NBA 2K27 finally launched worldwide for PS5, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Aside from the being the latest basketball video game, NBA 2K27 is also the launch game for DLSS 5, NVIDIA‘s first push into letting a neural model generate material and lighting rather than just sharpen them. The engine renders the scene as usual, then hands the frame to a model that adds skin response, hair behavior, and shadow detail the real-time budget couldn’t afford. The visual pitch: arena lighting on player models looks closer to a volumetric stage than a rasterized game.
To protect the players, Visual Concepts made sure to keep real-athlete likenesses intact under the AI rendering, a guardrail that likely sets the template for future DLSS 5 integrations.
DLSS 5 is currently limited to GeForce RTX 50 Series desktop and laptop cards. RTX 40 and 30 series cards are locked out at launch, and modders who tried early DLLs reported heavy frame-rate penalties anyway.
To experience DLSS 5, PC players need the newest GeForce Game Ready Driver and the in-game “DLSS Neural Rendering” toggle, or hit F9 to flip it on the fly.
NBA 2K27 is currently the only DLSS 5 game available. Onimusha: Way of the Sword, STAR WARS Zero Company, and The Blood of Dawnwalker are next on NVIDIA’s slate.
The game is priced at Php2,920 for the Wembanyama Standard Edition, Php3,950 for the Caitlin Clark Deluxe, and Php5,400 for the limited Derrick Rose Ultra Edition on Steam.