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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Yes—Ray Reconstruction, the DLSS 3.5 feature designed to improve ray-traced image quality, works on all GeForce RTX generations listed by NVIDIA: RTX 20, RTX 30, RTX 40 and RTX 50. But that does not mean every DLSS feature works on every RTX card. RTX 20- and 30-series GPUs can use Ray Reconstruction, DLSS Super Resolution and DLAA, while NVIDIA’s current compatibility table reserves Frame Generation for RTX 40 and RTX 50 cards, with newer Multi Frame Generation features limited to RTX 50.
DLSS 3.5 launched on August 22, 2023. In 2026, the newer second-generation DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction model is the more current development, but the central compatibility point remains the same: owning an older GeForce RTX card does not automatically give you every feature under the DLSS name.
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What DLSS 3.5 actually introduced
DLSS is a family of neural-rendering technologies, not one single graphics setting. NVIDIA’s DLSS 3.5 announcement grouped together several related features, including Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, Frame Generation where supported, and DLAA.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe part that specifically targets ray-traced image quality is Ray Reconstruction. It is separate from Frame Generation and performs a different job from Super Resolution.
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- DLSS Super Resolution renders internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs a higher-resolution image.
- Ray Reconstruction improves the denoising and reconstruction of ray-traced lighting, reflections, shadows and related effects.
- Frame Generation creates additional frames between traditionally rendered frames. NVIDIA’s current table supports it on RTX 40 and RTX 50, not RTX 20 or RTX 30.
- DLAA uses DLSS technology for anti-aliasing at native resolution rather than upscaling.
A game can support one of these technologies without supporting all of them. NVIDIA’s original announcement is available here.
What problem does Ray Reconstruction solve?
Real-time ray tracing uses a limited number of rays to keep rendering practical. That limitation creates noisy, incomplete data that must be cleaned up before it can appear on screen.
Traditional rendering pipelines use several hand-tuned denoisers, often with different tuning for reflections, shadows, indirect lighting and other effects. NVIDIA says those denoisers can produce ghosting, unstable or “boiling” reflections, smeared detail and incorrect-looking lighting.
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Ray Reconstruction replaces multiple hand-tuned denoisers with a neural network trained on high-quality offline-rendered images. It uses spatial and temporal information supplied by the game engine to reconstruct a cleaner and more stable result. NVIDIA says the DLSS 3.5 model was trained with five times more data than DLSS 3.
In a supported game, the most visible improvements may include:
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- More stable reflections during camera movement
- Less ghosting behind moving objects
- Reduced shimmering and instability in indirect lighting
- Cleaner particles and thin details
- More consistent headlights and emissive lighting
- Less flickering in shadows and other ray-traced effects
The results vary by game, scene, resolution and ray-tracing mode. NVIDIA’s examples include Portal with RTX, Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and PRAGMATA; these are manufacturer demonstrations rather than independent test results.
DLSS 3.5 compatibility by RTX generation
| GPU family | Ray Reconstruction | DLSS Super Resolution | Frame Generation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 20 | Yes | Yes | No |
| GeForce RTX 30 | Yes | Yes | No |
| GeForce RTX 40 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GeForce RTX 50 | Yes | Yes | Yes, including newer RTX 50-specific Multi Frame Generation features |
This table refers to GeForce RTX consumer GPUs listed by NVIDIA. “All RTX GPUs” should not be interpreted as every professional or data-center product carrying an RTX name.
RTX 20- and 30-series owners therefore get the core Ray Reconstruction image-quality feature, but not the Frame Generation feature commonly associated with DLSS 3. NVIDIA’s current feature table is available on its DLSS 4.5 compatibility page.
Does Ray Reconstruction improve performance?
Sometimes—but it is not a guaranteed FPS upgrade.
NVIDIA says a heavily ray-traced game may benefit when one Ray Reconstruction model replaces several denoisers. In a game with fewer ray-traced effects and less denoising work, the feature may primarily improve image quality while adding a small performance cost.
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The safest expectation is that Ray Reconstruction targets image quality and temporal stability first. Any performance improvement is title-dependent. It also does not make a weak GPU suddenly capable of smooth path tracing, and it does not improve a rasterized scene that contains no relevant ray-traced effects.
