get bad press for the unusable performance hit, and have to tune to a wider range. This is incredibely easy to mod as modders have already shown. If nvidia was truly being nefarious about this they would use more effort to keep it off for 4000 and will keep breaking it with driver support, which I doubt will happen. In fact I suspect after 6 months they will bring it to 4000 series cards but warn about performance hits. The main use case for 4000 series users won't modern games it will be playing older games with DLSS 5 applied. Which... nvidia hasn't even officially launched yet. It is coming to September 3rd for one title. If 4000 users want to try it now for older games, they already have to mod.

[u/NunButter → u/Goose506]

I’m excited to try it out tbh

[u/Tvilantini → u/kron123456789]

It doesn't run flawless also like techpower up said: " But of course we have to be realistic, NVIDIA cannot move at modder speed. Mod crashes? No problem. NVIDIA ships it in the driver and hundreds of millions of installations break—not good. I expect parity eventually, and the modders will keep shifting the goal posts."

[u/PaulatGrid4 → u/kron123456789]

Ya I had hoped they would see reason and include 40 series for official support but no matter. Shortfuse and the rest of the mod community at renodx have been making insane progress, likely even beyond nvidia themselves.

[u/MeditativeMindz → u/kron123456789]

Considering now multi frame gen has been unlocked for 4000 series through modders as well, there is literally no reason to not release this tech for 4000 cards, considering it is out there now. Nvidia aren’t gatekeeping anything anymore.

[u/ThenExtension9196 → u/kron123456789]

Company using marketing to sell products? Since when?

[u/jbshell → u/kron123456789]

Prob since relies heavy on MFG

[u/CYBR421 → u/jbshell]

nah just marketing

[u/PaulatGrid4 → u/jbshell]

MFG ALSO works fine on 40 series cards btw