Nvidia RTX 50-Series Driver Revives PhysX for Top Games
▼ Summary
– Nvidia initially launched its RTX 50-series GPUs without support for the PhysX physics simulation technology.
– The company is now adding custom PhysX support for top-played older games like Borderlands 2 via a new driver update.
– The original lack of support was due to the RTX 50-series dropping 32-bit CUDA, forcing some games to run PhysX effects on the CPU.
– A limited list of games, including Batman: Arkham City and Mirror’s Edge, currently receive this custom support, with more planned for 2026.
– Over 40 games were affected, but Nvidia is unlikely to fully support all older PhysX titles.
Nvidia has released a new driver that reintroduces PhysX support for its latest RTX 50-series graphics cards, specifically for a curated list of popular older titles. This move directly addresses feedback from the gaming community, restoring the dedicated hardware acceleration for physics effects in games like Borderlands 2 and Batman: Arkham City that was missing at launch. The initial omission was due to the architectural shift away from 32-bit CUDA support in the new GPUs, which left these classic games relying on slower CPU processing for their PhysX simulations, often causing noticeable performance dips.
The company states it has developed custom support to enable full performance for the most-played PhysX-accelerated games on the new hardware, bringing it in line with functionality on previous GPU generations. This “custom support” is currently limited to a select group of titles and is not a blanket restoration for all games that ever used the technology. The initial supported list includes Alice: Madness Returns, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Origins, Borderlands 2, Mafia II, Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Mirror’s Edge.
Nvidia has indicated that Batman: Arkham Asylum is slated to receive similar support in early 2026. However, the future for dozens of other affected games remains uncertain. Community tracking suggests over forty titles lost PhysX acceleration with the RTX 50-series, and it appears unlikely that Nvidia will commit resources to fully enabling all of them. The PhysX technology, while groundbreaking for its time, was always adopted by a relatively small number of games, making a comprehensive revival improbable.
Gamers can obtain the new driver, version 591.44, directly from Nvidia’s official website or through the Nvidia application. This update ensures that owners of the latest graphics hardware can revisit these iconic games with their signature physics-driven visual effects, from dynamic smoke and debris to realistic cloth and fluid simulation, properly restored and running at optimal frame rates.
(Source: The Verge)
