Every GeForce RTX card from the RTX 20 series onward can use DLSS Super Resolution, DLAA and Ray Reconstruction, including the current second-generation transformer models. Frame Generation needs an RTX 40 or RTX 50 card. Multi Frame Generation, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and the DLSS 5 neural rendering feature are limited to RTX 50 cards for now, according to the support table on NVIDIA’s DLSS page.
RTX 40 owners are the group with an open question. NVIDIA told The Verge in early September that it plans to work on official RTX 40 support once RTX 50 performance is more fully tuned, but it has not given a date. Its own October DLSS 5 update still lists only RTX 50 GPUs, RTX Spark laptops and GeForce NOW. The table below sorts each feature by card generation, then the guide covers how to switch features on and which ones are worth using on each card.
DLSS support by RTX generation
Last checked 30 October 2026. “Yes” means NVIDIA lists the feature for that generation today. “Announced, no date” means NVIDIA has described a plan without a release date. The version column names the DLSS release that introduced the feature.
| Feature (introduced in) | RTX 20 | RTX 30 | RTX 40 | RTX 50 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Resolution (original DLSS, 2018) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS page; DLSS 5 launch article for the 2018 date |
| DLAA (built on Super Resolution, with no version of its own; already offered on every RTX generation by DLSS 3.5 in 2023) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS page; DLSS 3.5 post for 2023 |
| Ray Reconstruction (DLSS 3.5, 2023) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 post |
| First transformer model for Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction and DLAA (DLSS 4, January 2025; the current DLSS 4 Super Resolution model is Model K) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS 4 post; overrides post and DLSS 4.5 post for Model K |
| Second-generation transformer for Super Resolution, Models M and L (DLSS 4.5, January 2026) | Yes, with a heavier cost (see below) | Yes, with a heavier cost (see below) | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 release post |
| Second-generation transformer for Ray Reconstruction (DLSS 4.5, August 2026) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA Gamescom 2026 post |
| Frame Generation, 2X (DLSS 3, 2022) | No | No | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS page; DLSS 3 announcement; DLSS 4.5 post for 2X |
| Frame Generation Performance Mode, Preset C (NVIDIA app beta, October 2026) | No | No | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA October DLSS update |
| Multi Frame Generation, up to 4X (DLSS 4, 2025) and 6X (DLSS 4.5, 2026) | No | No | No | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 release post |
| Dynamic Multi Frame Generation (DLSS 4.5, March 2026) | No | No | No | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS page; DLSS 4.5 release post for the date |
| 3D-Guided Neural Rendering (DLSS 5, September 2026) | No | No | Announced, no date | Yes | NVIDIA DLSS page; RTX 40 plan: NVIDIA statement to The Verge (not yet on any NVIDIA page) |
Two patterns explain most of the table. Image quality features (Super Resolution, DLAA and Ray Reconstruction) reach every RTX generation, and each new model is offered to all of them. Features that add frames or change the rendered image arrive on the newest generation first: Frame Generation launched with the RTX 40 series in 2022, Multi Frame Generation with the RTX 50 series in 2025, and DLSS 5 on RTX 50 in 2026. NVIDIA also released DLSS 5 for RTX Spark laptops on 16 October; our RTX Spark buying checks cover those machines.
Is DLSS 5 coming to RTX 40 cards?
NVIDIA has not added RTX 40 support to any of its own DLSS pages. Its DLSS page shows a tick for 3D-Guided Neural Rendering only in the RTX 50 column. The DLSS 5 launch article lists RTX 50 desktop GPUs, RTX 50 laptops and GeForce NOW.
The RTX 40 plan comes from a statement NVIDIA spokesperson Rajal Maharaj gave to The Verge in early September 2026. PC Guide quotes the same wording from an NVIDIA representative on Reddit, and Lowyat.NET carried it too. In that statement NVIDIA said its current work is on RTX 50 performance, with model updates expected later in the fall. Once RTX 50 performance is “more fully tuned”, it plans “to work on expanding official support” to RTX 40. Asked about RTX 30 and RTX 20 cards, Maharaj told The Verge only that NVIDIA would “look at the 40-series” once RTX 50 is in a good place.
Press coverage reads that statement in different ways. Guru3D headlined it as DLSS 5 now officially coming to RTX 40 GPUs. Gameluster described it as a future intention rather than a promise, and said NVIDIA had published no list of which RTX 40 cards would qualify. Both describe the same words; the difference is emphasis. The stated plan has no date, driver version or card list, so the table shows RTX 40 as announced without a date.
NVIDIA’s later updates cover RTX 50 GPUs, RTX Spark laptops and GeForce NOW, with no RTX 40 entry. Its 13 October post says the October DLSS 5 model has half the GPU overhead of the September version and lifts NBA 2K27 frame rates by up to 1.4X on RTX 50 GPUs. It also dates DLSS 5 in Hogwarts Legacy for 5 November on RTX 50, GeForce NOW and RTX Spark, and puts Where Winds Meet in late November. Unofficial ports of a leaked DLSS 5 file to older cards, covered by Guru3D, are not NVIDIA releases and are not counted in the table.
