# Ukrainian modder tests leaked DLSS 5 on 1996 Quake with mixed results

Digest AI · Hardware & Compute · published 2026-10-14T10:00:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/ukrainian-modder-tests-leaked-dlss-5-on-1996-quake-with-mixed-results

## Summary

A Ukrainian experimenter named Valery Kryzhanovsky applied a leaked version of Nvidia’s DLSS 5 upscaling technology to the 1996 game *Quake*, the first true 3D first-person shooter. The test used a post-process injection via ReShade and DOSBox, applying DLSS 5’s 4x Multipass four times to the emulated game’s frames in real time. Kryzhanovsky noted the results were poor, with darkening and distorted visuals due to the algorithm’s lack of native integration into *Quake*’s engine and the sparse distribution of light sources and highlights.

Kryzhanovsky attributed the underwhelming performance to the leaked DLSS 5 build being undertrained. Nvidia separately announced last week that it had improved DLSS 5’s performance by 2x while reducing its VRAM footprint by 24%. The company’s own tests show higher frame rates with lower memory usage, though the leaked build’s limitations remain evident in retro game experiments like this one.

## Key points

- Valery Kryzhanovsky applied leaked DLSS 5 to *Quake* via post-process injection, not native engine support
- Results darkened and distorted due to sparse lighting and lack of engine integration, per the experimenter
- Nvidia improved DLSS 5’s performance by 2x and cut VRAM use by 24% in its latest build

## Why it matters

While not practical for retro games, experiments like this highlight DLSS 5’s limitations when forced into unoptimized contexts. It underscores the need for native engine support and trained models for real-world performance gains.

## Sources

1. [Modder injects leaked DLSS 5 4x Multipass on 1996 Quake](https://tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/modder-put-dlss-5-4x-multipass-on-1996-quake-looks-worse-than-rtx-modded-quake) (Tom's Hardware, 2026-10-14)

Part of the developing story: [Nvidia DLSS 5 Performance and Legacy Testing](https://digestai.news/thread/nvidia-tones-down-dlss-5-for-hogwarts-legacy-debut-on-november-5) (2 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Ukrainian modder tests leaked DLSS 5 on 1996 Quake with mixed results", 14 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/ukrainian-modder-tests-leaked-dlss-5-on-1996-quake-with-mixed-results

---

Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record. Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse
JSON: https://digestai.news/story/ukrainian-modder-tests-leaked-dlss-5-on-1996-quake-with-mixed-results.json