NVIDIA takes things further with the development of DLSS 5 that features such technology as 3D-Guided Neural Rendering and aims at making video games look even more real without developers creating every single detail in a traditional manner.

As opposed to DLSS predecessors that were mostly aimed at optimizing performance, image reconstruction, ray tracing, and frame generation, DLSS 5 aims at improving the quality of visuals by adding AI-rendered realistic lighting and materials in game scenes.

NBA 2K27 will become the first game that will feature the new technology and will release it on September 3.

So, What Exactly Is DLSS 5?

In simple terms, DLSS 5 makes use of AI as an additional stage in rendering process.

Video game creates a scene according to its geometry, textures, lighting, and other visuals. DLSS 5 then takes that rendered information, including the frame’s color and motion vectors, and uses AI to enhance how lighting and materials appear.

The important part here is that NVIDIA says DLSS 5 isn’t simply generating random details or creating an image from a text prompt.

Instead, the original game-rendered frame remains the foundation. It enables the technology to improve lighting, shadows, skin, hair, and materials without affecting the geometry and artistic design by the developers.

To be more specific, the game will give the instruction to the AI of what should the scene look like, and DLSS 5 will help to make it more realistic.

Character Rendering

One of the most interesting uses of DLSS 5 demonstrated by NVIDIA is character rendering.

For example, in NBA 2K27, DLSS 5 will help to improve subsurface scattering, which describes the interaction between light and objects like skin of a human.

This feature will allow the players’ skin become warmer in the arena lighting conditions.

It can also improve contact shadows, ambient occlusion, hair lighting and other small details that can make a character feel more realistic.

NVIDIA specifically highlights players such as Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, showing how DLSS 5 can improve their appearance while still maintaining the facial geometry created from real-world scans.

And it’s not only the main players.

Improvements in lighting and material responses will be a benefit to both the spectators and the staff, and this will help to increase realism in the environment.

Developers Are in Charge

There is one point that NVIDIA wants to emphasize when talking about DLSS 5, and this is the fact that developers are in charge of using it.

Developers have the right to use different AI models and to control the impact of technology on different elements of a scene.

Instead, developers can decide where and how much AI-enhanced lighting and material detail should be applied to match the game’s artistic direction.

For gamers, however, NVIDIA says it will essentially be a simple on-or-off option.

DLSS 5 Is Also About Performance

While the biggest focus of DLSS 5 is visual quality, NVIDIA is still combining it with its existing DLSS technologies.

In NBA 2K27, DLSS 5 works together with DLSS Super Resolution and Multi Frame Generation, allowing players to get both higher image quality and higher frame rates.

NVIDIA claims that the GeForce RTX 5090 can reach up to 370 FPS at 4K Ultra settings with ray tracing enabled in NBA 2K27.

At 1440p, NVIDIA lists up to 590 FPS on the RTX 5090, 410 FPS on the RTX 5080, 350 FPS on the RTX 5070 Ti and 260 FPS on the RTX 5070.

Of course, these are NVIDIA’s own performance figures, so we’ll still have to see how DLSS 5 performs in actual testing.

Coming First to NBA 2K27

NBA 2K27 will be the first game to officially launch with DLSS 5 and 3D-Guided Neural Rendering.

The technology will be available on GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, as well as through GeForce NOW.

Players will need NVIDIA’s new GeForce Game Ready Driver, which is scheduled to launch on September 3 at 9 PM PT, to enable the DLSS Neural Rendering option in the game.

What This Means for PC Gaming

DLSS has gradually moved from being mainly a performance technology into something much bigger.

With DLSS 2, NVIDIA focused heavily on AI-powered image reconstruction. DLSS 3 introduced Frame Generation, while newer versions continued improving reconstruction and frame generation.

Now with DLSS 5, NVIDIA is using AI to help with the actual appearance of the rendered scene, particularly lighting and materials.

That could become an interesting direction for future games.

Instead of developers having to spend more GPU resources rendering every small lighting and material detail traditionally, AI can potentially fill in some of that visual complexity in real time.

The big question, however, will be how well it works across different types of games.

NBA 2K27 is a good first showcase because realistic human characters, skin, hair and arena lighting are areas where the technology can make a very noticeable difference.

But seeing DLSS 5 implemented across open-world games, RPGs, shooters and other genres will give us a much better idea of how significant this technology really is.

For now, NVIDIA is positioning DLSS 5 as the next step in its AI-powered graphics technology—and this time, it’s not just about getting more FPS.

It’s about making those frames look better too.