How to turn DLSS features on
There are two official routes. Games with DLSS built in show the options in their own graphics menu. The NVIDIA app can then upgrade or extend what the game shipped with through its DLSS overrides, which work only when the matching feature is switched on in the game, according to NVIDIA’s overrides announcement. Not every game accepts overrides; NVIDIA keeps a list of titles with verified override support.
- Newest Super Resolution and DLAA models (all RTX cards): in the NVIDIA app, open Graphics, pick a game or Global Settings, then Driver Settings and “DLSS Override – Model Presets”. Choosing “Recommended” uses Model M in Performance mode, Model L in Ultra Performance mode and Model K in the other modes. NVIDIA’s March 2026 post says all DLSS 4.5 features need GeForce Game Ready Driver 595.97 WHQL or newer.
- Newest Ray Reconstruction model (all RTX cards): NVIDIA’s app release notes list DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction in NVIDIA app 11.0.9, applied by the same “Recommended” choice in DLSS Override – Model Presets. To set it by hand, NVIDIA’s August post says to choose “Custom” and set Ray Reconstruction to “Recommended” or “Preset F”.
- Dynamic or fixed Multi Frame Generation (RTX 50): open “DLSS Override – Frame Generation Mode”. “Dynamic” targets your monitor’s maximum refresh rate or a frame rate you type in; “Fixed” uses the multiplier you pick. Frame rate limiters and V-Sync work with Dynamic mode only with the NVIDIA app release of 3 September, driver 616.64 WHQL or newer and Streamline 2.14 or newer, per NVIDIA’s 3 September driver post.
- Frame Generation Performance Mode (RTX 40 and RTX 50, labelled Beta): NVIDIA’s release notes list it in NVIDIA app 11.0.9.565, where you set Frame Generation to “Model C” in DLSS Override – Model Presets. NVIDIA’s 13 October post calls the same option “Preset C” and introduced it through a beta app update, enabled by ticking “Opt in to access Beta or experimental features” under Settings, then About.
- DLSS 5 (RTX 50): it is set in the game, not in the app. In NBA 2K27, install driver 616.64 WHQL or newer, open Video Settings and turn on “DLSS Neural Rendering”. NVIDIA says F9 toggles it during play and replays.
To confirm which model a game is actually using, NVIDIA points to the app’s overlay: press Alt+Z, then Statistics, Statistics View and DLSS.
Which features are worth turning on for your card
NVIDIA publishes few cost figures, and most are “up to” numbers from games it selected. Results vary by game, resolution and settings. The decision logic below is based on what NVIDIA has stated; where we add our own reading, we say so.
RTX 20 and RTX 30. These cards lack native FP8 support, and NVIDIA says the second-generation Super Resolution models M and L carry a heavier performance cost on them. NVIDIA suggests these owners may prefer to stay on Model K, the DLSS 4 transformer. Our suggestion is to keep Model K as the default and try Model M only in games where you have spare frame rate. We would also enable Ray Reconstruction in ray-traced games on any RTX card. NVIDIA says the newer model runs at similar performance to the one it replaced, but gives no figure per generation, and it does nothing in games without ray tracing.
RTX 40. NVIDIA says FP8 support lets RTX 40 and RTX 50 cards run the second-generation Super Resolution model with only a minor performance trade-off, so we treat the “Recommended” presets as a reasonable default. Frame Generation is available up to 2X. NVIDIA pairs it with Reflex to keep responsiveness in check, but its pages give no minimum starting frame rate. Our reading is that generated frames improve smoothness rather than how quickly the game reacts, so a game that already feels slow will still feel slow. The new Preset C mode works on RTX 40 cards, with what NVIDIA calls minor image quality trade-offs, but NVIDIA has published no RTX 40 speed figure for it.
RTX 50. In our view, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation is the simplest choice for a high refresh rate monitor because, by NVIDIA’s description, it generates only the frames needed to reach your target or refresh rate. NVIDIA says moving from 4X to 6X raises 4K path-traced frame rates by up to 35%. NVIDIA’s only Preset C figure is for an RTX 50 card: up to 35% faster on an RTX 5060. Its release notes say the mode “generates more frames, especially at higher multipliers”. DLSS 5 is a visual change that each developer tunes, and players only get an on or off switch. NVIDIA quotes up to 370 frames per second at 4K with ray tracing on an RTX 5090 in NBA 2K27 with the full DLSS suite, which NVIDIA describes as DLSS 5 combined with Super Resolution and Multi Frame Generation. If you are choosing a card rather than tuning one, our budget GPU guide covers current 1080p and 1440p options.