A file that appears to relate to Nvidia’s upcoming DLSS 5 technology was found in the installation files for NBA 2K27 shortly after the game’s early-access period began. Although the game does not officially support DLSS 5, modders have already used the leaked file to test the feature in Control.

The findings suggest that Nvidia is still moving ahead with DLSS 5 and that its planned fall release could be closer than previously expected.

What the Leaked DLSS 5 DLL Reveals

The DLL does not directly use the name “DLSS 5,” but it includes the acronym “NR,” which likely refers to neural rendering. Nvidia uses that term to describe a DLSS 5 approach that uses AI, 2D frames, and motion vectors to infer additional lighting details.

Analysis of the file indicates that it is 158MB, making it much larger than other DLSS DLL files. Most of that size appears to come from neural training weights. The DLL contains 148 million FP8 parameters and is likely not a final build.

NVIDIA NBA 2K27 does not include settings to enable the feature. The leaked DLL also supports only Nvidia RTX 50 series graphics cards.

Modders Get DLSS 5 Running in Control

Developers behind the RenoDX ReShade mod got the DLL running in Control. Their mod includes sliders and switches that allow users to change how the neural-rendering effect behaves.

Those controls line up with Nvidia’s earlier statement that developers will be able to adjust DLSS 5, including the ability to change or ignore certain objects at different intensity levels.

Videos and image comparisons from the mod show noticeable changes even with relatively conservative settings. In Control, the feature appears to:

  • Add or deepen shadows
  • Simulate new skin-shading effects
  • Change the appearance of eyes
  • Alter character faces while retaining their original structure
  • Adjust lighting to create a more photorealistic result

The visual changes are substantial. Character faces can look dramatically different from the game’s original presentation, even when their basic facial structure remains recognizable.

DLSS 5 Neural Rendering Performance Impact

Early testing also points to a major performance cost at 4K resolution.

On an RTX 5070 Ti, activating the mod in Control reduced performance from 71 frames per second to 35 fps at 4K. Another online demonstration showed an RTX 5090 dropping from 91 fps to 50 fps when neural rendering was enabled at the same resolution.

The impact is expected to be much smaller at lower resolutions. Still, these tests involve a leaked DLL that appears to be unfinished, so performance could change before Nvidia’s planned fall release.

Why Nvidia DLSS 5 Has Drawn Criticism

DLSS 5 has been one of Nvidia’s more disputed gaming announcements since the company unveiled the technology in March.

Earlier DLSS features, including super resolution, ray reconstruction, and frame generation, reconstruct a game’s existing graphics at higher resolutions. Neural rendering takes a different approach. It aims to introduce new visual details through AI models.

Nvidia has said that developers will retain control over what DLSS 5 changes. But critics argue that AI-generated details could override a game’s intended artistic direction or introduce unwanted elements that were not part of the original work.

The leaked DLL and the Control mod offer an early look at what that concern may look like in practice: lighting, facial shading, shadows, and eyes can all change in ways that go beyond reconstructing the game’s original image.

DLSS 5 Release Timing Remains Unclear

Nvidia has provided little detail since its DLSS 5 announcement beyond a fall release window. The appearance of a neural-rendering DLL in NBA 2K27 files does not confirm an exact launch date, and the file itself is likely unfinished.

But the leak does indicate that DLSS 5 is being tested in a form that modders can already run on supported RTX 50 series hardware.