A Starfield prototype with DLSS 5 technology has been revealed.

Early testing of the blockbuster Starfield with the brand-new DLSS 5 technology at GTC 2026 gave the gaming community a first look at how Bethesda might integrate this graphical advancement into future updates.

NVIDIA recently officially unveiled DLSS 5 technology, which is expected to arrive on various platforms later this year. This technology uses real-time neural rendering to create incredibly realistic lighting and visuals. Following this impressive launch, Todd Howard from Bethesda shared that the company is extremely excited to work with this new technology and plans to bring it to Starfield and other future games.

Currently, the first real-world footage of this technology being applied to Starfield has officially surfaced. Through a nearly 12-minute video posted on the Plano Plays Games YouTube channel, viewers can witness this technology in action directly within Bethesda's game at the GTC 2026 event.

The video highlights various interactions within the game and continuously switches between turning the technology on and off for comparison. When activated, DLSS 5 adds incredibly distinct new lighting effects along with many impressive graphical tweaks.

In the video, the experts repeatedly praise the power of this technology, while also emphasizing how easily developers can upgrade from DLSS 4 to the new version. They also proudly claim that the system can automatically determine the direction of light reflections and shadows based on the pixels displayed on the screen.

However, upon its initial announcement, this technology received considerable criticism, being accused of resembling an AI-powered video filter. While these latest videos haven't completely dispelled those criticisms, they offer a unique perspective on a technology with the potential to reshape an entire generation of graphics, even though it's still in its early stages of development. NVIDIA's CEO himself has also shared insights to address the community's initial skepticism about DLSS 5.