Nvidia's DLSS 5 Finally Makes Games Look Better, Not Weirder
Your video games will soon look sharper and run faster, without the creepy face changes.
Nvidia's DLSS 5 is a clever piece of software that uses AI to improve video game graphics and speed. When it was first shown earlier this year, it made characters look strange — like turning a teenager into a middle-aged man. That creeped gamers out. Now, after months of tweaking, DLSS 5 is ready for its first big game: Hogwarts Legacy, arriving November 5th. The changes are now much more subtle, so faces look natural and environments get a gentle boost. Nvidia says game developers have full control over how it's used.
Beyond looking better, DLSS 5 is also getting faster. An October update makes it twice as quick on Nvidia's latest RTX 50-series graphics cards and upcoming RTX Spark laptops. It also uses 20% less video memory, which helps games run smoothly at high resolutions. This new version will first appear in NBA 2K27 on October 16th and will be standard in future DLSS 5 games.
Nvidia is also updating its Nvidia app with a new performance mode for Frame Generation — a feature that boosts frame rates for smoother gameplay. This mode is up to 35% faster on RTX 40- and 50-series cards, though there might be a slight drop in image quality. It's a trade-off some gamers will happily make for extra speed.
In short, DLSS 5 is finally living up to its promise: better-looking games that run faster, without the uncanny valley. If you have a recent Nvidia graphics card, you'll see the benefits in games like Hogwarts Legacy and NBA 2K27 soon. For everyone else, it's a sign that AI in gaming is maturing — focusing on subtle improvements rather than flashy gimmicks.
- DLSS 5 arrives in Hogwarts Legacy on November 5th, with more natural-looking faces after early versions made characters look too old.
- An October update makes DLSS 5 twice as fast on RTX 50-series GPUs and cuts video memory use by 20%, so games run smoother.
- Nvidia's app also gets a faster Frame Generation mode, up to 35% quicker on RTX 40- and 50-series cards, with minor image quality trade-offs.
Why It Matters
If you play games on a recent Nvidia card, you'll get smoother, better-looking games without upgrading hardware.