An unofficial Nvidia DLSS 5 runtime is already being pushed into PC games, and the first results look less like a clean image upgrade and more like a face filter that escaped from the lab. Modders have made the experimental build run in Grand Theft Auto V, Control, and Cyberpunk 2077, with character models taking most of the damage.
Earlier DLSS versions generally use machine learning to rebuild a higher-resolution image from a lower-resolution input while staying close to the original artwork. DLSS 5 goes further by using AI image generation to alter the image itself. That can mean extra texture and facial volume, but it can also impose a synthetic look that clashes with a game’s original art direction.
DLSS 5 has not been officially released. The relevant file, nvngx_dlssnr.dll, surfaced in an NBA 2K27 early access build, where it did not provide direct controls. Windows lists it as Nvidia DLSSNR version 310.8.0.0, a detail also reported by VideoCardz. RenoDX community modders have since been injecting the library into other games through an experimental runtime.
Because the current build is being tried in games that were not necessarily prepared for it, results can swing wildly from one character to the next. One face may gain convincing detail while another suddenly looks much older or more artificial.
Grand Theft Auto V is the clearest example so far. Michael’s character model receives a facial makeover that looks unnaturally polished and just a little wrong. It is the kind of visual change that makes a graphics demo feel like a cursed character creator.
LMAOOO I Yassified michael pic.twitter.com/9rfalErej5
— SwurvGaming (@SwurvGaming) August 28, 2026
Control pushes the experiment even further. The runtime’s panel includes 7 overlay styles, although the test reported that only 3 currently worked. Style 1, pushed to its maximum setting, changes Jesse Faden’s facial features so sharply that she can look like an entirely different character. The same test reported that Ray Reconstruction would not work, while Neural Reconstruction did. Its comparison used ultra settings, ray tracing enabled, and 2 rays.
So DLSS 5 on control, for some reason i can't get RR to work, but NR works fine. It seems only 3 styles work right now. Heres a side by side of style 1 cranked up to the max vs vanilla. these are ultra settings rt on with 2 rays. pic.twitter.com/8hC4WBkImk
— SwurvGaming (@SwurvGaming) August 28, 2026
Hogwarts Legacy shows why stylized or game-specific character models may be an awkward match for the current experiment. A student can receive heavier skin texture, clearer separation between the cheeks and jaw, and a more mature appearance. At stronger settings, otherwise neutral expressions can become noticeably severe, turning extra detail into another kind of face filter.
Starfield provides a less unsettling example. With the settings adjusted carefully, a character with flat, untextured skin can gain more human-looking detail and facial volume. The result still changes the original artwork, but the added detail can read as an improvement rather than an unwanted filter.
Early reactions are split along those lines. Some testers have been pleased with more convincing skin and facial structure, while others see the same changes as a loss of the game’s visual identity. For now, the best results seem to depend heavily on the character, the game, and how aggressively the settings are pushed.
The experimental effects have also been shown in Cyberpunk 2077, but the project is still rough around the edges. RenoDX has not released a public version of the mod, and the current build has trouble running alongside Ray Reconstruction and HDR.
The problems are not limited to character faces. The AI pass runs after upscaling and other rendering steps, adding more work to the graphics pipeline. Even an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti could struggle with the current build, so this is not a lightweight filter for older PCs.
None of this should be confused with a finished Nvidia feature. DLSS 5 remains unreleased, and this community test may look and behave differently before the reported fall release. For now, it is a strange technical experiment with the unfortunate habit of turning recognizable characters into uncanny mannequins.
Would you want to see Nvidia’s finished version after this early look, or should Michael be left alone? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
