You might’ve of heard of NVIDIA DLSS, but do you know what it is? Well, look no further because this blog will look at the three current versions of DLSS, what they do and which games currently support them. So sit back, relax and let’s get you some more precious frames in your games.
What is NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling?
Deep learning super sampling (DLSS) is a video rendering technique developed by NVIDIA, that aims to boost performance and frame rates by rendering frames at a lower resolution than displayed on your monitor. Then, using deep learning—a form of AI— upscales the frames so they look as clear and sharp as intended at the native resolution. Meaning higher frame rates are more achievable. For example, with DLSS, a game’s frames could be rendered at 1080p, then upscaled and output at 1440p, giving the user the higher frame rates like they could achieve at 1080p whilst keeping the graphics quality close to 1440p.
There are alternative rending methods, such as temporal anti-aliasing (TAA), which is a post-processing algorithm. To put this into layman’s terms, DLSS is just a more advanced TAA.
At the time of writing this blog, there are currently three versions of DLSS:
• DLSS
• DLSS 2
• DLSS 3
But what is the difference between the three? What hardware do you need to take advantage of this wonderful bit of AI-based technology?
Version 1
DLSS is the first iteration of the technology, as mentioned before, a successor to TAA. NVIDIA claimed that DLSS’ temporal stability and image clarity was superior to the commonly used TAA. When paired with deep learning AI, this groundbreaking tech was the baseline for what was to come. Being the first generation of this technology, version 1 has had to train on a game-to-game basis, making it the least supported in games.
Version 2
The first significant improvement of the second generation was that DLSS 2.0 didn’t have to be trained on a game-by-game basis. Instead, it uses a single, more extensive, nongame-specific network. This was great news to all gamers. The previous point meant DLSS 2.0 could be implemented into games much more effortlessly, and developers could take full advantage of this fantastic technology.
The next improvement for this generation was the ability to control which mode DLSS is set to whilst gaming. Unlike the original version, which only had an on-and-off option. DLSS 2.0 has three options to choose from, quality, balanced and performance, but what is the difference?
Performance– up to 70%+ higher FPS, but slightly worse perceptible quality than native resolution.
Balanced – up to 40% higher FPS, and basically looks like native resolution. Some things can be visibly worse, but others are better (graphics can look sharper).
Quality – up to 25% higher FPS, and some things are evidently better than native. Almost nothing is worse than native resolution.
Again these are rough numbers and depend on several factors such as the game, resolution, and if you have a CPU bottleneck.
The improved Tensor core usage optimisation is the final improvement for this generation of DLSS. NVIDIA stated, “A new AI network more efficiently uses Tensor Cores to execute 2X faster than the original, ” meaning it takes half the time to reconstruct details in the image.
Want to take advantage of DLSS Version 1 & 2 Technology?
Version 3
DLSS 3 is this revolutionary tech’s latest and greatest instalment, boasting new features.
The most groundbreaking addition to DLSS 3 is the Optical Multi Frame Generation, to generate entirely new frames, but what does this actually mean? Previously, DLSS would generate new pixels to achieve higher FPS. NVIDIA says, “Optical Multi Frame Generation generates entirely new frames, rather than just pixels, delivering astounding performance boosts. The new Optical Flow Accelerator incorporated into the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture analyses two sequential in-game images. Then calculates motion vector data for objects and elements that appear in the frame but are not modelled by traditional game engine motion vectors. This dramatically reduces visual anomalies when AI renders elements such as particles, reflections, shadows and lighting.” In basic terms, NVIDIA’s latest GPUs calculate the motion of objects that appear in the frames. Then generates new frames based on this giving the user performance like never seen before whilst using this technology.
The next improvement is the incorporation of NVIDIA Reflex, which “synchronises the GPU and CPU, ensuring optimum responsiveness and low system latency.” The lower the latency, the more responsive the game’s controls are, giving you an edge over the competition (who aren’t using DLSS 3 and NVIDIA Reflex).
There are a couple of downsides to DLSS 3, the first being the lack of games. Due to how new this version of DLSS is, only 35 games (at the time of writing this) support the latest version. The second downside is that it is only available on the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series, unlike DLSS 2, which was compatible with any RTX GPU. This is due to DLSS 3 being reliant on the latest NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture and currently is not backwards compatible with previous architectures.
Want to take advantage of DLSS 3 Technology?
What games support DLSS?
Now you know what DLSS is, the real question is how you utilise it and which games utilise DLSS? Well, we have you covered. Below is every game to date that allows you to boost your performance using NVIDIAs groundbreaking deep learning AI technology.
