Quick answer: Unreal Engine 5 Virtual Shadow Maps showing visible tearing seams with DLSS enabled? VSM page resolution differs from upscaler input - increase r.Shadow.Virtual.PageResolution.

VSM look correct at native resolution. DLSS upscaling from 720p reveals page-grid tearing on shadowed surfaces.

Raise page resolution

r.Shadow.Virtual.PageResolution 256

Larger pages reduce visible boundaries. Cost is VRAM; default 128 is too low for upscaling.

Or disable VSM for DLSS

Some projects ship CSM with DLSS; the upscaler handles them better than VSM. Trade per-project.

Verify with the visualizer

r.Shadow.Virtual.Visualize 1. Page boundaries are visible; high contrast at the boundary = tearing source.

“Shadow precision and upscaler input need to match. Mismatch becomes visible artifacts.”

Test every shadow technique against every upscaler. The matrix is small; the bug surface is large.

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