No More ‘Slide Shows’ on First Launch: NVIDIA Now Compiles Shaders While Computer Idles

The latest update to the NVIDIA App introduces an option that could change the usual launch ritual of modern PC games. This is the Auto Shader Compilation (ASC) feature, designed to automatically compile DirectX 12 shaders in the background.

When launching many titles for the first time, especially those on engines like Unreal Engine, the system spends anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes compiling shaders. During this time, the game either displays a static loading screen or turns into a “slide show” with low FPS. Moreover, even after a successful start, micro-stuttering often occurs because the engine fails to process new graphical effects in time. With ASC, the process is designed to be invisible to the user. The way it works is similar to a task scheduler: when the computer is idle or not under heavy load from demanding applications, the driver automatically processes shaders for installed games. By the time the user decides to launch a game, all the necessary GPU code is already ready.

The feature is optional, and whether to enable it is up to the graphics card owner. The setting can be found in the NVIDIA App interface by going to the “Graphics” section, then “Global Settings,” and selecting “Shader Cache.” For proper operation, you’ll need to allocate a dedicated folder on your drive, as the cache of precompiled data can take up considerable space. ASC settings also include a slider to adjust CPU and storage load during background operation: by default, it’s set to a medium level so compilation doesn’t interfere with other background tasks.

If a user doesn’t want to wait for the system to decide when to start compilation, the app interface includes a “Compile Now” button—pressing it initiates the process immediately. The NVIDIA App also shows the date of the last compilation, making it easy to track cache freshness. To use ASC, you’ll need the latest components: the beta version of the NVIDIA App itself and GeForce Game Ready driver version 595.97 WHQL or newer. Currently, the feature is in beta testing, and the company promises additional optimizations will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

The idea of background shader compilation isn’t entirely new to the market—Intel has already implemented a similar mechanism in its graphics software, using cloud infrastructure to pre-process and deliver ready-made files to the user’s computer. Microsoft, for its part, is advancing the concept of Advanced Shader Delivery within its own Agility SDK.

What do you think—will this feature become the de facto standard for all graphics card makers, or would most gamers rather wait for compilation at launch once than allocate extra SSD space for the cache? Share your thoughts in the comments.