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Which Xbox Series X|S games have ray tracing?

Ray tracing can take a game’s graphics to a whole new level.

Xbox series x with a green glow
Image: KnowTechie

Quick Answer: It’s a short list, but it’s growing. But some games include Metro Exodus, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, Grand Theft Auto V, Hitman 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and more.

The Xbox Series X|S supports ray tracing, which simulates how light naturally behaves inside the game environment.

That makes for more realistic visuals, but it was too much for earlier consoles to handle. Thankfully, that is starting to change with the latest generation of consoles.

The custom AMD silicon inside the Xbox Series X|S has enough power to enable this new tech.

But we all know technical performance doesn’t mean anything if there aren’t any games to take advantage of it.

For now, game developers must enable it, so how many have added it to their games so far?

Which games feature ray tracing on Xbox Series X|S?

Short answer: It’s a short list, but growing

If you want to take full advantage of your Xbox Series X or S, you’ll want to know which games have ray tracing.

Here are all the current Xbox Series X|S ray tracing games:

We will continue updating this list as more games with ray tracing are made available.

Software vs. hardware-accelerated ray tracing

Xbox series s and series s on white background
Image: Microsoft

Here’s the thing – ray tracing isn’t a new technology. It’s been around since 1969, when Arthur Appel coined the phrase while working at IBM.

Think of light in the real world.

Everything you see is because of light rays that bounce off and into your eyes. If you could trace every light ray back to its source, that’s ray tracing.

What is new is being able to do it in real time, as it’s a very resource-intensive process.

Think of almost every movie you’ve seen since the 70s with some level of special computer effects.

Chances are those used ray tracing, and the computation for it was done offline, taking hours per frame of footage.

Ray tracing example showing bullet with tracing on and off

It wasn’t until the latest generations of computer graphics cards and consoles that hardware-accelerated, real-time ray tracing was possible.

Some video games, like Gears 5, use software-based ray tracing, so the feature can work on any hardware.

Some, like Metro: Exodus, need hardware like Nvidia’s RT and Tensor cores.

Does ray tracing impact game performance?

Yes, enabling ray tracing can impact game performance, as it requires additional processing power. The exact impact will depend on the game and the hardware being used.

Can I turn off ray tracing in Xbox Series X|S games?

Yes, many Xbox Series X|S games allow you to disable ray tracing if you prefer to prioritize other graphical effects or performance.

The option to disable ray tracing is usually found in the game’s settings menu.

Minecraft with ray tracing

Ray tracing is here to stay

Now that the Xbox Series X|S supports ray tracing, as well as the current generation of graphics cards for PC, expect this list to grow.

We’ll periodically update the list as we hear of more games that include the tech. But hopefully, this answered your question on what games have ray tracing.

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Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.

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