A forgotten feature has been resurrected. Nvidia’s latest Game Ready driver, version 591.44, breathes new life into PhysX support for a select group of older, beloved games.
For those still wielding GeForce RTX 50 series cards, this is a significant development. The return of GPU-accelerated PhysX promises to unlock performance previously lost when running classic titles renowned for their intricate physics effects.
PhysX has long been a cornerstone of immersive PC gaming, responsible for the realistic behavior of everything from billowing fabrics to swirling smoke and cascading particles in games like “Borderlands 2” and “Batman: Arkham City.” But earlier this year, Nvidia abruptly ended GPU acceleration for PhysX calculations in 32-bit games on its newest RTX 50 series.
The consequence was a noticeable performance hit, forcing the CPU to shoulder the entire workload. Dedicated gamers, unwilling to sacrifice visual fidelity, even resorted to ingenious workarounds – plugging in older Nvidia cards solely to offload the PhysX processing.
Driver 591.44 introduces a “Custom Support” level, a targeted solution rather than a full restoration of 32-bit PhysX compatibility. Nvidia has meticulously crafted individual profiles for nine particularly popular PhysX titles, bringing GPU acceleration back into the equation.
These nine games will once again benefit from the power of the GPU: “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.”
Further support is planned for “Batman: Arkham Asylum” in the coming months. Nvidia has stated its initial focus was on the most frequently played classics, leaving the door open for potential additions in the future.
The origins of PhysX trace back to Ageia, a company that pioneered dedicated physics processing units (PPUs) two decades ago. Nvidia acquired Ageia in 2008, integrating PhysX calculations directly into the CUDA cores of its GeForce graphics cards, effectively rendering the standalone PPU obsolete – and tying the technology closely to Nvidia hardware.
Beyond the PhysX revival, this new driver delivers broader improvements. “Battlefield 6: Winter Offensive” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7” receive optimizations, particularly when paired with DLSS 4, enhancing visual quality and performance.
Visual glitches in “The Witcher 3” have been addressed, and stability within Adobe Premiere Pro has been improved. These refinements contribute to a smoother, more reliable experience across a wider range of applications.
The update promises tangible benefits for players of these classic PhysX titles – expect noticeably higher frame rates and the return of previously disabled graphical effects. Even for those focused on newer games, the general optimizations and bug fixes offer a welcome boost.
