DLSS-NR-on-AMD: running DLSS 5 Neural Rendering on RDNA3 and RDNA4 Radeon cards

What DLSS-NR-on-AMD actually does, and who it is for

DLSS 5 Neural Rendering is NVIDIA's neural rendering path, and it normally requires NVIDIA hardware. This project takes a different route. According to the README, it is a ground-up reimplementation of the neural network runtime for AMD GPU architectures, covering HIP kernels, memory layouts and game integration, written from scratch. The README explicitly states that no NVIDIA code is included or translated at runtime. So this is not a translation layer that intercepts NVIDIA calls and maps them onto AMD instructions. It is a separate implementation of the same runtime, aimed at AMD's RDNA3 and RDNA4 cards.

The audience is narrow by design. You need Windows 11, a DirectX 12 game that uses FSR, and a Radeon RX 9000 series or RX 7000 series GPU. The README says it was tested on Cyberpunk 2077 and GTA V Enhanced, with a 9070 XT as the primary test card. RX 7000 series cards "should work" and reports are welcome, which is a polite way of saying the author has not validated them as thoroughly. If you are on an older Radeon, the README is direct: those GPUs are not currently supported.

The interesting part is the dependency on FSR. The mod does not replace your upscaler. You start the game, enable FSR at any quality level or FSRAA, and the neural rendering path layers on top of that. That design choice is what makes the mod portable across games: any DX12 title that exposes an FSR toggle is a candidate, without per-game patching by the author.

How the runtime is wired into a game folder

The mechanism is file placement plus a hook, not a driver install. You put the setup executable and a copy of nvngx_dlssnr.dll into the same directory as the game's executable. For Cyberpunk 2077 the README names bin\x64. The setup program then performs its own integration work, and the game loads the DLL when it initialises its rendering path.

The DLL is the load-bearing component, and you supply it. The README requires build 310.8.0.0 of nvngx_dlssnr.dll, obtained from a game that ships DLSS 5. The project contains no NVIDIA code or data, which is why this step cannot be automated away: the mod reimplements the runtime, but the model weights and the NVIDIA-side artifact come from your own copy. That is also the legal framing in the README, which notes DLSS is a trademark of NVIDIA Corporation and that the project is not affiliated with or endorsed by NVIDIA or AMD.

Once running, an in-game overlay is available. The README says the End key opens it, the arrow keys adjust values, and Enter toggles. The exposed options are Mode (inline or async, described as for photo mode only), Tone intensity, Structure intensity, and Skin structure. Model selection is listed as planned, not present. That list is short, and it tells you something about maturity: this is a tuning surface for a few image parameters, not a full control panel.

Installing it and getting the overlay to appear

The README gives a four-step install, and the release page is the source for the executable. Download dlssnr_on_amd_setup.exe from the latest release, then place it in the game's executable folder. For Cyberpunk 2077 that folder is bin\x64.

# Windows command prompt, from the game's exe folder
# 1. copy the setup executable here
#    dlssnr_on_amd_setup.exe  ->  <game>\bin\x64\
# 2. copy your own DLSS 5 Neural Rendering DLL here
#    nvngx_dlssnr.dll  (build 310.8.0.0)  ->  <game>\bin\x64\

Both files must sit beside the game binary. The README does not document an installer flag or a silent mode, so the next step is interactive: run dlssnr_on_amd_setup.exe and follow the prompts on screen. Running the same executable again later is how you update or remove the mod, and the README labels those choices (U) and (R).

# 3. run the setup program and follow its instructions
dlssnr_on_amd_setup.exe

Then launch the game and enable FSR. The README accepts any FSR 3 or FSR 4 mode, any quality setting, including FSRAA. With the game running, press End. If the overlay appears, the integration succeeded and you can adjust Tone intensity, Structure intensity and Skin structure with the arrow keys. If it does not appear, the README points you at dlssnr_on_amd.log and asks you to attach it to an issue.

The performance number the README puts on the table

The README states roughly 33 FPS at 1080p on an RX 9070 XT, and describes performance as a work in progress with the stated goal of matching a 5070 Ti. That is an unusually candid figure for a project page, and it should be read as the headline constraint rather than a footnote. A 9070 XT is a current high-end card, and 33 FPS at 1080p is a fraction of what that card does in the same game with native rendering or plain FSR.

Image quality is described in relative terms: very similar to what DLSS produces on the original hardware, with some effects that may not be working 100%. That phrasing leaves room. Which effects, and how visible the gap is, is not enumerated in the README, so you cannot predict from the documentation whether the title you care about is affected. The only reliable way to find out is to try it and look.

There is also a driver floor. The README requires Adrenalin driver 26.1.1 or later. Below that, the mod is not expected to work, and the README does not describe a fallback path or a degraded mode.

Anti-cheat, Vulkan and the cases where this is the wrong tool

The README is explicit that games with anti-cheat will block the DLL and that they should be used only with anti-cheat off. For competitive multiplayer titles, that is not a workaround, it is a dead end: disabling anti-cheat is either impossible or a ban risk, and the mod offers no bypass. If your library is mostly online shooters, this project does not apply to you.

Vulkan is a second boundary. The README lists Vulkan as planned for a later release, so any Vulkan title is out of scope today, regardless of GPU. Older Radeon cards are a third: not currently supported, with no compatibility shim mentioned.

There is a supply-chain detail worth stating plainly. You obtain nvngx_dlssnr.dll from another game, and the README does not describe a checksum, signature verification or hash check for that file. The project's own releases are the setup executable; the DLL is your responsibility. If you cannot confirm the provenance of the DLL, you are placing an unverified binary next to a game executable and running it. That is a real risk, and the README's legal section frames the whole thing as provided as-is, without warranty, used at your own risk.

The licence is listed as NOASSERTION, and the repository carries a THIRD_PARTY.txt alongside LICENSE. The README does not spell out redistribution terms for the setup executable in the text provided, so if you plan to bundle it into a distribution or a mod pack, read LICENSE and THIRD_PARTY.txt directly rather than assuming.

How it differs from AMD's own upscaling answer

FSR is AMD's upscaler, and it is the thing this mod requires rather than replaces. The difference in approach is where the image reconstruction happens. FSR runs its own spatial and temporal upscaling pipeline on the GPU and is vendor-neutral by design. DLSS 5 Neural Rendering, in NVIDIA's implementation, runs a neural network for reconstruction. This project reimplements that neural runtime for AMD architectures and feeds it from a game that is already using FSR.

So the two are not competing entries in the same category. One is an upscaler you enable in the game menu. The other is a neural rendering path that piggybacks on the first one being enabled. If you want a supported, low-friction upscaler on a Radeon card, FSR is the answer and this project is irrelevant to you. If you specifically want to see the neural rendering path running on AMD silicon, this is one of the few places attempting it, and it does so without translating NVIDIA code at runtime, which is the distinction the README draws in its own FAQ.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt it if you have a Radeon RX 9000 or 7000 card on Windows 11 with Adrenalin 26.1.1 or later, a DX12 game that already exposes FSR, and a legitimately obtained nvngx_dlssnr.dll build 310.8.0.0 to place beside the game executable. Skip it if you are on Vulkan, on an older Radeon, on a game with anti-cheat enabled, or if roughly 33 FPS at 1080p on an RX 9070 XT is below what you need. Before trusting it, verify three things yourself: that the setup executable and the DLL sit in the same folder as the game binary, that the game launches with FSR enabled, and that pressing End brings up the overlay.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. danielblnc/DLSS-NR-on-AMD on GitHub
2. Issues
3. README
4. Releases