RPCS3 users running NVIDIA graphics cards have a good reason to update their emulator, as a newly implemented workaround can deliver a sizeable performance increase in several PlayStation 3 games. Testing from the RPCS3 team shows gains ranging from around 10% to 25% in some titles, while a specific Gran Turismo 5 test recorded an even larger improvement.
The issue was traced to an NVIDIA driver bug affecting RPCS3’s graphics workload. Rather than waiting for an updated NVIDIA driver, RPCS3 contributor Yahfz developed a workaround on the emulator side to avoid the problem. The change can reduce the performance hit caused by the driver issue while also lowering VRAM usage in some situations.
The results vary depending on the game and hardware, but the testing provides a useful look at the potential improvement:
- GeForce RTX 3080: Around 20% higher performance in testing.
- GeForce RTX 5090: Around 25% higher performance.
- GeForce GTX 1060: Around 20% faster in Saints Row IV and about 10% in Saints Row: The Third.
- GeForce RTX 3070: Gran Turismo 5 increased from 107 FPS to 147 FPS in one test, a roughly 37% gain.
- Gran Turismo 5 VRAM usage: Dropped from 7.1GB to 4.8GB in that test.
- GeForce RTX 5070: Another Gran Turismo 5 test increased from 60 FPS to 67 FPS.
The results are particularly interesting because the improvement is not restricted to newer RTX graphics cards. NVIDIA’s older GTX 1060 also benefited from the workaround, suggesting that the underlying driver behavior can affect a wide range of GeForce hardware.
At the same time, users should not expect every PS3 game to receive a similar FPS increase. RPCS3 performance depends on the individual game, CPU, GPU, rendering settings, and the workload being handled by the emulator. The reported figures are therefore examples from specific tests rather than a guaranteed performance increase across the entire RPCS3 library.
AMD GPU users are also unlikely to see a similar change from this particular update because the issue is related to NVIDIA’s driver behavior. For NVIDIA users who already rely on RPCS3, however, the workaround can provide additional performance without requiring a graphics card upgrade.
The improvement is another example of how emulator development can benefit from identifying problems outside the emulator itself. In this case, addressing the interaction between RPCS3 and the NVIDIA driver was enough to recover performance that had previously been lost.
