The next iteration of Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling model, DLSS 5, will launch on 3 September 2026, introducing a 3D-Guided Neural Rendering feature that uses AI to make video game scenes more photorealistic.
Starting from 3 September 9pm Pacific Time (4 September 12pm SGT), DLSS 5 implementation will debut in NBA 2K27 for all GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and laptops, alongside GeForce NOW, which marks the first gaming title that will make use of its AI features to elevate visual fidelity.
DLSS 5 will introduce 3D-Guided Neural Rendering, a generative AI model that can produce photorealistic lighting effects that traditional rendering struggles with, including elements like how hair glows when backlit, or how light naturally scatters through multilayered materials like human skin. 3D-Guided Neural Rendering works by using the game engine’s rendered frame as a baseline and infusing it with lifelike lighting and materials, which ensures that the original foundation remains unchanged and that it is the artists who control what elements are adjusted.
While all this sounds great on paper, the wider gaming audience has been understandably less receptive to the feature, with many stating that while DLSS helps to improve video game scene lighting significantly, it tends to make character models and faces look uncanny compared to the original vision. Sure enough, even prior to its launch, DLSS 5 has already been leaked across the internet, with users already testing it on multiple games that don’t have official support yet.
Media outlets such as Linus Tech Tips were also able to get their hands on the DLSS 5 features early and tested it in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The overall consensus was that while DLSS 5 generally improved image quality and realism when it comes to non-character-related scenes like environmental shots, the 3D-Guided Neural Rendering implementation on characters themselves is more hit or miss. If a game is designed to be photorealistic, such as Cyberpunk 2077, DLSS 5 works better to improve the definition of faces, but if the game itself is meant to be more stylised, like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, then the added definition and photorealism of DLSS 5 lead to character faces venturing into the uncanny valley.
Even so, Nvidia has made it clear that DLSS 5 and its 3D-Guided Neural Rendering is a tool for game developers to use as they please, meaning that they will be able to choose specific aspects in scenes and tweak the amount of AI filtering for each to improve visual fidelity while preserving the original artistic vision. For games that fully support the feature, such as NBA 2K27, players will also be able to choose if they want to make use of Neural Rendering, meaning that those who don’t can toggle it off while still benefiting from the upscaler’s performance enhancements.
DLSS 5 will be available from 3 September 2026 in NBA 2K27 for all GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs and laptops, and on GeForce NOW, with more supported titles sure to come in the future.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
