Nvidia isn't a company content to sit back and enjoy its wins. Instead, it's always looking to push graphics technology forward, and at its GTC 2026 event, the company revealed DLSS 5, a new technology designed to deliver a significant leap in video game graphics.
"Twenty-five years after NVIDIA invented the programmable shader, we are reinventing computer graphics once again," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, in a press release. That's exciting for gamers looking for the best visuals, which is why the CEO called it a "GPT moment for graphics."
What is DLSS 5 and should you care?
According to Huang, DLSS 5 is about "blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression."
Essentially, it's using AI to enhance game visuals by infusing scenes with photorealistic lighting and materials. It sounds like game artists will still make characters, scenes and other aspects of the game by hand and DLSS 5 will come in and make everything look nicer.
Nvidia claims that its AI technology "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."
That sounds like the stylistic choices made by developers won't change — everything will just look more realistic.
It sounds like big game publishers are excited to use the technology in their games, with Nvidia touting brands like Bethesda, Capcom and Vantage Studios as using it. Other games that will include DLSS 5 support include AION 2, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Delta Force, Hogwarts Legacy, Phantom Blade Zero, Resident Evil Requiem, Sea of Remnants, Starfield, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Where Winds Meet and more.
“Bethesda has such a rich history pushing graphics with NVIDIA, going all the way back to Morrowind, with that incredible water,” said Todd Howard, studio head and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, talking up the technology. “When NVIDIA showed us DLSS 5 and we got it running in Starfield, it was amazing how it brought it to life. We’ve played it. We can’t wait for all of you to do so as well.”
When will we DLSS 5 arrive?
While Nvidia didn't provide an exact release date, the company said it'll be available in the fall of 2026, so we won't need to wait too long to see how it affects games going forward.
And with new game consoles on the way from Sony and Microsoft, it'll be exciting to see how this technology comes into play.
More from Tom's Guide
- I went eyes-on with Nvidia’s DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation launching March 31 — and it’s a game-changer
- Nvidia just revealed 3 big upgrades to its GeForce Now cloud gaming service — here's what's new
- Nvidia is bringing a killer app to the Apple Vision Pro — and it's good news for sim racers
