Nvidia has officially ended support for the 32-bit PhysX graphics technology, much to the disappointment of fans who still enjoy games that rely on this functionality.
The GPU-accelerated physics simulation SDK, known for its impressive cloth simulation, shattering glass, moving liquids, and various particle effects, has been phased out by Nvidia. PhysX has been a key feature in popular AAA titles such as the Batman Arkham series, Borderlands games, Metro series, Mirror’s Edge, The Witcher 3, and older Assassin’s Creed titles.
Although PhysX was widely used in the 2000s and early 2010s, it began to lose popularity as Nvidia focused on upgrading other aspects of its graphics technology. The introduction of the RTX 50 series as Nvidia’s new standard GPU technology further marginalized PhysX, as it was not compatible with other GPUs, consoles, and smartphones.
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The decision to discontinue PhysX support has sparked discussions on platforms like Reddit, with users expressing their disappointment. One user shared their experience of trying to run Borderlands 2 with PhysX enabled, resulting in significant drops in FPS.
Another user reported playing the same game with an older RTX 4090 GPU and maintaining a smooth 120fps, highlighting the performance differences caused by the lack of PhysX support.
While playing legacy games may not be mainstream, there are ways for enthusiasts to continue enjoying PhysX support on a PC with an RTX 50 series GPU or newer. By combining it with an older graphics card like the RTX 40 series, users can still access PhysX functionality through the Nvidia control panel when needed.
