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There is no single DLSS switch that fixes every ghosting, flickering, or blurry-image problem. The correct fix depends on the game, patch, GPU, output resolution, driver, and which DLSS function is active. First identify whether the artifact comes from Super Resolution, Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction, or DLAA; then compare one variable at a time in the same repeatable scene.
What DLSS feature is causing the problem?
“DLSS” describes several different technologies rather than one setting. Confirm the exact feature in the game’s graphics menu before changing presets.
DLSS Super Resolution
Super Resolution reconstructs a higher-resolution image from a lower-resolution input. Its Quality, Balanced, Performance, and sometimes Ultra Performance modes change the amount of source detail available to the reconstruction process. Lower input resolution can improve frame rate but may make fine detail harder to recover.
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Frame Generation creates additional frames between traditionally rendered frames. It has different failure modes from Super Resolution, including motion trails or unstable objects that appear only while moving. Test it independently rather than assuming a Super Resolution setting caused the artifact.
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DLSS Ray Reconstruction
Ray Reconstruction replaces traditional ray-tracing denoisers. It can affect reflections, indirect lighting, and other ray-traced detail even when Super Resolution is unchanged. Disable it separately when investigating shimmering or unstable ray-traced surfaces.
DLAA
DLAA applies AI anti-aliasing at native resolution rather than reconstructing from a lower-resolution input. It is a useful comparison when the game supports it: if DLAA is clear but Super Resolution is soft, the input-resolution or Super Resolution implementation is a more likely source of the blur.
NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 technology description lists Super Resolution, Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction, and DLAA as separate functions. Game menus may group them under one DLSS heading, so read each individual toggle or mode.
Record a baseline before changing settings
A reliable comparison is more useful than a sequence of random tweaks. Write down the following information and capture the same scene before and after each change:
- Game name, edition, and patch or build number.
- GPU model and whether the game is running natively or through a compatibility layer such as Proton.
- Display resolution and the game’s selected output resolution.
- NVIDIA driver version and, if applicable, the NVIDIA app version.
- Whether Super Resolution, Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction, DLAA, or a separate Smooth Motion option is enabled.
- Whether the symptom appears while standing still, only during camera movement, or in both conditions.
- Whether the same scene looks normal with DLSS disabled.
Use a repeatable location with thin geometry, foliage, text, fences, wires, reflections, or particle effects. These details make trails, shimmer, and loss of fine detail easier to distinguish from ordinary artistic softness.
Use this diagnostic sequence
- Freeze the output resolution. Keep the monitor and in-game output resolution unchanged for every comparison. Changing resolution and DLSS mode together prevents a meaningful diagnosis.
- Separate the features. In the game’s graphics or display menu, turn off Frame Generation and any separate Smooth Motion option while leaving the Super Resolution mode fixed. Reproduce the same camera movement. If Ray Reconstruction is enabled, test it separately after the Frame Generation comparison.
- Compare Super Resolution modes. At the same output resolution and scene, test Quality, Balanced, and Performance. Use Ultra Performance only if the title exposes it and you need its specific performance trade-off. Record clarity and frame rate for each mode.
- Compare with DLSS disabled. Select native rendering or the game’s built-in alternative anti-aliasing or upscaler. If the artifact disappears only when DLSS is off, the issue is likely specific to that title’s implementation, feature combination, or current software version rather than proof of a defective GPU.
- Check updates carefully. Install a game update if one is available, and check NVIDIA’s current driver and app listings. Change one variable at a time so an improvement can be attributed to a specific change.
- Escalate with a reproducible report. Provide the title and patch, GPU, driver, output resolution, every DLSS feature and mode, the exact scene or save, whether the camera is moving, and a comparison with DLSS disabled.
NVIDIA’s own explanations note that image quality depends on resolution, graphics settings, and the game’s implementation. A setting that works well in one title is not a universal remedy for another.
