Honestly, playing Grand Theft Auto V in 2026 feels like a fever dream. We all thought we’d be deep into the GTA 6 trailer-by-trailer cycle by now—and we are, with that November release date finally on the horizon—but Rockstar somehow managed to pull us back into Los Santos one last time. The GTA 5 Enhanced Edition for PC, which dropped about a year ago, changed the math. We aren't just looking at the same old textures from 2013 anymore. We’re talking full ray-traced reflections, global illumination, and shadows that actually make the city feel alive.
But here’s the rub. Those graphics are heavy. Like, "melt your GPU" heavy. If you’re trying to run the "Enhanced" settings at 4K with everything maxed out, your frame rate probably looks like a slideshow. That is, unless you know how to use DLSS 4 GTA 5 Enhanced to its full potential.
NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 isn't just another small version bump. It’s a complete architecture shift to a transformer-based AI model. If you’ve got an RTX 50-series card, you’re basically playing a different game than everyone else. But even if you’re on older hardware, there’s stuff here for you. Let’s break down how to actually get this working without breaking your game or your sanity.
Setting Up DLSS 4 in Los Santos
First off, you need to make sure you're actually running the right version of the game. This doesn't work on the "old" GTA 5. You need the Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Edition (often listed as Title Update 1.71 or higher). Rockstar officially added support for the DLSS 4 "Transformer" model in a massive patch back in August 2025.
If you just open the settings menu and see "DLSS," you might think you're good. You're not. By default, the game often defaults to older presets. To truly tap into DLSS 4, you’ve got to be a bit more intentional.
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- Check Your Drivers: You need GeForce Game Ready Driver 580.97 or newer. Anything older and the DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (MFG) toggle literally won't appear in your menu.
- The In-Game Menu: Head to Settings > Graphics. Scroll down past the resolution and refresh rate. You’ll see a section for NVIDIA DLSS.
- Mode Selection: Here’s where it gets interesting. You have "Super Resolution," "Frame Generation," and "Multi Frame Generation."
If you have an RTX 5090 or 5080, turn on Multi Frame Generation. This is the "big" feature of DLSS 4. Instead of just inserting one fake frame between real ones (like DLSS 3), it uses the Blackwell architecture to generate three additional frames for every one rendered frame. The performance jump is staggering—we’re talking 3.9x improvements at 4K.
What if the option is greyed out?
This is the most common headache. If "Multi Frame Generation" or "Frame Generation" is greyed out, it’s usually because you haven't enabled Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS) in Windows.
- Go to Windows Settings.
- System > Display > Graphics.
- Click "Change default graphics settings."
- Flip that HAGS switch to "On."
- Reboot. Yes, you actually have to reboot.
The Secret "Preset" Trick for Image Quality
Most people just set DLSS to "Quality" and call it a day. That’s fine, but if you want that crisp, no-shimmer look that keeps the telephone wires in Los Santos from looking like vibrating spiders, you need to look at Model Presets.
With DLSS 4, NVIDIA introduced new model letters: Preset K, L, and M.
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- Preset K is the gold standard for Quality or Balanced modes. It’s tuned for high detail.
- Preset M is the new hotness for Performance mode. It’s designed to keep things stable even when the internal resolution is low.
You can actually force these using the NVIDIA App (which finally replaced the old Control Panel). Go to the GTA 5 profile, find "DLSS Override," and set it to "Latest." If you’re a real nerd, you can use the NVIDIA Profile Inspector to force the Hex code 0x0000000D for Model M. It sounds like overkill, but the difference in texture clarity on the Vinewood sign from a distance is actually noticeable.
Dealing with the "Enhanced" Mods
Here is where things get a bit messy. A lot of us aren't just playing vanilla GTA 5 Enhanced; we’re running NaturalVision Enhanced (NVE) or QuantV.
These mods are beautiful, but they can clash with DLSS 4’s Ray Reconstruction. If you see "ghosting" (like a trail of light behind cars at night), it’s because the AI is trying to "fix" the ray-traced reflections that the mod has already messed with.
Pro Tip: If you're using NVE, try turning off Ray Reconstruction in the DLSS menu but keeping Super Resolution on. It sounds counter-intuitive, but the mod's custom shaders often handle the light better on their own, and the DLSS 4 upscaler provides the sharpness without the weird smearing.
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Why Does DLSS 4 Actually Matter?
It’s about more than just a higher number in the corner of your screen. DLSS 4 uses Reflex 2 with a feature called Frame Warp.
In the old days of frame generation, you’d get high FPS but it felt "heavy"—like there was a delay between moving your mouse and the screen reacting. Frame Warp actually warps the pixels of the generated frames based on your current mouse input. It basically deletes the latency penalty of AI frames. When you’re in a high-speed chase down Great Ocean Highway, that responsiveness is the difference between threading the needle and hitting a bus.
Actionable Next Steps
If you want the best possible experience today, don't just toggle things randomly. Follow this specific workflow:
- Hardware Check: Confirm you are on an RTX 40 or 50 series card. If you're on a 30-series, you can still use the DLSS 4 Transformer Super Resolution for better image quality, but you won't get the Multi-Frame Gen.
- Clean Install: Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to wipe your old drivers and install the latest 2026-ready version. GTA 5 Enhanced is finicky with driver leftovers.
- Resolution Scale: Set your in-game resolution to your monitor’s native (like 3840x2160) and set DLSS to Balanced. On DLSS 4, Balanced looks as good as Native used to, but gives you double the headroom.
- VRAM Management: DLSS 4 actually uses about 30% less VRAM than DLSS 3. If you were hitting a memory limit before on a 12GB card, try turning the textures back up to Ultra. You might find you finally have the space for it.
Los Santos has never looked this good, and honestly, with GTA 6 being a "maybe" for PC at launch, this is the best sandbox we’ve got. Use the AI. It’s literally there to do the heavy lifting for you.