Best
ray-tracing games
Windows Central
2022
The best ray-tracing games on PC take advantage of high-end graphics cards to deliver truly lifelike lighting and shadows. These games — and ray tracing in general — require a rather beefy PC to run to their full potential, whether it’s a modern GPU from AMD or NVIDIA. If you do have a modern NVIDIA RTX or AMD Radeon card and you’d like to see what it’s capable of, we’ve rounded up some of the best ray-tracing games available now.
Shiny blocks:
Minecraft for Windows
Staff pick
Ray tracing in Minecraft completely transforms the game, to the extent that you’ll find it difficult to go back to regular graphics. Ray tracing makes the blocky world look more realistic than ever, and your creations will look better than ever. On NVIDIA’s side DLSS support can boost performance.
Subterranean spookiness:
Metro Exodus
Editor’s choice
Metro Exodus is one of the most atmospheric first-person shooters of recent memory, and it’s quite spooky to boot. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer to the series, Metro Exodus delivers a captivating story and gameplay that remains fresh for the entire run. NVIDIA DLSS is available to boost performance.
Zombies and parkour:
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Dying Light 2 is one of the more recent releases in this list. It’s a sequel to the popular zombie-parkour mix that has you trying to survive in an unrecognizable open world. Run, jump, and stomp the undead in a beautiful playground made better with ray tracing. NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR boost performance.
Heeeeere’s Johnny!:
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 got off to a rocky start on consoles, but on PC it was a bit of a different story. If you’re into open-world games that push the limits of graphics and detail while also delivering a captivating story, Cyberpunk should satisfy. NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR can help boost performance.
Goretastic catharsis:
DOOM Eternal
Feel like you don’t have enough metal music and viscera in your life? DOOM Eternal is the cure on both fronts. From start to finish it’s an adrenaline-fueled gorefest that pays homage to the classic titles. It runs great and it looks fantastic, but it can get even better with ray tracing enabled. NVIDIA DLSS can be enabled to boost frame rates.
FPS revival:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
The annual first-person shooter gets a lot of deserved flak, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from 2019 was a bright spot in the series. From the engaging storyline to the plentiful multiplayer to the smooth PC performance, Modern Warfare is still being playing today by plenty of people. NVIDIA DLSS can help with ray-tracing performance.
Be Lara Croft:
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the conclusion of the modern Tomb Raider trilogy that completely revitalized the series. From the gameplay to the storyline to the graphics, this action singleplayer game will draw you in until the last moment. NVIDIA DLSS can boost frames that get hit by ray tracing.
Better than 2042:
Battlefield V
With the absolute flop of Battlefield 2042, Battlefield V is seeing a bit of a resurgence among players who need the unique experience. BFV came a long way from its rocky launch, and it’s actually in a good state right now with plenty of players on PC. It’s a beautiful game made better by ray tracing, and DLSS on NVIDIA’s side can help with performance.
The original … ray traced:
Quake II RTX
Published by NVIDIA, Quake II RTX features three levels from the original game, all with ray-traced reflections, refractions, shadows, global illumination, and more. This is a great way to capture some first-person shooter nostalgia and put your PC to the test. Though this is a NVIDIA project, ray tracing should also work with compatible AMD GPUs.
Best games with ray tracing
The best ray tracing games for PC make the most of the best graphics cards, delivering lighting and shadows that are incredibly realistic. On AMD’s side, its Radeon RX 6000 GPUs can handle ray tracing. These came after NVIDIA’s initial foray into the technology, so they’re not quite as adept.
On NVIDIA’s side, RTX 20-series GPUs and RTX 30-series GPUs are capable of ray tracing, as are some older NVIDIA cards thanks to driver-level support. If you’re interested in getting a GPU capable of ray tracing, check out our collection of the best graphics cards that support ray tracing. The more power the better in this case.
As for games that support ray tracing, Minecraft is a favorite with everyone. It’s the best-selling game of all time, and its blocky worlds only get better when ray tracing is added. Minecraft is great for all ages and can be an awesome relaxation tool with calming vistas and soothing music.
If you’re more into action, Metro Exodus is one of the best first-person shooters released in recent years. The atmospheric (and often terrifying world) blends perfectly with the gripping storyline, with just enough difficulty to challenge the most adept gamers. Despite it being a few years old, it’s still one of the best-looking games with ray tracing enabled.
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