Modders bring DLSS 5 to a huge number of games using leaked Nvidia files

DLSS 5 is getting modded into games using leaked Nvidia DLLs

Modders have taken Nvidia’s leaked DLSS 5 DLL file and have already used it to get Nvidia’s Neural Rendering technology working in a variety of games. Above, we can see how PureDark has used DLSS 5 Neural Rendering in Skyrim, showcasing improved lighting and sking/hair appearance.

One of the modders behind the RenDX modding toolset successfully got Nvidia’s DLSS 5 technology working in Control. Since then, gamers have applied DLSS 5 to a huge range of games. That means a wave of new DLSS 5 screenshots is now hitting the web. That said, these screenshots come from early DLSS 5 mods that lack game-specific integrations. DLSS 5 may look better when it is officially released by Nvidia.

(Image from Neogaf Forums)

In Control and The Last of Us Part II, we can see how DLSS 5 Neural Rendering can impact the skin of characters. Details that are hard to spot with standard game lighting become much more prominent with DLSS 5, with Nvidia’s DLSS 5 tech attempting to deliver more realistic skin rendering.

For Control’s Jessie Faden, the character appears much older. In contrast, DLSS 5 doesn’t appear to have the same impact on The Last of Us Part II’s Ellie. Both characters have much better-looking eyes, with more prominent subsurface scattering on skin. For both games, DLSS 5 gives each game more “realistic” visuals, making them look less like game screenshots and more “uncanny valley”.

(Image from Neogaf Forums)

These games were not made with DLSS 5 in mind

In Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, we can see some major changes to Edward Kenway’s face. Overall scene lighting has also been changed to make colours less vibrant and saturated. This change fundamentally alters the look of Black Flag Resynced, arguably disregarding the game’s artistic intent in favour of increased “realism”.

(Image from Neogaf Forums)

With DLSS 5, modders are using AI to generate updated lighting and materials for games. Overall game colour also appears to change, with overly saturated games becoming less vibrant. These mods showcase DLSS 5 in a way Nvidia didn’t intend. With DLSS 5, game developers have tools to control intensity, colour grading, and other options. If these tools work as intended, they will let developers use DLSS 5 while retaining their artistic vision for their games.

So far, there have been many examples of DLSS being used with negative results. This is especially true when DLSS 5 is used on children in games. DLSS 5 doesn’t appear to determine a character’s age before it alters their skin. This can make children look much older than they are, which is rather bizarre. Nobody wants children to look like little old men; that’s rather creepy.

DLSS 5 has a huge performance cost

So far, DLSS 5 appears to have a huge performance cost. In Control with an RTX 5070 Ti at 4K, the game moves from 71 FPS to 37 FPS with DLSS 5 enabled. Perhaps Nvidia could improve DLSS 5’s performance in future updates (remember DLSS 5 hasn’t been released yet). That said, if DLSS 5 releases in its current state, many will consider its performance cost too high to use.

You can join the discussion on how modders have used Nvidia’s leaked DLSS 5 files on the OC3D Forums.