Recommended Games for DLSS 1 & 2
• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Alan Wake Remastered
• Amid Evil
• Anatomy of Fear
• Anthem
• Apocalypse: 2.0 Edition
- Aron’s Adventure
- Back 4 Blood
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Battlefield 2042
- Battlefield V
- Beyond Enemy Lines 2
- Bodies of Water VR
- Broken Pieces
- Bright Memory
- Bright Memory: Infinite
- Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Call Of Duty: Warzone 2.0 - Chernobylite
- Chivalry 2
- Chorus
- ChronoTecture: The Eprologue
- Cions of Vega
- Control
- Crossout: Supercharged
- Crsed: FOAD
- Crysis Remastered
- Crysis Remastered Trilogy
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Dakar Desert Rally
- Deathloop
- Death Realm
- Death Stranding
- Deep Rock Galactic
- DeepStates
- Deliver Us The Moon
- Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed
- Doom Eternal
- Dying Light 2
- Edge Of Eternity
- Enlisted
- Escape from Tarkov
- Everspace 2
- Evil Dead: The Game
- Exit From
- F1 2020
- F1 2021
- F1 22
- Farming Simulator 22
- Fall Balance Ball
- Faraday Protocol
- Final Fantasy XV
- FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch
- Five Nights At Freddy’s Security Breach
- Fortnite
- Frozenheim
- Ghost
- Ghostrunner
- Ghostwire: Tokyo
- Gotham Knights
- God of War
- Helios
- Hell Pie
- Hitman 3
- Höll Space 5D6
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Hydroneer
- Icarus
- Iron Conflict
- Industria
- Into The Radius
- Iron Conflict
- Jurassic World Evolution 2
- Justice
- JX Online 3
- Last Hope On Earth
- Lego: Builder’s Journey
- Lemnis Gate
- Loopmancer
- Loverowind
- Martha is Dead
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Mechwarrior V: Mercenaries
- Metro Exodus / Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Minecraft
- Monster Hunter: Rise
- Monster Hunter: World
- Moonlight Blade
- Mortal Online 2
- Mortal Shell
- Mount & Blade II Bannerlord
- Myst
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Necromunda: Hired Gun
- Nine to Five
- Nioh 2: The Complete Edition
- No Man’s Sky
- Outriders
- Paradise Killer
- PGA Tour 2K23
- Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis
- Powerslide Legends
- Propnight
- Pumpkin Jack
- Qu Gian Qi Tan Online
- Rainbow Six Extraction
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Raji: An Ancient Epic
- Raze 2070
- Ready Or Not
- Recall
- Red Dead Online
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Redout: Space Assault
- Reficul 666
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Rust
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure
- Severed Steel
- Scathe
- Scavengers
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Shadow Warrior 3
- Sifu
- Soul Dossier
- Steelrising
- Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
- Super People
- Supraland
- Supraland: Six Feet Under
- Sword and Fairy 7
- The Ascent
- The Cycle: Frontier
- The Fabled Woods
- The Medium
- The Orville Interactive Fan Experience
- The Persistence
- The Riftbreaker
- The Riftbreaker: Prologue
- To Hell With It
- Twin Stones: The Journey of Bukka
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
- Uncrashed: FPV Drone Simulator
- Unknown Woods
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong
- Wakamarina Valley, New Zealand
- War Thunder
- Warstride Challenges
- Watch Dogs Legion
- Wolfenstein Youngblood
- Wrench
- Xuan-Yuan Sword VII
- Yag
Recommended Games using DLSS 3
• A Plague Tale: Requiem • Atomic Heart
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Bright Memory: Infinite
• Chernobylite
- Conqueror’s Blade
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Dakar Desert Rally
- Deliver Us Mars
- Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed
- Dying Light 2 Stay Human
- F1? 22
- FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch
- Frostbite Engine
- HITMAN 3
- Hogwarts Legacy
- ICARUS
- Jurassic World Evolution 2
- Justice
- Loopmancer
- Marauders
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Midnight Ghost Hunt
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- NVIDIA Omniverse
- NVIDIA Racer RTX
- PERISH
- Portal with RTX
- Ripout
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Scathe
- Sword and Fairy 7
- SYNCED
- The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- THRONE AND LIBERTY
- Tower of Fantasy
- Unity
- Unreal Engine 4 & 5
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
As you can see, hundreds of games support DLSS, meaning you’ll find it hard not to get extra performance from your favourite games.
How do I Turn on DLSS?
Now we know what DLSS is and which games support this excellent tech. The real question now is how do you utilise it? Every game’s options are slightly different, but here’s a basic overview of where you must look to enable DLSS
1. Load one of the games on the list above.
2. Go to your graphics settings and look for NVIDIA DLSS
3. Turn on DLSS
4. Choose which mode you want (quality, balanced or performance)
5. Apply the settings
It’s that easy. Now it’s time to enjoy all those extra frames in your favourite games.
Overall, NVIDIA DLSS is the best way to get extra performance from your system whilst gaming, making games like Cyberpunk 2077 run at higher frames without sacrificing graphics quality. Don’t worry if you don’t have an NVIDIA RTX GPU. You can use our system configurator to find the perfect PC for your gaming needs and use your new RTX GPU to benefit from DLSS in all your favourite games.