If DLSS looks soft, leaves trails behind moving objects, or flickers as you turn the camera, start by comparing a less aggressive DLSS Super Resolution mode in the same scene. Then check sharpening and Ray Reconstruction separately. Blur and motion artifacts have different causes, and some depend on how the game feeds temporal data to DLSS—so no single setting fixes every title.
Why DLSS can look blurry or unstable
DLSS Super Resolution reconstructs the displayed image from a lower-resolution render, using information across frames and motion data supplied by the game. The more aggressively a mode reduces the source image, the fewer rendered pixels are available to reconstruct fine detail. The result also depends on the game’s implementation, its selected model or preset, and how it handles texture sampling and temporal inputs. NVIDIA describes the DLSS feature family.
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“Blurry” and “unstable” are not interchangeable symptoms. Soft detail that is present even in a still view points first to the rendering mode or sharpening. Trails, crawling edges, and flicker that change as the camera moves call for a motion comparison. If only ray-traced lighting or reflections look smeared, investigate Ray Reconstruction separately.
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Start with a controlled comparison
- Record the current settings. In the game’s graphics menu, note the output/display resolution, DLSS Super Resolution mode, sharpening value if available, and whether Ray Reconstruction is on. Check whether a separate dynamic-resolution setting is changing the render scale.
- Hold the scene constant. Use the same output resolution, camera position, scene, and graphics settings for each comparison. Look at a detailed stationary view and then pan or move; a still image will not reveal every temporal artifact.
- Change one setting at a time. Compare the current mode with the next less aggressive option—for example, Performance to Balanced or Balanced to Quality. If the GPU has enough performance headroom, compare native rendering or DLAA as a reference.
- Judge both image and performance. Check detail while still and in motion, ghosting, shimmer or flicker, and frame rate. Keep the option that gives an acceptable balance for that game rather than assuming one mode is always best.
Choose a DLSS mode that preserves enough detail
If Performance or Ultra Performance looks soft, try Balanced or Quality at the same output resolution. These modes generally provide more source detail to reconstruct, at a potential performance cost. The exact image-quality and frame-rate trade-off depends on the title and hardware; there is no universally best mode. NVIDIA’s DLSS overview describes the technology, while game-specific options vary.
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DLAA is a useful comparison when performance allows, but it is not another DLSS upscaling mode: DLAA applies DLSS anti-aliasing at native resolution, whereas Super Resolution reconstructs a higher-resolution output from a lower-resolution input. NVIDIA’s guide distinguishes DLSS options and notes their game-specific availability.
Match the fix to the artifact
Fine detail looks soft even when the camera is still
First compare a less aggressive Super Resolution mode. Only then adjust the in-game sharpening slider, if one exists. Increase it in small steps: too much sharpening can create bright outlines, ringing, or flicker rather than restore genuine detail.
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Objects leave trails or detail resolves late
Compare the available DLSS modes and, where the game and NVIDIA App support it, the available Super Resolution model or preset. NVIDIA says its DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution models aim to reduce ghosting and improve temporal stability, but that goal does not make every game implementation artifact-free. Model support and performance effects vary by GPU generation and mode. NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 FAQ discusses the models.
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Edges shimmer or details flicker while moving
Compare modes or a supported model in the same moving scene. If the instability remains, the game’s temporal inputs or implementation may be involved. NVIDIA’s developer guidance identifies incorrect or missing jitter as a possible cause of poor anti-aliasing and increased flicker. Most players cannot correct missing engine data through a graphics-menu setting. NVIDIA’s Streamline integration guidance explains the relevant developer inputs.
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Only ray-traced or path-traced lighting looks smeared
If the game exposes Ray Reconstruction, compare it on and off in the same scene. Ray Reconstruction is a separate feature for reconstructing denoised ray-traced effects, not another name for Super Resolution; changing the upscaling mode alone may not address an artifact confined to ray-traced reflections or lighting. Its integration depends on inputs including depth, motion vectors, jitter, and texture mip bias. NVIDIA’s integration checklist covers these requirements.
Use NVIDIA App model options carefully
NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 guidance describes a second-generation transformer model for Super Resolution and recommends the “Recommended” model presets in the NVIDIA App for supported games. That selection can use different presets for different in-game DLSS modes. NVIDIA cautions that Models M and L carry a heavier performance impact on RTX 20- and 30-series cards, which lack native FP8 support. App options, labels, game support, and rollouts can change, so check the current NVIDIA App and the game’s per-title options before changing an override. NVIDIA’s App guidance gives the model-selection details.
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Avoid replacing game DLLs or forcing developer presets as a routine troubleshooting step. Presets are developer-facing tuning options; a game may select them according to mode and content. NVIDIA’s developer material describes preset use.
When the game itself may be the limiting factor
DLSS relies on engine data and integration choices that players generally cannot repair. NVIDIA’s programming guide says texture mip-map bias must be adjusted so DLSS samples textures appropriately at display resolution. It gives -2.0 as an example for a Performance-mode render-to-display ratio of 0.5; that is a developer implementation example, not a user setting to apply in every game. Incorrect or missing jitter can also worsen anti-aliasing and flicker. NVIDIA’s DLSS Programming Guide explains mip-map bias, and its integration guidance covers jitter and other inputs.
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If the artifact persists across modes and supported model options, note the game, output resolution, GPU, DLSS mode, whether it happens only in motion, and whether Ray Reconstruction is enabled. Check for a game update or a developer-known issue; available options and implementation differ by title. NVIDIA’s DLSS developer page reported its DLSS 4.5 plugin package updated in September 2026, but that does not establish that every game has adopted the same integration or model. NVIDIA’s developer DLSS page provides the plugin context.
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