Nvidia has officially ended support for 32-bit PhysX technology on its upcoming RTX 50 series graphics cards, marking the end of an era for the once-revolutionary physics simulation technology.
The announcement came through Nvidia's forums, confirming that the retirement stems from broader deprecation of 32-bit CUDA application support on RTX 50 series cards. Since no 64-bit games utilize PhysX, this effectively terminates the technology entirely for the new GPU generation.
PhysX, which Nvidia acquired from Ageia, revolutionized gaming physics by moving calculations from CPU to GPU. The technology powered physics simulations in many popular games including the Batman Arkham series, Borderlands franchise, Metro series, and The Witcher 3.
The technology's decline began in the late 2010s as developers sought more flexible solutions that could work across different hardware platforms. PhysX's requirement for Nvidia GPUs limited its adoption, preventing implementation on AMD graphics cards, gaming consoles, and mobile devices.
Users wanting to run PhysX-enabled games on RTX 50 series cards will need to install an older RTX 40 series or earlier GPU dedicated to PhysX processing through Nvidia's control panel. However, with no new games implementing the technology, PhysX's practical relevance continues to diminish.
This retirement marks the end of a technology that shaped gaming graphics for nearly two decades. While RTX 40 series and older cards will maintain PhysX compatibility through 32-bit CUDA support, the technology's future in gaming appears to have reached its conclusion with the Blackwell architecture.