Gaming
Leaked DLSS 5 Code Sparks Mod Frenzy as Players Test Nvidia's AI Effects Across Games
An early-access build of NBA 2K27 has let modders extract and experiment with Nvidia's unreleased DLSS 5 neural rendering technology on classic games, though results are raising fresh concerns.
The Verge
An early-access version of NBA 2K27 has given modders access to Nvidia's unreleased DLSS 5 technology, leading to a wave of experimental modifications across popular games. Members of the RenoDX Discord community successfully extracted the neural rendering files and began applying them to titles like Skyrim, Cyberpunk 2077, Control, and GTA V, spawning countless videos showing the AI upscaling effects in action.
What the Leaked Tech Does#
The DLSS 5 neural rendering appears designed to enhance characters and environments in real-time. When applied to Control, the feature alters facial characteristics—adjusting skin tone, adding apparent makeup effects, and changing the definition of features like laugh lines. Similarly, in GTA: San Andreas, the technology modifies character faces while sharpening shadows and shifting environmental lighting from warm to cool tones. Other applications have added definition to cartoonish models in Palworld and intensified shadow rendering across various games.
Performance Trade-offs#
The leaked implementation carries significant performance costs. Modders report dramatic frame-rate drops—one user saw performance "halved" when testing the mod with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, while another documented a drop from 90 to 29 FPS when adjusting sliders in GTA V. Preset switching has also proven resource-intensive, consuming substantial amounts of VRAM according to user reports. Initially the mod ran only on RTX 50-series GPUs, but has since been adapted to work with older RTX 4090 and 4080 hardware.
Community Divided on Results#
Reactions remain polarized, echoing the controversy that followed Nvidia's official DLSS 5 reveal this past March. Some players view the AI enhancements as visual improvements, while others dismiss them as "AI slop" that resembles generic AI-filtered photographs rather than artistic game graphics. Critics worry the technology could override developers' creative choices and alter character design intentions. When these concerns surfaced after Nvidia's official announcement, CEO Jensen Huang countered that the tool maintains artistic control, though the debate continues.
The official DLSS 5 release is scheduled for fall 2024.
