NVIDIA's GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.42 adds day-one optimisation for six games and expands DLSS 4.5 support across upcoming releases, including Modern Warfare 4 and Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen.
NVIDIA has released GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.42 with day-one optimisation for six PC releases and updates. The package targets Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 7, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer, Valor Mortis and Gears of War: E-Day.
Driver 617.42
The driver is available through NVIDIA's official website and the NVIDIA app. Its main benefit is simple. Players preparing for these releases now have a graphics-driver profile built for those games instead of relying on an older general-purpose package.
The update also puts NVIDIA's DLSS 4.5 technology at its centre. Support differs by game. It can include Super Resolution, Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction and Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, rather than one feature set shared by every title.
Six games targeted
Gears of War: E-Day launched worldwide on October 6, 2026, at 15:00 UTC. Paid early access began on October 1 at 15:00 UTC. Xbox Wire lists the game for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, PC Game Pass and cloud gaming.
Gears of War: E-Day launched with DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, Frame Generation, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, RTX Mega Geometry and hardware-accelerated ray traced shadows, reflections and global illumination. NVIDIA confirms these features and reports an average 7.5X performance increase at 4K against native rendering. The test used 6X Multi Frame Generation, Ultra settings, ray tracing and RTX Mega Geometry.
In the same NVIDIA figures, the GeForce RTX 5090 reaches up to 410 frames per second in that 4K setup. At 2560×1440, NVIDIA reports a DLSS 4.5 performance multiplier of up to 5.8X. The company claims peak rates of 500 frames per second on the RTX 5090, 380 on the RTX 5080, 330 on the RTX 5070 Ti and 275 on the RTX 5070.
At 1920×1080, NVIDIA reports up to 600 frames per second on the RTX 5090. It says all tested RTX 50-series cards reach 300 frames per second with Ultra settings and ray tracing enabled.
Those figures come from NVIDIA, not independent testing. They also describe specific test conditions, including resolution, graphics settings and frame-generation multipliers. The results should not be treated as universal for every graphics card or gameplay situation.
The supplied release information also acknowledges stuttering on some maps, even with Multi Frame Generation enabled. That makes actual frame pacing in demanding areas more important than the feature list alone.
STAR WARS: Galactic Racer supports DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction alongside hardware-accelerated ray traced Lumen lighting. Valor Mortis is also on the optimisation list, although the announcement does not give a separate feature breakdown for it.
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen arrives on October 9 with a new zone and 12 new dungeons in the original areas. Its DLSS Super Resolution and Frame Generation support is being updated to version 4.5. Dynamic MFG will be available up to 6X.
Release calendar
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 receives Sim Update 7 on October 13. The free update adds the National Championship Air Races. It also includes engine changes and other refinements. DLSS Super Resolution moves to version 4.5, while Frame Generation becomes Dynamic Multi Frame Generation up to 6X.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 opens its campaign to pre-order customers on October 16. The full game follows one week later. NVIDIA says every mode supports DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation up to 6X and ray traced reflections.
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival is scheduled for October 8 from Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games. The single-player horror game includes native DLSS Super Resolution and Frame Generation support. Newer models and Dynamic Frame Generation are available through the NVIDIA app, including multiplication up to 6X.
IO Interactive's 007 First Light has already received DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction and Path Tracing. The update also adds two TacSim missions, New Game+, new weapons and outfits, gadget swapping, a harder "00" difficulty and Photo Mode.
What players can measure
KOEI TECMO's DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered launched on October 1 with DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution. It is an Unreal Engine 5 remake of DYNASTY WARRIORS 3 and DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Xtreme Legends.
The figure likely to draw the most attention is NVIDIA's claimed 7.5X increase for Gears of War: E-Day. It comes from a specific 4K comparison using 6X Multi Frame Generation, Ultra ray tracing and RTX Mega Geometry. NVIDIA's reported 410 frames per second on the RTX 5090 is also a company result, not an independent benchmark.
The other resolution figures show how much the result depends on the test mode. NVIDIA reports up to 500 frames per second at 2560×1440 on the RTX 5090 and up to 600 frames per second at 1920×1080. The company says every tested RTX 50-series card reached 300 frames per second at Ultra settings with ray tracing enabled.
These numbers show the advertised ceiling under NVIDIA's test conditions. They do not guarantee the same frame rate in a live game.
DLSS Super Resolution builds a higher-output image from a lower internal render resolution. Frame Generation adds frames between traditionally rendered ones. Dynamic Multi Frame Generation can increase that multiplier further. These techniques can make motion look smoother, but they do not automatically remove input latency or traversal stutter.
NVIDIA's release is useful as a compatibility and feature update. It is not proof that every listed game will deliver steady performance. The driver confirms technical support and targeted optimisation, but it does not provide independent benchmarks for each title.
Xbox Wire confirms the release timing and platform availability for Gears of War: E-Day. NVIDIA's official technical report provides the DLSS 4.5 feature list and performance claims. Readers following wider DLSS development can also consult this earlier DLSS report for context on how software-level approaches are expanding access to newer rendering features.
The result is a PC graphics update arriving alongside several major releases and expansions. NVIDIA is bringing DLSS 4.5 to a broad launch calendar. The available evidence supports a measured conclusion: Driver 617.42 improves feature readiness for these games, while real-world smoothness still depends on each title's implementation and the hardware running it.