How Super Resolution modes affect sharpness
NVIDIA published these input-scaling examples for DLSS overrides:
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| Mode | Published input resolution scale | What the comparison tells you |
|---|---|---|
| DLSS Quality | 67% | More source detail and usually less softness than lower-input modes, subject to the game’s implementation. |
| DLAA | 100% native resolution | AI anti-aliasing without Super Resolution downsampling; useful as a native-resolution reference when available. |
| DLSS Performance | 50% | Lower source detail and potentially more blur or unstable fine detail in exchange for more rendering performance. |
| DLSS Ultra Performance | 33% | Very low input resolution intended for demanding workloads; image-quality compromises can be more visible. |
These are NVIDIA’s published examples, not a guarantee that every game exposes every mode or uses identical reconstruction behavior. Some compatible titles also expose presets or custom input scaling through the NVIDIA app, but support depends on the title and driver.
Fixing DLSS ghosting
Ghosting appears as a faint trail behind a moving character, weapon, vehicle, foliage edge, or other object. It is a temporal symptom: the image reconstruction uses information from previous frames, and the result depends on the game’s motion vectors and implementation.
Test Frame Generation first
Disable Frame Generation while leaving Super Resolution unchanged. Repeat the same movement. If the trail disappears, the problem is associated with Frame Generation or its interaction with the title’s motion data, not necessarily with the Super Resolution preset. Keep the features separate while reporting the issue.
Check fast and slow movement
Test a slow camera pan and a fast turn. Note whether trails follow the player, transparent objects, particles, or only one material type. A reproducible object and movement pattern gives the developer more useful information than a general statement that DLSS looks wrong.
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Do not combine native Frame Generation with Smooth Motion
NVIDIA’s driver guide warns that native DLSS Frame Generation and NVIDIA Smooth Motion compete with each other and can cause lower performance and visual artifacts. Turn off the separate Smooth Motion option while testing native Frame Generation. This specific guidance appears in NVIDIA’s Linux-oriented driver documentation; menu names and availability can differ on other platforms.
Fixing DLSS flickering and shimmering
Flickering can affect thin wires, foliage, distant geometry, reflections, shadows, or text. It may be visible only during movement, or it may continue in a stationary view.
Separate temporal features
Turn off Frame Generation first, then test Ray Reconstruction separately if ray-traced surfaces are involved. Keep Super Resolution fixed. If only reflections or other ray-traced areas flicker, Ray Reconstruction or the game’s ray-tracing implementation deserves particular attention; if the whole image flickers, Super Resolution, anti-aliasing, or motion data may be involved.
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Compare stationary and moving views
Pause the camera on the affected detail, then pan slowly across it. A stationary image that is stable but breaks up during motion points toward temporal data or frame-generation behavior. Flicker that remains while standing still should be reported with the exact object, lighting condition, and graphics settings.
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Use native or alternative anti-aliasing as a control
Disable DLSS and select the game’s native-resolution or alternative anti-aliasing option. If the same surface is stable in that mode, preserve screenshots or video from both settings and include them in a bug report. Do not assume that increasing a global sharpening slider will repair temporal instability; sharpening can make halos and noise more conspicuous without fixing the underlying reconstruction.
Fixing a blurry image with DLSS
Blur is most often tied to the input resolution and the title’s implementation. It can also be caused by motion blur, depth of field, dynamic resolution, a display scaling mode, or a game-specific post-processing setting, so check those independently.
Compare Quality, Balanced, and Performance correctly
Keep the output resolution and scene fixed. Start with Quality, then compare Balanced and Performance. Quality is not guaranteed to be best in every game, but it generally gives the reconstruction more source pixels than lower-input modes. If the image becomes acceptable at Quality while Performance is visibly soft, the trade-off is input detail versus performance rather than a broken toggle.
Use DLAA or native rendering as a reference
When available, compare DLAA at native resolution and the game’s non-DLSS anti-aliasing option. A clear native or DLAA image establishes that the display and scene can look sharp; a soft Super Resolution result then points toward the selected input scale or title-specific implementation.
