Nvidia's DLSS 5 Launches Sept. 3, Debuts in NBA 2K27

Nvidia will switch on DLSS 5 on September 3, timing the launch of its newest AI rendering technology to the release of NBA 2K27, according to an official announcement on Nvidia's GeForce news site.

The feature, which Nvidia calls "3D-Guided Neural Rendering," uses an AI model to add lifelike skin subsurface scattering, realistic light transmission through hair and more detailed contact shadows to in-game player models, while an underlying game-engine frame keeps the AI-generated detail anchored to the original geometry. Visual Concepts, the studio behind NBA 2K27, used the tool to enhance athlete character rendering ahead of the game's September 4 release. Players will need a GeForce RTX 50-series GPU and the September 3 Game Ready driver to switch on the new "DLSS Neural Rendering" toggle in-game.

Early hands-on coverage has been mixed. Tom's Hardware and Engadget, which both reviewed pre-release builds, described even the best demos as "supremely subtle" and said leaked footage of other titles, including Resident Evil: Requiem, Starfield and Control, showed "uncanny valley" misfires where AI-enhanced faces looked worse than the originals. One Nvidia director acknowledged the technology remains "orders and orders of magnitude away" from true photorealism.

Because DLSS 5 only runs on RTX 50-series GPUs, compatible laptops and GeForce NOW Ultimate subscriptions, the feature will be out of reach for most PC gamers at launch. Nvidia has not said which other games will add support next.