Short answer: In DLSS Swapper vs NVIDIA App override, the NVIDIA App’s DLSS Override is NVIDIA’s own setting for GeForce RTX cards. It switches supported games to newer DLSS models, such as DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, and you undo it by picking “Use the 3D application setting.” DLSS Swapper is a free, open-source tool that replaces the DLSS, FSR or XeSS DLL files inside a game’s folder. It works with any GPU, but its developer says swapping files in online games “may be flagged by anti-cheat and get you banned.” If you have an RTX card and the game supports NVIDIA’s override, use the NVIDIA App. Use DLSS Swapper for games the override doesn’t cover, or for FSR and XeSS, and only in single-player games.
What the NVIDIA App’s DLSS Override does
NVIDIA’s support article on DLSS overrides says they’re for “games and apps that have yet to update to DLSS 4 or add native support for DLSS Multi Frame Generation.” It lists four overrides:
- DLSS Multi Frame Generation Override for GeForce RTX 50 Series, when Frame Generation is on in the game.
- DLSS Frame Generation Model Upgrade for RTX 40 and 50 Series, when Frame Generation is on in the game.
- DLSS Transformer Model Upgrade for Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction and DLAA, “for all GeForce RTX users,” when those features are on in the game.
- DLAA and Ultra Performance modes in games that don’t offer them, when Super Resolution is on in the game.
Every override depends on the game already using that DLSS feature. It upgrades what’s there. It doesn’t add DLSS to a game that lacks it.
DLSS 4.5. On January 14, 2026, NVIDIA rolled out DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, a second-generation transformer model, through the app. To use it, choose DLSS Override – Model Presets in the Graphics tab and pick Recommended. NVIDIA says this “sets Preset M to DLSS Performance mode, Preset L to DLSS Ultra Performance mode, and Preset K to the remaining modes.” NVIDIA adds that RTX 20 and 30 Series GPUs lack native FP8 support, so Models M and L have a bigger performance cost on them, and those users “may therefore prefer to remain on Model K.”
Dynamic Multi Frame Generation. A March 31, 2026 NVIDIA App update added DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation for RTX 50 Series, which adjusts the number of generated frames to hit a target frame rate. NVIDIA says it needs Game Ready Driver 595.97 or newer, and that Dynamic mode “is currently not compatible with frame rate limiters and V-Sync.” In a fixed mode, up to 6X is available in select titles.
How to use the NVIDIA App override
From NVIDIA’s support article:
- Update the NVIDIA App and your driver. The article, updated in February 2025, gives Game Ready Driver 572.16 and NVIDIA App 11.0.2.312 as the minimums for DLSS 4 overrides. Newer features need newer drivers.
- In the NVIDIA App, press Refresh in the three-dot menu.
- Go to Graphics > Program settings, select a compatible game and scroll to Driver Settings.
- Turn on the DLSS feature inside the game first, then exit to the desktop.
- Choose the override, for example DLSS Override – Model Presets, set it and click Apply.
- Relaunch the game.
To undo it, select Use the 3D application setting. NVIDIA tracks which games support which overrides on its RTX Games and Apps list. If the app won’t open or update, see NVIDIA App stuck or unable to connect.
What DLSS Swapper does
DLSS Swapper’s README says it lets you “download, manage, and swap DLSS, FSR and XeSS dlls,” to upgrade or downgrade those upscalers “in a game without the game needing an update.” It’s developed by beeradmoore on GitHub, is licensed under GPL-3.0 and finds games from Steam, GOG, Epic Games, Ubisoft Connect, the Xbox app and Battle.net, or games you add by hand. The current version is 1.2.6.1, released August 26, 2026.
The README is clear about its limits. DLSS Swapper does not:
- “add DLSS to games that don’t support it.”
- Guarantee better performance, fewer artifacts or “a crash free experience.” It says a swap can fix some issues and in other cases “prevent a game from launching (until you restore your original dll, provided in the tool).”
DLSS Swapper supports FSR and XeSS as well as DLSS, and the README lists “Any” GPU in its requirements. That’s the main thing it can do that NVIDIA’s override can’t.
