An early, unreleased version of Nvidia's DLSS 5 technology has been leaked, allowing PC modders to integrate the AI-powered neural rendering suite into a variety of games. The RenoDX modding community developed a toolset to enable this integration, showcasing the technology's capabilities and drawbacks across titles such as Control, Cyberpunk 2077, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Testing in Control demonstrates DLSS 5's ability to enhance character models, adding more detailed facial shadowing and skin textures to protagonist Jesse Faden. However, this enhancement also results in a noticeable difference from the original character model, particularly during movement. The technology's impact on the game world is uneven, with some environmental details benefiting from the AI's touch, while others appear unnatural, leading to a less cohesive visual experience.
The application of DLSS 5 to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a PlayStation 2 era title, starkly illustrates the extent of the AI's alterations. Nvidia had previously stated that DLSS 5 primarily enhances existing geometry rather than fundamentally changing it. However, its implementation in San Andreas results in sweeping modifications to character and environmental models that deviate significantly from the game's original aesthetic, leading to a visual outcome many may not consider an improvement.
Beyond visual concerns, modders have reported a substantial performance hit when DLSS 5 filters are enabled. While the technology has been tested on various RTX 40- and 50-series cards, performance often halves due to the significant GPU VRAM consumption required for its real-time AI model conversions. This early version's performance impact, though expected to be optimized before official release, echoes concerns raised during DLSS 5's initial reveal, which involved multiple high-end RTX 5090 cards.
Nvidia released DLSS 4.5 this week, focusing on Ray Reconstruction for supported ray-traced and path-traced games. DLSS 5 is anticipated to launch in late 2026, though Nvidia has shared limited details since its initial announcement. During its reveal, the company emphasized that game developers would retain full control over how DLSS 5 affects their titles, a point made amidst some developer opposition to the technology's proposed functionality.