Nvidia officially unveiled DLSS 5 (Deep Learning Super Sampling 5) on March 16, 2026, during the GTC big tech conference, which uses generative AI to infuse pixels with photorealistic lighting and materials. Unlike previous versions that focused on speed or sharpness, DLSS 5 can fundamentally alter character appearances and environmental lighting to bridge the gap between games and Hollywood-level VFX. In other words, it uses AI to make games look more realistic on the fly, even going so far as to change lighting and character details. It will be available for some PC games this fall.
Here is the full list of games that will support the feature in the near future:
The recent announcement of the DLSS 5 model has been met with significant controversy online. Primarily, many users are dissatisfied with the integrating AI that makes substantial changes to a game's art direction without direct input from the original creators. Observers have noted that environmental lighting can be completely transformed, at times making areas look entirely distinct from the original design. Users may be reassured to know that this will be an optional feature in supported PC games, rather than being enabled by default.