NVIDIA announced DLSS 5 back in March to a decidedly mixed reaction, as many gamers did not particularly like the modifications it made to character faces. While it is not officially out yet, an early-access build of NBA 2K27 was found to contain a DLSS Neural Rendering DLL, believed to be a precursor to DLSS 5. As expected, modders have been quick to start implementing that Neural Rendering technique in games, and what better game to add a new mod to than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
YouTuber PureDark implemented the DLSS-NR mod into Skyrim and recorded the results. Skyrim, now 15 years old, has some pretty outdated character models, but this early DLSS 5 implementation really brought those faces into 2026. In these side-by-side shots, a dramatic difference is evident between the two sets of character faces, with superior detailing, lighting, shadows, and even facial structure. The overall lighting behavior of the game is vastly improved too, and it almost looks path-traced in some scenes.