Leaked DLSS 5 code lets modders test Nvidia’s AI graphics tech

An unofficial version of Nvidia’s DLSS 5 technology has leaked through an early-access game build, allowing modders to experiment with the company’s latest AI-powered rendering system months before its expected official release.

Code associated with DLSS 5 appeared in an early-access version of NBA 2K27, according to reports. Members of the RenoDX modding community subsequently extracted a 'Neural Rendering' library and began applying it to other PC games.

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Experiments have since appeared using titles including Control, Cyberpunk 2077, Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto V, and GTA: San Andreas.

Videos of the unofficial implementation suggest the technology can substantially alter lighting, textures, shadows, and facial details. In Control, for example, different settings changed the appearance of protagonist Jesse Faden’s face, while demonstrations using GTA: San Andreas showed changes to both character detail and environmental lighting.

The early tests have also highlighted significant performance costs. One reported Final Fantasy VII Rebirth test approximately halved the user’s frame rate, while another demonstration in GTA V showed performance falling from about 90 frames per second to 29 as settings were adjusted. A separate RTX 5070 Ti test in Control reportedly fell from 71fps to 35fps at 4K.

The leaked implementation initially appeared to work on Nvidia’s RTX 50-series graphics cards, although modders have subsequently reported getting it running on RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 hardware as well.

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Nvidia unveils new AI tool to make video games look more realistic

Nvidia announced DLSS 5 in March, describing the technology as a way to generate more photorealistic lighting and materials in real time using artificial intelligence. Its demonstrations prompted debate among players over how heavily AI-generated rendering could alter the original appearance of characters and games.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has defended the technology against concerns about creative control, saying it does not remove developers’ ability to determine their games’ artistic direction.

The leaked software is an unfinished, unofficial implementation, and its current visual quality and performance therefore may not reflect the version Nvidia eventually releases. DLSS 5 is expected to launch officially in the autumn.