DWS High Income VIP

Summary Prospectus | May 1, 2022

 

Class A

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, reports to shareholders, Statement of Additional Information and other information about the fund online at dws.com/vipros. You can also get this information at no cost by e-mailing a request to service@dws.com, calling (800) 728-3337 or by contacting your insurance company. The Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated May 1, 2022, as may be revised or supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.

Investment Objective

The fund seeks to provide a high level of current income.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. This information does not reflect fees associated with the separate account that invests in the fund or any variable life insurance policy or variable annuity contract for which the fund is an investment option. These fees will increase expenses.

SHAREHOLDER FEES 

(paid directly from your investment) None

ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment) 

Management fee	0.50
Distribution/service (12b-1) fees	None
Other expenses	0.34
Total annual fund operating expenses	0.84
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement	0.13
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/ expense reimbursement	0.71

The Advisor has contractually agreed through April 30, 2023 to waive its fees and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the fund to the extent necessary to maintain the fund’s total annual operating expenses (excluding certain expenses such as extraordinary expenses, taxes, brokerage and interest expenses and acquired funds fees and expenses) at a ratio no higher than 0.71% for Class A shares. The agreement may only be terminated with the consent of the fund’s Board.

EXAMPLE

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The

Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. This example does not reflect any fees or sales charges imposed by a variable contract for which the fund is an investment option. If they were included, your costs would be higher.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 

1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
$73	$255	$453	$1,025

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER 

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example, and can affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 56% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Main investments. Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests at least 65% of net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in junk bonds, which are those rated below the fourth highest credit rating category (that is, grade BB/Ba and below) or, if unrated, determined by the Advisor to be of similar quality. Compared to investment-grade debt securities, junk bonds generally pay higher yields, have higher volatility and higher risk of default on payments of interest and principal. The fund may invest up to 50% of total assets in bonds denominated in US dollars or foreign currencies from foreign issuers, including issuers in emerging markets. The fund invests in securities of varying maturities and intends to maintain a dollar-weighted effective average portfolio maturity that will not exceed ten years. Subject to its portfolio maturity policy, the fund may

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purchase individual securities with any stated maturity. Because the fund may invest in fixed income securities of varying maturities, the fund's dollar-weighted average effective portfolio maturity will vary. As of December 31, 2021, the fund had a dollar-weighted average effective portfolio maturity of 3.74 years.

Management process. Portfolio management focuses on cash flow and total return analysis, and broad diversification among countries, sectors, industries and individual issuers and maturities. Portfolio management uses an active process that emphasizes relative value, managing on a total return basis, and intensive research to identify stable to improving credit situations that may provide yield compensation for the risk of investing in junk bonds.

Portfolio management utilizes primarily a bottom-up approach, where relative value and fundamental analysis are used to select securities within each industry, and a top-down approach to assess the overall risk and return in the market, including macroeconomic trends. Portfolio management also incorporates other considerations, including financially material environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, independent credit research, management visits and conference calls, as part of its analysis and research process.

Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use credit default swaps, which are a type of derivative (a contract whose value is based on, for example, indices, currencies or securities) to seek to increase the fund’s income, to gain exposure to a bond issuer’s credit quality characteristics without directly investing in the bond, or to hedge the risk of default on bonds held in the fund’s portfolio. In addition, portfolio management generally may use forward currency contracts to hedge exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on foreign currency denominated portfolio holdings or to facilitate transactions in foreign currency denominated securities.

The fund may also use other types of derivatives (i) for hedging purposes; (ii) for risk management; (iii) for non-hedging purposes to seek to enhance potential gains; or (iv) as a substitute for direct investment in a particular asset class or to keep cash on hand to meet shareholder redemptions.

Securities lending. The fund may lend securities (up to one-third of total assets) to approved institutions, such as registered broker-dealers, banks and pooled investment vehicles.

Main Risks

There are several risk factors that could hurt the fund’s performance, cause you to lose money or cause the fund’s performance to trail that of other investments. The fund may not achieve its investment objective, and is not intended to be a complete investment program. An investment in the fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.

Credit risk. The fund's performance could be hurt if an issuer of a debt security suffers an adverse change in financial condition that results in the issuer not making timely payments of interest or principal, a security downgrade or an inability to meet a financial obligation. Credit risk is greater for lower-rated securities.

