NVIDIA announced GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.42 on October 6, 2026, with optimizations and enhancements for five named games or updates. Download it through the NVIDIA App or NVIDIA’s website; check the driver page for your exact GPU and Windows version before installing.
What GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.42 includes
NVIDIA’s October 6 announcement names these five releases for driver optimizations and enhancements: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 7, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer, and Valor Mortis. NVIDIA says to get the driver through the NVIDIA App or its website.
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The visible driver listing identifies Windows 10 64-bit and Windows 11 and gives a download size of 990.85 MB. Because the listing’s detailed fields did not fully render, confirm your specific GPU and operating-system selection on NVIDIA’s driver download page before proceeding.
DLSS 4.5 features and GPU-generation requirements
NVIDIA’s listed features differ by game and, in some cases, by GeForce RTX generation. The 6X label refers to a feature’s frame-generation multiplier; it is not a guarantee that every PC will achieve six times its usual frame rate.
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- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
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| Game or update | Features NVIDIA lists | Generation or timing qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 | DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution across modes; DLSS 4.5 Frame Generation; Dynamic Multi Frame Generation; NVIDIA Reflex; optional ray-traced reflections | DLSS 4.5 Frame Generation is assigned to GeForce RTX 40 Series systems; Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, up to 6X multiplication, is assigned to RTX 50 Series systems. NVIDIA says Reflex can be enabled on GeForce RTX systems. NVIDIA announcement |
| Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen | DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution | The expansion and free base-game update are scheduled for October 9, 2026, in NVIDIA’s announcement. NVIDIA announcement |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 7 | DLSS suite upgraded to 4.5; Multi Frame Generation up to 6X; free National Championship Air Races, engine updates and refinements | NVIDIA and Asobo Studio give October 13, 2026 as the scheduled update date. Dynamic Multi Frame Generation is described for RTX 50 Series. NVIDIA announcement |
| STAR WARS: Galactic Racer | DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution; hardware-accelerated ray-traced Lumen lighting; DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction | NVIDIA describes these features as available at launch. NVIDIA announcement |
| Valor Mortis | Driver optimizations and enhancements | NVIDIA names the game but does not specify a DLSS feature in the announcement. NVIDIA announcement |
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
NVIDIA says DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution applies across modes. The announcement distinguishes standard Frame Generation for RTX 40 Series from Dynamic Multi Frame Generation for RTX 50 Series, with the latter offering up to 6X multiplication. It also lists optional ray-traced reflections and says Reflex can be enabled on GeForce RTX systems. These are NVIDIA’s feature statements, not independent performance measurements.
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen
NVIDIA says the paid expansion launches October 9, 2026, alongside a free update to the base game. That update adds DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution, upgrading the game’s existing DLSS Frame Generation and Super Resolution integration. The date is the schedule in NVIDIA’s announcement.
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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 7
The announcement schedules Sim Update 7 for October 13, 2026. NVIDIA lists free National Championship Air Races, engine updates, refinements, and an upgrade of the DLSS suite to version 4.5. It describes Multi Frame Generation up to 6X and says Dynamic Multi Frame Generation is for RTX 50 Series. The announced date is a schedule, not confirmation that the update is available in every region.
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STAR WARS: Galactic Racer
NVIDIA describes this runs-based racing adventure, with a solo campaign and multiplayer, as launching with DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution, hardware-accelerated ray-traced Lumen lighting, and DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction.
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- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4. System Requirements: Minimum 850W PSU with 16-pin 12V-2x6 (12VHPWR) connector required. Verify before purchasing.
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Valor Mortis
NVIDIA includes Valor Mortis among the games receiving driver optimizations and enhancements but does not name a separate DLSS feature for it. No specific DLSS capability should be inferred from the driver listing alone.
What NVIDIA’s frame-rate figures mean
NVIDIA reports that 4X Multi Frame Generation previously produced an average 4.2X frame-rate increase at 4K in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. It also reports an increase of up to 6.4X in its testing of 6X Multi Frame Generation. These are vendor-reported results; the announcement does not provide independent replication or a full testing methodology. They should not be treated as expected results for every GPU, game setting, or system.
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- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
- Powered by GeForce RTX 5070 Ti
- Integrated with 16GB GDDR7 256bit memory interface
- PCIe 5.0
- WINDFORCE cooling system
Download and install the driver
- Open the NVIDIA App and check its driver section for GeForce Game Ready Driver 617.42, or visit NVIDIA’s official driver download page.
- Select your GPU and operating system. Match the driver to your exact hardware and Windows installation; do not rely only on the general listing’s operating-system labels.
- Review the offered package and install it. Follow NVIDIA’s prompts, then restart if the installer requests it.
- Check the game or update separately. Driver support does not itself install a game expansion or scheduled game update. Confirm its availability through the game’s official update channel.
The driver is software; NVIDIA’s announcement does not say that a new graphics card is required to install it. An RTX 40 or RTX 50 Series GPU matters only if you want to use the generation-specific features listed above.
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The visible driver listing also reports a fix for an Assassin’s Creed Shadows crash to desktop after extended gameplay following an update to driver 616.56. The listing’s detail page did not fully render, so consult NVIDIA’s official release information for the complete changelog.
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