Nvidia has officially discontinued support for its 32-bit PhysX graphics technology, a decision that has disappointed many gamers who still enjoy titles reliant on this functionality. The company has quietly removed the legacy software development kit (SDK), marking the end of its era.
Nvidia confirmed the shutdown of the GPU-accelerated physics simulation SDK, which was well-known for its capabilities in simulating cloth dynamics, breaking glass, flowing liquids, and various particle effects. PhysX has been fondly linked with several high-profile games, such as the Batman Arkham series, Borderlands 2, Metro: Last Light, The Witcher 3, and older releases in the Assassin’s Creed series.
Despite its popularity during the 2000s and early 2010s, PhysX began to lose traction as Nvidia advanced other aspects of its graphics technology. The new RTX 50 series has now taken precedence, rendering PhysX increasingly obsolete. Moreover, compatibility issues with other graphics cards, consoles, and smartphones further contributed to its decline, as noted by sources like Tom’s Hardware.
In the aftermath of this decision, discussions are circulating among Reddit users expressing their dissatisfaction with the termination of PhysX. One user recounted their struggles while attempting to run Borderlands 2 with PhysX, which resulted in a significant drop in performance. They reported experiencing frame rates below 60 FPS even with a high-end configuration featuring an RTX 5090 and an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, contrasting their experience with the RTX 4090 where they maintained around 120 FPS.
For those who still wish to play older games, it’s possible to maintain PhysX support on a PC equipped with an RTX 50 series GPU by pairing it with an older RTX 40 series or equivalent card. This setup allows users to access PhysX features via the Nvidia control panel when necessary, catering to the niche group of enthusiasts who enjoy legacy gaming experiences.
