DLSS 5 leaked and modders are putting Nvidia’s AI effects on everything - The Verge

Modders have obtained an unofficial version of Nvidia's DLSS 5 after code for the AI upscaling technology surfaced in an early-access build of NBA 2K27, according to reports by Notebook Check and VideoCardz.
Members of the RenoDX modding channel on Discord reportedly extracted the DLSS "Neural Rendering" file and first applied it to Control, before expanding to games including Skyrim, Cyberpunk 2077, GTA V, and Palworld.
In one demonstration using Control, protagonist Jesse Faden's facial features shift as settings are adjusted; enabling the "Neural Uplift" preset makes her face paler with more visible laugh lines and smudged makeup, while disabling it produces a smooth, uniform look.
Another modder reportedly got the tech working in GTA: San Andreas, where it applies a filter to CJ's face, enhances city textures, deepens facial and environmental shadows, and shifts lighting from a warm to a cool tone via a slider.
The mod has also been used to add more definition to Palworld's cartoony characters and to alter shadow intensity, with numerous demonstration videos circulating online and more expected to follow.
The developments, covered by The Verge's Emma Roth on August 28th, 2026, are part of a broader discussion around Nvidia's AI graphics technology and whether its effects have gone too far.