Check dynamic resolution and post-processing
Make sure dynamic resolution is not lowering the input below the selected DLSS mode. Temporarily disable motion blur and depth of field only for diagnosis, then restore any effect you prefer. Also verify that the game is outputting at the monitor’s intended resolution rather than relying on an operating-system scaling mode that changes perceived sharpness.
Drivers, game patches, and platform compatibility
Software advice changes over time. The NVIDIA driver listing showed GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.14, released September 22, 2026, when this information was checked. Verify the live driver page before installing because a newer release may be available. Notebook users should check the notebook manufacturer’s validated driver guidance before replacing an OEM package.
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Check the game’s patch notes or launcher for updates as well. A title can change its DLSS integration, available presets, motion-vector handling, or Frame Generation support without changing the GPU. For Linux and Proton users, record the distribution, Proton or compatibility-layer version, driver branch, and whether the title uses a native Linux build; these details can affect feature availability and behavior.
Do not treat a driver rollback or replacement DLSS file as a universal fix. Those actions can introduce compatibility, security, or support problems and should be considered only when a documented, title-specific issue calls for them.
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Use the same GPU, driver, output resolution, and feature isolation across another supported title if you have one. A symptom confined to one game, one patch, or one feature combination is evidence of an implementation-specific problem, not by itself a hardware defect. Conversely, artifacts reproduced across multiple titles and feature combinations justify checking broader driver, display, or hardware diagnostics.
| Observation | Most useful next action |
|---|---|
| Artifact disappears when Frame Generation is disabled | Report the title, Frame Generation state, movement that reproduces it, and the fixed Super Resolution mode. |
| Artifact changes when Quality, Balanced, and Performance are compared | Choose the mode that meets your clarity and performance needs, then report the title-specific behavior if the difference is severe. |
| Artifact remains with every DLSS feature disabled | Investigate native rendering, alternative anti-aliasing, display scaling, motion blur, dynamic resolution, and the game itself. |
| Only ray-traced surfaces flicker or smear | Test Ray Reconstruction separately and document the ray-tracing settings and affected material. |
| Issue occurs in one title only | Escalate to that game’s developer with a repeatable scene and complete configuration. |
What to include in a support request
- Exact game title, edition, patch, and distribution platform.
- GPU model, operating system, and compatibility-layer details where relevant.
- Driver version and NVIDIA app version, if used.
- Monitor resolution, in-game output resolution, refresh rate, and display mode.
- Super Resolution mode and the state of Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction, DLAA, Smooth Motion, dynamic resolution, motion blur, and depth of field.
- A description of whether the issue appears while stationary, moving, or both.
- A repeatable location, camera movement, save file, screenshot, or video.
- The result of the same scene with DLSS disabled or with the game’s alternative anti-aliasing enabled.
NVIDIA’s driver documentation states that DLSS is normally enabled in game settings and that available settings depend on the game engine and update level. That statement is in a Linux driver guide, so platform-specific menu names should not be assumed for every installation.
Performance expectations and hardware requirements
DLSS requires compatible GeForce RTX hardware for the supported feature set. The relevant question is not simply whether a game has a DLSS checkbox, but whether your GPU generation, driver, game build, and desired DLSS function are supported together.
NVIDIA reported up to 40% performance improvement for Battlefield V at 4K and 2560×1440 in a 2019 claim. That was a specific historical game result, not a general promise for current titles or for every DLSS mode. Measure the trade-off in your own game using the same scene and output resolution.
Quick Recap
Final checklist
- Identify the exact DLSS function before changing a preset.
- Record the game, patch, GPU, resolution, driver, and feature states.
- Disable Frame Generation and Smooth Motion together for a clean comparison.
- Test Ray Reconstruction separately when ray-traced details are affected.
- Compare Quality, Balanced, and Performance at one fixed output resolution.
- Compare native rendering, DLAA, or the game’s alternative anti-aliasing.
- Check current game and driver versions; notebook owners should consult the OEM.
- Escalate with a repeatable scene instead of declaring a hardware fault from one game’s artifact.
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