Nvidia just fixed the RTX 50-series PhysX problem – though not all games are supported
Batman is better on PC again
😭 Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs initially lacked support for GPU-accelerated PhysX, a technology for convincing in-game physics
🤔 The lack of support was due to the deprecation of 32-bit CUDA applications on the new cards
🙌 Nvidia responded to community feedback by releasing a new driver (591.44) that restores PhysX performance for several popular titles, including Batman: Arkham City and Borderlands 2
📅 Full support for Batman: Arkham Asylum is still planned, expected in early 2026, though support for all 40+ PhysX games is unlikely
When Nvidia launched its RTX 50-series graphics cards earlier this year, users quickly noticed that PhysX support – a GPU-accelerated technology that brought convincing physics effects – was no longer working.
As spotted by PCGamesN, a user noticed PhysX was causing performance problems on the latest Nvidia cards. A Nvidia staff responded, saying: “This is expected behavior as 32-bit CUDA applications are deprecated on GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs”.
Thankfully, Nvidia has had a change of heart, as the following games have now been fixed when running on a 50-series card:
Alice: Madness Returns
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham Origins
Borderlands 2
Mafia II
Metro 2033
Metro: Last Light
Mirror’s Edge
“We heard the feedback from the community, and with the launch of our new driver today, we are adding custom support for GeForce gamers’ most played PhysX-accelerated games, enabling full performance on GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, in line with our existing PhysX support on prior-generation GPUs,” says Nvidia.
You may notice that Batman: Arkham Asylum, one of the first games to implement PhysX, is still missing. Nvidia said it’s planning to support the game “in the first part of 2026”, which means you’ll be able to beat up bad guys as paper and plumes of smoke fly around.
Sadly, it seems unlikely that Nvidia will fix PhysX on every title. There’s around 40 games that use the technology, but at least the main ones have been covered. Nvidia’s new Game Ready driver (591.44) is available now through the Nvidia app, or Nvidia’s website.
Up next: Nvidia RTX 5080 review: the new 4K gaming king of graphics cards
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.