Nvidia released a new Game Ready driver on Monday for its GeForce graphics chips, setting PC gamers up for Gearbox Software’s MOBA-style first-person shooter Battleborn, which launches Tuesday. The new suite also focuses on performance in a few betas including Epic Games’ current Paragon, Blizzard’s Overwatch (set to launch Wednesday), and Forza Motorsport 6: Apex (comes out Thursday).
The new GeForce Game Ready WHQL driver arrives as version 365.10, and can be downloaded by simply launching the GeForce Experience application and clicking on the “Drivers” tab. Unfortunately, the release notes are not available at this time, so we’re not sure what the driver suite adds and fixes in this new release.
According to Nvidia, the new driver provides the best possible frame rates and frame times during multiplayer matches in Battleborn, a “hero shooter” that sees teams of players battle it out against each other online, or with players experiencing the single-player campaign cooperatively with friends. Nvidia-based PC gamers will need at least a GeForce GTX 460 graphics chip to play this shooter, but the GeForce GTX 660 card is highly recommended.
For Blizzard’s team-based shooter Overwatch, the new driver will not only optimize the experience, but allow players to turn on SLI support. The game itself goes into open beta on Wednesday, requiring participants to download Overwatch through the Battle.net client and click on the highlighted button in the Overwatch tab. The minimum requirements include the GeForce GTX 460, while the recommended specs call for a GeForce GTX 660.
On the Paragon front, Nvidia doesn’t really specify what the drivers will enhance, but says that Unreal Engine 4 makes full use of the very best hardware when the graphics setting is switched to the highest quality, aka “Epic” (har har). The game leaves Early Access and switches over into full open beta mode this weekend, requiring Nvidia-based PC gamers to have at least a GeForce GTX 560 graphics chip. Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 660 GPU is recommended.
Finally, we have Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport 6: Apex that was designed specifically for the PC (can we get a woohoo). The game is based on DirectX 12 (meaning Windows 10 only) and supports resolutions up to 4K, requiring a somewhat meaty graphics card. Again, Nvidia doesn’t point out any driver-specific highlights offered in 365.10, but Nvidia-based PC gamers will need a GeForce GTX 740 graphics card at the very least. If you want 1080p at 60 frames per second, you’ll need the GeForce GTX 970. Running 4K graphics at 60 frames per second will require the GeForce GTX 980 Ti.
“Crafted specifically for Windows 10, Apex represents the critical first step in the future of the Forza franchise as it expands into Windows 10 PCs,” Microsoft says. “Apex combines the power and performance of DirectX 12 with Turn 10’s racing expertise, our proprietary ForzaTech engine, and Forza’s legacy of stellar content. Most importantly, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is our way to introduce Forza’s award-winning gameplay to a new audience on Windows 10 and invite a new group of gamers to develop a passion for cars and racing.”
To manually download the new Nvidia GeForce Game Ready driver, version 365.10, head here. The drivers can be acquired within the free GeForce Experience application, which can be downloaded here.
