Starfield DLSS support will come after launch thanks to a modder, but there’s a catch

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

One Starfield fan is ensuring that the upcoming space RPG will have DLSS support shortly after launch, even if we might not get it officially. 

Last week, one fan set tongues wagging after theorising that Starfield’s PC version doesn’t support Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology after mulling through the preload files. AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 (FSR 2) super sampling tech was present, but no sign of something similar from Nvidia or Intel. While far from an official confirmation, worry has set in among fans that AMD’s status as Starfield’s “official PC partner” means we won’t get Nvidia or Intel offers.

So it goes with PC; a modder has already stepped in to do what Bethesda has yet to do. Puredark, who brought DLSS to Fallout 4, plans to repeat the trick with Starfield by modding in the same feature. While some believed the modder received a review code from Bethesda, Puredark has stepped in to say that’s not the case, though we shouldn’t be waiting long for the mod.

“I said I could get it done [on] day one because I have done a lot of dx12 games by now and have implemented my own framework that should get it into most dx12 games easier than when I have to implement it from the ground,” they reply on a now-deleted Reddit post. “I have tested on RDR2 and some other dx12 games that I can reuse 90% of my code, only a few hooks need to be done per game.”

Puredark has also gone on to clarify that the mod will only be available to those who subscribe to their Patreon, an arrangement that’s consistent with the majority of the other mods they offer. That part hasn’t gone down too well, with plenty of commenters saying that, if that’s the case, they’ll simply wait for a free mod to come along. 

Regardless of whether it’s paid, free, or official, the brighter slant of the news is that Starfield will be playable on PC with DLSS one way or another, we just need to wait and see what that way is. Starfield’s pre-load data isn’t all bad news, though. Other fans reckon some signs point to a day-one build that’s leagues ahead of Fallout 4.

If you’re looking for the Starfield system requirements, we got ‘em.

Deputy News Editor

Iain joins the GamesRadar team as Deputy News Editor following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When not helping Ali run the news team, he can be found digging into communities for stories – the sillier the better. When he isn’t pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new hat, you’ll find him amassing an army of Pokemon plushies.