An experimental build of NVIDIA DLSS 5 has been leaked by modders, opening the gateway for comparisons across a wide range of games.
After the early access release of NBA 2K27 on August 26, 2026, renodx modders discovered DLL files for an experimental version of NVIDIA DLSS 5 in the game’s files (via SwurvGaming on Twitter/X) and leaked it. It includes 7 different styles, including the default, cinematic, and natural variants. It’s worth mentioning that this experimental version of the neural rendering technology isn’t optimized and can result in a major hit to frame rate.
NVIDIA DLSS 5 vs Vanilla Screenshot Comparison
A comparison between the vanilla version (top) of several games (via ResetEra) and their DLSS 5 enabled counterparts (bottom) can be seen below.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
The Last of Us Part II
Control
Gameplay Footage
Video footage of both Control, Cyberpunk 2077, and GTA: San Andreas running with DLSS 5 neural rendering enabled can be seen below.
During its recent SIGGRAPH 2026 keynote, NVIDIA offered a detailed explanation of DLSS 5 and its underlying technology. Rather than functioning as a fully autonomous image generation system, the algorithm is fundamentally a developer-controlled AI enhancement stage that operates on an already rendered frame. Developers can adjust how strongly NVIDIA DLSS5 affects the final image through a range of controls, including intensity sliders, masking, and model selection, essentially making it an AI post-processing filter.
Director of Applied Deep Learning Research Edward Liu explained that DLSS 5 leaves the renderer responsible for constructing the game world while AI is used afterward to “enrich its appearance.” “The renderer keeps building the world exactly as the game has authored it,” he said. “And the generation becomes the learned stage afterwards to enrich its appearance.” He further described the concept as simulation defining the world and generation enriching its appearance. The keynote highlighted that DLSS5 doesn’t alter geometry or rewrite a game’s content.