DLSS Swapper vs NVIDIA App override, side by side
| NVIDIA App DLSS Override | DLSS Swapper | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | NVIDIA | beeradmoore (open source, GPL-3.0) |
| GPUs | GeForce RTX; some overrides need RTX 40 or 50 Series | Any, per its README |
| Upscalers | DLSS only | DLSS, FSR and XeSS |
| How it works | A setting under Driver Settings in the NVIDIA App | Replaces DLL files in the game’s folder |
| Which games | Games NVIDIA lists as supporting the override | Any game in your library that ships these DLLs |
| Undo | “Use the 3D application setting” | Restore the original DLL in the tool |
| Adds DLSS to unsupported games | No | No |
| Online games | NVIDIA’s pages don’t discuss anti-cheat | Developer: “No it is not safe” |
Online games and bans
A user asked on DLSS Swapper’s GitHub whether it’s safe to swap DLSS in online games. The developer answered on March 2, 2025: “No it is not safe. Changing a file to one the system does not expect may be flagged by anti-cheat and get you banned.”
NVIDIA’s override pages we read don’t mention anti-cheat or online games at all. So we can’t tell you NVIDIA’s position on that. What we can say is that NVIDIA presents the override as a feature of its own app and driver, applied to games on its supported list, rather than a file you place in the game folder.
For any specific game, the publisher’s rules decide. If a game’s terms prohibit modifying game files, DLSS Swapper modifies game files.
Which one should you use?
Use the NVIDIA App override if:
- You have a GeForce RTX GPU.
- The game is on NVIDIA’s list of override-supported titles.
- You want DLSS 4.5 models, Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50 Series, or DLAA in a game that doesn’t offer it.
- You play the game online.
Use DLSS Swapper if:
- The game isn’t covered by NVIDIA’s override, or you want a specific older DLL version.
- You want to change FSR or XeSS versions, including on AMD or Intel GPUs.
- The game is single-player, with no online anti-cheat.
Whichever you pick, change one thing at a time and note what you changed, so you can undo it.
Safety: where to get each
- NVIDIA App comes from nvidia.com. Our NVIDIA App page links there.
- DLSS Swapper comes from
github.com/beeradmoore/dlss-swapper/releasesor winget (winget install --id=beeradmoore.dlss-swapper -e). The README calls these “the only official places to get DLSS Swapper” and warns about “malicious sites claiming to be DLSS Swapper.” The 1.2.6.1 installer’s GitHub SHA-256 digest is18cf2c7630b6d702a495a1ab9033f7e629d0fd3ee42bf5d797e905bc7807764c. See our DLSS Swapper page. - Only use DLLs offered inside DLSS Swapper. Our Is DLSS Swapper safe? article covers the July 2026 warning about malware-laced DLLs posted in the project’s GitHub issues.
If you want to go further and replace one upscaler with another, that’s what OptiScaler does, with its own warnings. See Is OptiScaler safe?
Questions
Is the NVIDIA App DLSS override better than DLSS Swapper?
For RTX owners in supported games, it’s NVIDIA’s own method and easy to undo. DLSS Swapper covers more games and upscalers, but swaps files.
Does the NVIDIA App override work on RTX 20 and 30 Series?
Yes, for Super Resolution models. NVIDIA says Models M and L cost more performance on these GPUs, which lack native FP8 support.
Can DLSS Swapper add DLSS to a game that doesn’t have it?
No. Its README says so. Neither can NVIDIA’s override.
Can I get banned for using DLSS Swapper?
Its developer says swapping files in online games “may be flagged by anti-cheat and get you banned.”
Can I get banned for using NVIDIA’s DLSS override?
NVIDIA’s override pages don’t address anti-cheat. Check the game’s own rules.
Does DLSS Swapper work on AMD GPUs?
Its README lists “Any” GPU, and it can swap FSR and XeSS DLLs too.
How do I undo an NVIDIA App override?
Select “Use the 3D application setting” for that game.
How do I undo a DLSS Swapper swap?
Restore the original DLL, which DLSS Swapper provides in the tool.
What does “Recommended” mean in DLSS Override – Model Presets?
NVIDIA says it sets Preset M for Performance mode, Preset L for Ultra Performance and Preset K for the other modes.
Why doesn’t Dynamic Multi Frame Generation work with my frame cap?
NVIDIA says Dynamic mode is currently not compatible with frame rate limiters and V-Sync.
Sources
- Enabling DLSS 4 overrides in NVIDIA App, NVIDIA Support, updated February 3, 2025
- NVIDIA App update: DLSS overrides and more, NVIDIA GeForce News, January 30, 2025
- NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution Available Now, NVIDIA GeForce News, January 14, 2026
- NVIDIA App Update Adds DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, NVIDIA GeForce News, March 31, 2026
- beeradmoore/dlss-swapper README, GitHub
- DLSS Swapper v1.2.6.1 release, GitHub, August 26, 2026
- Issue #442: is it safe to swap DLSS in online games? (owner reply, March 2, 2025), GitHub
