Nvidia Ceases to Provide PhysX Support for Its RTX 50-Series GPUs
New-gen GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070 Ti are all the rage, but if you think they'll breathe new life into your Steam library's steamy hits from the early 2010s, you might want to hold onto your classic RTX 30- or 40-series. Nvidia's recent declaration in its forums that "32-bit CUDA applications are deprecated on GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs" has left a sour taste in gamers' mouths. The company's official support page confirms that 32-bit capabilities were removed in CUDA 12.0, albeit unmentioning PhysX specifically, which is a bummer since 50-series cards can't run games with the original developer's intentions for PhysX.
Nowadays, most modern games lean on a range of mechanics unsupported by CUDA, so it's a bit of a head-scratcher that its predecessor is losing some steam. Meanwhile, classic titles like Borderlands 2, Batman: Arkham City, Mirror's Edge, and orcs from Activision's Warcraft series are left out in the cold due to developers' reliance on CUDA cores for older games. Some games may continue to work with PhysX enabled, but expect subpar performance and framerate drops.
Reddit user 'Sokk3tx' compiled a list of the 50+ games penalized by Nvidia's software shifts, including the likes of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Mortal Kombat X, Metro 2033, or the harrowing experience that is PsychoBreak. These games can still be played, but they're party poopers with choppy performance due to CPUs taking up the slack.
It's worth noting that CPU PhysX will work, but non-32-bit variants are less popular and less efficient than their hardware-accelerated counterparts. Rather than tuning up games at higher refresh rates like Cyberpunk 2077 up with ray tracing or the RTX 5090's 8K potential, gamers redundantly find themselves lodged in older series like the 40-series to enjoy the most beautiful titles from a decade ago.
Games may come and go with changing console generations, but preserving games is key for generations to come. Even powerhouses like GOG have limitations in making games run as intended. While some modern timeless classics like Mirror's Edge and Batman: Arkham City still move PC gamers, the experience isn't quite the same without 32-bit CUDA support, further challenging game preservation.
The Nvidia saga reminds us that game preservation isn't always about the latest and the greatest, but the ability to keep the perfect balance between upgrading hardware and preserving classics for future generations. There's a fine line to walk, it seems, as we move from 50-series to upcoming 60-series GPUs.
- Despite the popularity of new-gen GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070 Ti, gamers might need to reconsider upgrading if they want their classic RTX 30- or 40-series GPUs to run Steam library games from the early 2010s effectively.
- The recent deprecation of 32-bit CUDA applications on GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs by Nvidia has caused concern among gamers, particularly for titles that heavily relied on CUDA cores for their performance.
- The 50-series GPUs can't run games as intended with PhysX, which is a significant drawback, especially for classic titles like Borderlands 2, Batman: Arkham City, and Warcraft series games.
- As we move forward to upcoming 60-series GPUs, preserving classic games becomes increasingly challenging due to technological advancements and the deprecation of older features like 32-bit CUDA support, necessitating a balance between upgrading hardware and preserving historical games for future reviews.
