In March 2026, Nvidia revealed the next evolution of Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology: DLSS 5. This AI-powered shader system was intended to improve graphics across the board, but the public almost universally rejected the idea and called it the AI slopification of games. They had no idea how right they were. Last night, participants in the beta/early access version of “NBA 2K27” discovered that the game included what users consider to be an early experimental version of DLSS 5.
This program, called Nvidia DLSSNR, was later leaked onto the Internet, and modders did what they do best: made DLSSNR work in many games. Some of these titles include “Control” and “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth”. As you might expect, users who try the leaked DLSS 5 find its graphical fidelity a marked downgrade, but the problems don’t end there.
The main problem with the system, modders say, is not how it betrays the games’ artistic integrity, but how it hinders performance. Depending on the title and GPU, frame rates can drop up to 50%. One user in Since the mod uses a supposedly unfinished version of DLSS 5, Nvidia may improve optimization before release so that frame rates don’t dip as sharply. The filters that make games look like AI crap? Not so much. If the leak is any indication, don’t expect DLSS 5 to turn into a must-have hidden Nvidia GPU feature anytime soon.
How DLSS 5 works
When Nvidia announced DLSS 5, the company released a video on its YouTube channel showing the shader in action. This compilation of before-and-after comparisons led to widespread accusations of AI negligence and artistic integrity, but the video did not properly demonstrate the shader system.
According to clips shared on Reddit, DLSS 5 (or at least DLSSNR) works by first enabling DLSS neural rendering via a toggle. Then, users can modify the final result via several drop-down menus and sliders. These include presets and styles, skin structure and tone, and neural rendering intensity. As a result, users can make DLSS 5’s filters as pronounced or subtle as they want. And yes, at its peak, DLSS 5 makes a game almost unrecognizable. Ever wanted to see “Final Fantasy XVI” with downright cel-shaded graphics? You can do this with the right DLSS 5 tweaks. Or wrong ones, depending on your point of view.
As previously noted, the mod uses an unofficial and incomplete version of DLSS 5, so it’s unclear if any of the exposed features will make it into the final release and are simply the result of modders guessing how to fill in the feature gaps. In fact, DLSS 5 only works with the Nvidia RTX 50 series of graphics cards, so while that might remain the case at launch, Nvidia could add compatibility for the RTX 40 line. Regardless, DLSS 5 won’t be mandatory, so you won’t need to enable it when playing games. And if you don’t want this feature on your GPU at all, you don’t need to upgrade your graphics card.
