Nvidia unveils DLSS 5, calls it the "GPT moment for graphics"

Nvidia has a major upgrade in store for its DLSS image enhancing technology, adding "photoreal lighting and materials" into the mix

During the Nvidia GTC 2026 Keynote, company CEO Jensen Huang announced the next major iteration of its DLSS technology stack. The AI-based image enhancing and upscaling tool seen in games is at version 4.5, but Huang unveiled DLSS 5 on stage today while calling it the "GPT moment for graphics."

"Twenty-five years after NVIDIA invented the programmable shader, we are reinventing computer graphics once again,” said Huang. "DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics — blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression."

According to the company, the newest version of its technology will introduce a neural rendering model capable of adding "photoreal lighting and materials" to pixels, all in real-time using color and motion vectors taken from each frame as input. While the frame rates that can be achieved while doing all this weren't revealed, the company says that gameplay up to 4K will be supported in DLSS 5. It also touted that such fidelity was only available to Hollywood visual effects teams previously.

The newest upgrade is being backed by a number of major game publishers too, who will be adopting the tech into their games. This includes Bethesda, CAPCOM, Hotta Studio, NetEase, NCSOFT, S-GAME, Tencent, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games, and more.

"The AI model is trained end to end to understand complex scene semantics such as characters, hair, fabric and translucent skin, along with environmental lighting conditions like front-lit, back-lit or overcast — all by analyzing a single frame," adds the company. "DLSS 5 then uses its deep understanding to generate visually precise images that handle complex elements such as subsurface scattering on skin, the delicate sheen of fabric and light-material interactions on hair, all while retaining the structure and semantics of the original scene."

Games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Hogwarts Legacy, Delta Force, Resident Evil Requiem, Starfield, and more games are already confirmed as games that will support the upgrade.

Nvidia didn't give a specific day for DLSS 5's launch or say which of its product lines will support it, but the technology is slated to launch sometime this fall.

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Posted Tuesday 17 March 2026 at 5:44 am AEST (my time).

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