DXVK 2.5 has been released, offering significant improvements in memory management for various video games, including God of War, Tomb Raider: Legend, Command & Conquer: Generals, Diablo 4, and The Sims 4. This update, which comes about one and a half months after the previous version (DXVK 2.4.1), introduces memory defragmentation capabilities that can help return unused memory to the system. However, this feature is currently disabled on Intel’s ANV Vulkan driver.
The developers emphasized that the objective is not to minimize VRAM usage drastically. Rather, the system will conservatively reclaim memory when under pressure or if substantial blocks of allocated memory are unused, preserving some unused memory for quicker access during future allocations.
Additionally, DXVK 2.5 supports emulated cursors for the D3D9 cursor API, enabling games to customize the mouse cursor with arbitrary images. This enhancement particularly benefits games like Dungeon Siege 2 and Act of War.
The update also introduces strict float emulation by default for NVIDIA 565.57.01 beta and newer drivers, enhancing correctness and potentially improving performance for some titles. Support for Unreal Engine 3 games is also improved through on-the-fly destruction of unused Vulkan samplers and the correct use of LOD bias.
Furthermore, DXVK 2.5 enhances compatibility with specific mobile GPUs, organizes display modes by refresh rate, and boosts support for other games, including Ascension to the Throne, King’s Bounty: Warriors of the North, and several others concerning the D3D8 and D3D9 implementations. The D3D11/DXGI functionalities have also been refined, improving support for titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Yakuza 0, along with the implementation of SEQUENTIAL swap effects for DXGI swap chains.
For a complete list of changes and to download the latest version, users can check the project’s GitHub page. If you’re using distribution repositories, you’ll need to wait for DXVK 2.5 to be included in those updates.