Because the issuers of high yield debt securities, or junk bonds (debt securities rated below the fourth highest credit rating category), may be in uncertain financial health, the prices of their debt securities can be more vulnerable to bad economic news, or even the expectation of bad news, than investment-grade debt securities. Credit risk for high yield securities is greater than for higher-rated securities.

Because securities in default generally have missed one or more payments of interest and/or principal, an investment in such securities has an increased risk of loss. Issuers of securities in default have an increased likelihood of entering bankruptcy or beginning liquidation procedures which could impact the fund's ability to recoup its investment. Securities in default may be illiquid or trade in low volumes and thus may be difficult to value.

High yield debt securities risk. High yield debt securities, or junk bonds, are generally regarded as speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. High yield debt securities’ total return and yield may generally be expected to fluctuate more than the total return and yield of investment-grade debt securities. A real or perceived economic downturn or an increase in market interest rates could cause a decline in the value of high yield debt securities, result in increased redemptions and/or result in increased portfolio turnover, which could result in a decline in net asset value of the fund, reduce liquidity for certain investments and/or increase costs. High yield debt securities are often thinly traded and can be more difficult to sell and value accurately than investment-grade debt securities as there may be no established secondary market. Investments in high yield debt securities could increase liquidity risk for the fund. In addition, the market for high yield debt securities can experience sudden and sharp volatility which is generally associated more with investments in stocks.

Interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, prices of debt securities generally decline. The longer the duration of the fund’s debt securities, the more sensitive the fund will be to interest rate changes. (As a general rule, a 1% rise in interest rates means a 1% fall in value for every year of duration.) Interest rates can change in response to the supply and demand for credit, government and/or central bank monetary policy and action, inflation rates, and other factors. Recent and potential future changes in monetary policy made by central banks or governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates. Rising interest rates may prompt redemptions from the fund, which may force the fund to sell investments at a time when it is not advantageous to do so, which could result in losses. The fund

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DWS High Income VIP

Summary Prospectus May 1, 2022

may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates following periods of low rates, including the recent low rate period because there may be a greater likelihood that interest rates will increase and interest rates may increase rapidly. In addition, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as with other serious economic disruptions, governmental authorities and regulators have enacted significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including providing direct capital infusions into companies, creating new monetary programs and lowering interest rates considerably. As these actions are modified or reversed, the fund could be adversely affected by periods of heightened volatility and uncertainty.

London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the benchmark rate for certain floating rate securities, has been phased out as of the end of 2021 for most maturities and currencies, although certain widely used US Dollar LIBOR rates are expected to continue to be published through June 2023 to assist with the transition. The fund or the instruments in which the fund invests may be adversely affected by the phase out by, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity. There remains uncertainty regarding the future use of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement reference rate and, accordingly, it is difficult to predict the impact to the fund of the transition away from LIBOR.

Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the fund’s assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the fund’s share price and yield and could hurt fund performance.

Foreign investment risk. The fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments, as well as US and foreign government actions such as the imposition of tariffs, economic and trade sanctions or embargoes, could undermine the value of the fund’s investments, prevent the fund from realizing the full value of its investments or prevent the fund from selling securities it holds. In June 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (EU) and in March 2017, the United Kingdom initiated the formal process of withdrawing from the EU. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the EU pursuant to a withdrawal agreement, providing for a transition period in which the United Kingdom negotiated and finalized a trade deal with the EU, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (the Trade Agreement). As a result, as of January 1, 2021 the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU customs union and single market, nor is it subject to EU policies and international agreements. Among other things, the Trade

Agreement provides for zero tariffs and zero quotas on all goods that comply with appropriate rules of origin and establishes the treatment and level of access the United Kingdom and EU have agreed to grant each other’s service suppliers and investors. In addition to trade in goods and services and investment, the Trade Agreement also covers digital trade, intellectual property, public procurement, aviation and road transport, energy, fisheries, social security coordination, law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, thematic cooperation and participation in EU programs. Even with the Trade Agreement in place, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU may create new barriers to trade in goods and services and to cross-border mobility and exchanges, including with respect to trade in financial services which is not comprehensively addressed in the Trade Agreement and remains subject to negotiation between the United Kingdom and the EU. The long-term impact of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU is still unknown and could have adverse economic and political effects on the United Kingdom, the EU and its member countries, and the global economy, including financial markets and asset valuations.

Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the US. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than US markets. To the extent that the fund invests in non-US dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the US dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities. In addition, because non-US markets may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.

Emerging markets risk. Foreign investment risks are greater in emerging markets than in developed markets. Investments in emerging markets are often considered speculative.

Security selection risk. The securities in the fund’s portfolio may decline in value. Portfolio management could be wrong in its analysis of industries, companies, economic trends, ESG factors, the relative attractiveness of different securities or other matters.

Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.

Market risk. The market value of the securities in which the fund invests may be impacted by the prospects of individual issuers, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets.

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DWS High Income VIP

Summary Prospectus May 1, 2022

Market disruption risk. Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Market disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by a market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.

Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursion and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments, even beyond any direct exposure the fund may have to Russian issuers or the adjoining geographic regions. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.

Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, and the significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions that it has caused. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pandemic may result in the fund and its service providers experiencing operational difficulties in coordinating a remote workforce and implementing their business continuity plans, among others.

Market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID 19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.

Inflation risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the real value of certain assets or real income from investments (the value of such assets or income after accounting for inflation) will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of

money. Inflation, and investors’ expectation of future inflation, can impact the current value of the fund's portfolio, resulting in lower asset values and losses to shareholders. This risk may be elevated compared to historical market conditions because of recent monetary policy measures and the current interest rate environment.

Derivatives risk. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation; and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund's exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.

Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.

Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment and/or the fund may sell certain investments at a price or time that is not advantageous in order to meet redemption requests or other cash needs. Unusual market conditions, such as an unusually high volume of redemptions or other similar conditions could increase liquidity risk for the fund, and in extreme conditions, the fund could have difficulty meeting redemption requests.

Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment could be different from the value realized upon such investment’s sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling fund shares.

Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.

Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund

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DWS High Income VIP

Summary Prospectus May 1, 2022

and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.

While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.

Past Performance

How a fund's returns vary from year to year can give an idea of its risk; so can comparing fund performance to overall market performance (as measured by an appropriate market index). Past performance may not indicate future results. All performance figures below assume that dividends and distributions were reinvested. For more recent performance figures, go to dws.com (the Web site does not form a part of this prospectus) or call the telephone number included in this prospectus. This information does not reflect fees associated with the separate account that invests in the fund or any variable life insurance policy or variable annuity contract for which the fund is an investment option. These fees will reduce returns.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (%) (CLASS A)

  

	Returns	Period ending
Best Quarter	8.55%	June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter	-11.56%	March 31, 2020
Year-to-Date	-3.88%	March 31, 2022

Average Annual Total Returns
(For periods ended 12/31/2021 expressed as a %) 

	Class Inception	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class A before tax	4/6/1982	4.00	6.02	6.16
ICE BofA US HighYield Index (reflects no deduc- tion for fees, expenses or taxes)		5.35	6.08	6.71

Management

Investment Advisor

DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc.

Portfolio Manager(s)

Gary Russell, CFA, Head of Investment Strategy Fixed Income. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2006.

Thomas R. Bouchard, Senior Portfolio Manager & Team Lead Fixed Income. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2016.

Lonnie Fox, Senior Portfolio Manager & Team Lead Fixed Income. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund is intended for use in a variable insurance product. You should contact the sponsoring insurance company for information on how to purchase and sell shares of the fund.

Tax Information

The fund normally distributes its net investment income and realized capital gains, if any, to its shareholders, the separate accounts of participating insurance companies. These distributions may not be taxable to the holders of variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. For information concerning the federal income tax

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DWS High Income VIP

Summary Prospectus May 1, 2022

consequences for the holders of such contracts or policies, holders should consult the prospectus used in connection with the issuance of their particular contracts or policies.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through selected affiliated and unaffiliated brokers, dealers, participating insurance companies or other financial intermediaries, the fund, the Advisor, and/or the Advisor’s affiliates, may pay the financial intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your insurance company's Web site for more information.

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DWS High Income VIP

Summary Prospectus May 1, 2022 2A-HI-SUM