In recent news regarding issues with the RTX 50 series cards, Nvidia has confirmed that it has removed GPU PhysX support for all 32-bit games in its latest RTX 50 series GPUs. The technology’s end-of-life status was posted on the Nvidia forums, where a staff member stated, “This is expected behavior as 32-bit CUDA applications are deprecated on GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs.” With this change, RTX 50 series GPU owners will now be forced to run older PhysX titles using CPU-based PhysX.

For context, PhysX is one of Nvidia’s older graphics technologies. It is a proprietary physics simulation SDK capable of handling ragdolls, cloth simulation, particles, volumetric fluid simulation, and other physics-focused graphical effects. In total, around 40 titles are affected by Nvidia dropping support, including fan favorites like Borderlands 2, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Mafia II, and many more. Since then, gamers, especially RTX 50 owners, have been searching for a way to enjoy these older PhysX games on their next-gen hardware, and we’re here to help.

Get a dedicated PhysX graphics card

The most effective solution is to use another GPU as a dedicated PhysX card. At first, this might sound a bit strange, but a Reddit user actually tried this approach with an RTX 3050, and the results were convincing for anyone with some extra cash to spare or an old GPU lying around. For instance, in Mirror’s Edge, CPU-based PhysX was only capable of outputting 12 FPS in certain scenarios, whereas offloading PhysX to the 3050 boosted performance to well over 170 FPS.

However, if buying a 3050 as a dedicated PhysX card is not an option, especially after getting an RTX 50 series GPU, even older GPUs like the GTX 980 Ti can also handle 32-bit PhysX with ease. In fact, in a recent PhysX benchmark comparison between the RTX 5080 and the GTX 980 Ti, the 10-year-old GPU provided a much smoother experience, while the 50 series card dropped to just 15 FPS at one point.

Some games are playable with CPU-based PhysX

While comparisons between CPU-based PhysX and GPU-based PhysX have shown a significant performance difference, for those who want to revisit their favorite older titles without spending any money, some games still provide a “playable” CPU-based PhysX experience. One example is Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, where the game was capable of delivering the capped 62 FPS on CPU-based PhysX.

However, these cases are rare, and in the majority of titles, you will face major FPS drops. For instance, in Batman: Arkham Asylum, certain areas can bring FPS down to the low 40s or even 30s. But at the end of the day, if you really want to play with those realistic effects turned on, something is better than nothing.

Turn off PhysX effects

That said, if you want to play older PhysX titles but don't want to deal with low FPS using CPU-based PhysX or spend extra on another GPU, your only solution is to turn those realistic effects off. This way, you'll still be able to enjoy the game on your RTX 50 series GPU, but you'll have to sacrifice PhysX effects like realistic cloth physics, dynamic debris, and fluid simulations.

On the bright side, your RTX 50 series still supports 64-bit PhysX. The issue, however, is that there aren’t many modern titles supporting it as Nvidia-exclusive PhysX features have fallen out of favor. One example is 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight, where you can use your RTX 50 series GPU without worrying about low FPS.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.