RESIDENT EVIL 5 SPECIAL K HDR REMASTERING GUIDE

While writing this guide, I try to be as brief as possible.

This guide assumes that you at least have an idea what HDR is and own a HDR-capable monitor/TV, have intermediate level of knowledge of the Windows operating system, know how to utilize various applications and manage files.

You may need administrative rights to perform certain actions.

There is some modding involved, proceed at your own risk.

Since I don't own an AMD GPU, I cannot guarantee the outcome for Radeon users.
Please let me know if you run into issues so I can update this guide to include possible solutions.

▶ Watch Resident Evil 5 Special K HDR showcase below:

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Before we get started, ensure that you have the following ready:

Resident Evil 5 will not work out of the box for the things we want to achieve, some preparation must be done in order to make HDR remastering happen in the best possible way.

They are as follows:

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The procedures involve adding extra files to the root of your Resident Evil 5 installation.
For me, that would be:

It is a good idea to keep a backup copy of your RE5 installation folder just in case.
Alternatively, you can use Steam's integrity check for the game.

The pre-configured files were made to minimize tinkering with the configs as much as possible so you get close to out-of-the-box results.

From this archive, the following should be copied to the root of your RE5 directory, overwriting everything:

• /nativePC_MT
  
• Launcher.exe
  
• maluc.dll
  
• re5dx9.exe
  
• steam_api.dll

DO NOT copy the plugins folder and the dinput8.dll file, this will break your RE5 installation. Extract the files to the root of your RE5 installation.
Grab DX9Settings.ini from my GitHub and put it here, overwriting the existing one, as well. The next step is done to make use of a proxy .DLL since we cannot use two d3d9.dll files at the same time:

Extract the x32 version of d3d9.dll anywhere but the RE5 installation folder. Rename this to d9vk.dll and place it in (copy-paste the path in Explorer navigation panel):

Grab dxvk.conf from my GitHub and put this in the root of your RE5 directory. After installing SK, navigate to (copy-paste the path in Explorer navigation panel):

Then,

open the following file in Notepad:

Add the line
and then save and close. Navigate to:
and copy the preconfigured config.ini here. If it already exists, make backup first and overwrite.

Note: Note: This configuration is set to a resolution of 3840x2160 and refresh rate of 120hz, adjust values with a text editor if needed.

We're almost there. Run the 4GB patcher and patch the game executable in your RE5 root to make the game run on x64 systems properly.

Load up NVIDIA Profile Inspector and check if the official NVIDIA profile for Resident Evil 5 exists. If so, delete it. After that, import the RE5 profile from my Github
and then press Apply changes.

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When using a controller, Resident Evil 5 only has button prompts for XBox controllers natively.
For Playstation controller users, a few mods exist to replace them for DualShock/DualSense users. I've used the first one during an entire playthrough without problems.

To apply these, simply copy nativePC_MT from the mod file to the RE5 root, overwriting the existing files.

Link[residentevilmodding.boards.net]
Link[www.nexusmods.com]

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With the procedures done, a few more things to check are:

Turn off Windows Auto-HDR function, we don't want this ruining a proper HDR. For VRR to activate, make sure that G-Sync is enabled for both fullscreen and windowed from the NVIDIA control panel.

Your display settings should be properly set to ensure your display device has proper color output.

Check the system tray if the Special K service is running, then launch RE5 from Steam.

Once the game boots, Special K will be injected.
Note: you may have to start the game again after the initial boot.

The Auto Low Latency message should popup, meaning that VRR is working properly.

If pressing Ctrl + Shift + Backspace opens the Special K control panel, then all went well and you are now in HDR mode with remastering functionality.

From the SK control panel, go to the HDR setup page, click on the Profile Display Capabilities button and set your dispay's maximum nits. Go as high as possible until the checkers pattern becomes invisible. When done, click Okay.

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