What “works on all RTX GPUs” really means
Three conditions must be met:
- The system must use a GeForce RTX GPU with the required Tensor Core hardware.
- The game or application must implement Ray Reconstruction or receive a supported NVIDIA app update or override.
- The necessary graphics driver, NVIDIA app version, game patch or DLSS runtime must be installed.
DLSS is not a universal driver-level filter that automatically adds ray-tracing improvements to every game. Native game integration is important, and support can differ between titles. NVIDIA originally named games and applications including Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Portal with RTX, Chaos Vantage, D5 Render and Omniverse.
DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction in 2026
NVIDIA announced a second-generation Ray Reconstruction model as part of DLSS 4.5 in 2026. NVIDIA claims that the new model has 35% more compute capability and 20% more parameters while maintaining performance similar to the previous model. Those figures are NVIDIA’s own claims, not independent benchmark results.
NVIDIA’s announcement says DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction is intended for all GeForce RTX GPUs and is coming to supported games through the NVIDIA app in August 2026. Because the announcement uses future-tense rollout language, availability should be confirmed in the NVIDIA app rather than assumed to be universal.
The announcement lists 27 games, including Alan Wake 2, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Cyberpunk 2077, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Hogwarts Legacy, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Portal with RTX, PRAGMATA, Resident Evil Requiem, Star Wars Outlaws and The First Descendant. This is a time-sensitive snapshot, not a permanent list. Check NVIDIA’s current announcement and the NVIDIA app for the latest status.
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NVIDIA also says Blender 5.3 is expected to add DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction as a denoiser in a future release. That planned integration is separate from the requirements for playing supported games.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to enable and test Ray Reconstruction
- Install or update the NVIDIA app and your graphics driver.
- Confirm that the game supports Ray Reconstruction or a supported NVIDIA app update.
- Enable ray tracing or path tracing in the game.
- Open the game’s DLSS or graphics settings. Depending on the title, Ray Reconstruction may appear as its own option or be exposed through an NVIDIA app model preset or override.
- Compare the same scene with the feature enabled and disabled.
There is no single menu path that applies to every game. Some titles expose the setting natively, while others may receive support through NVIDIA’s app-based distribution. When testing, use the same resolution, ray-tracing preset and camera position. Look closely at moving reflections, particles, thin geometry, indirect lighting and objects moving across the screen. Record frame rate as well as visible artifacts; a cleaner image is not automatically worth a performance reduction on a GPU already struggling to maintain a playable rate.
Should you upgrade your RTX GPU for DLSS 3.5?
Usually not if Ray Reconstruction is the main reason. NVIDIA lists the feature across RTX 20, 30, 40 and 50-series GeForce cards, so an upgrade is not required simply to access this ray-tracing image-quality technology.
An upgrade can still make sense for other reasons:
- RTX 20 or 30 to RTX 40: You gain access to Frame Generation as well as more raw ray-tracing performance, subject to the game and other hardware requirements.
- RTX 40 to RTX 50: You gain newer RTX 50-specific Multi Frame Generation features and the newest generation of NVIDIA hardware, in addition to any performance, VRAM or efficiency differences between specific models.
- Any older RTX card: A faster GPU may be necessary for demanding path-traced games even when Ray Reconstruction is available.
Compare the whole upgrade—native ray-tracing performance, VRAM, resolution targets, power requirements, price and access to frame-generation features—not DLSS compatibility alone. NVIDIA’s official RTX 40-series page and current RTX 50-series compatibility information provide the relevant product references.
The bottom line
DLSS 3.5’s central ray-tracing improvement is Ray Reconstruction, and NVIDIA supports it across GeForce RTX 20-, 30-, 40- and 50-series GPUs. It can reduce ghosting, shimmering and unstable ray-traced detail, but only in supported games and applications, and its performance impact varies.
Do not confuse that broad compatibility with universal DLSS compatibility. RTX 20- and 30-series cards can use Ray Reconstruction, Super Resolution and DLAA, but NVIDIA’s current table does not give them Frame Generation. Newer cards mainly add raw rendering performance and newer frame-generation options—not exclusive access to the core Ray Reconstruction feature.
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