Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 2 days ago
Ray tracing improves game visuals but can sharply reduce frame rates
Ray tracing is a graphics technique that makes lighting, shadows and reflections in games look more realistic.
It is available on current PlayStation and Xbox consoles and on compatible PC graphics cards, though high-end PCs can handle more advanced effects.
The main trade-off is performance: tests across 36 games found that turning it on reduced average frame rates by 20 to 40 percent.
Some games saw larger drops, including about 45 percent in Hogwarts Legacy and 52 percent in Alan Wake 2.
The effect varies by game and hardware, but older or mid-range graphics cards may struggle to keep games running smoothly.
Upscaling and frame-generation features can help raise frame rates, though frame generation can add input lag.
For players without a powerful graphics card, the practical advice is to prioritize a stable frame rate and leave ray tracing off.
Ray tracing produces more realistic lighting, shadows and reflections in games, but can sharply reduce frame rates.
A TechSpot analysis of 36 games found average frame rates fell by 20 to 40 percent with ray tracing enabled.
The performance cost varies by game and hardware, and the article says the feature is best suited to high-end gaming PCs.
The article advises players with older or mid-range graphics cards to prioritize a stable frame rate over ray tracing.
Upscaling and frame-generation technologies can help improve performance, though frame generation can increase input lag.
- Who
- PC gamers deciding whether to enable ray tracing.
- What
- Ray tracing can improve game visuals but reduce frame rates. The performance impact depends on the game and hardware.
- When
- Engadget published the article on 2026-10-10.
- Where
- In PC games and on gaming PCs; the article also discusses the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
- Why
- Ray tracing simulates lighting, shadows and reflections more accurately than older rendering methods.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
TechSpot analyzed ray tracing performance across 36 games and found average FPS fell by 20 to 40 percent with the feature enabled.
Engadget published its article on ray tracing in gaming.
- TechSpot analysis
- 36 games tested
- Average FPS drop
- 20 to 40 percent with ray tracing enabled
- Hogwarts Legacy
- 45 percent frame-rate dip
- Alan Wake 2
- Around 52 percent frame-rate decrease
- Older GPUs
- More than five years old are likely to perform poorly with ray tracing enabled
What people are saying
A whole lot,
If your GPU is more than five years old, any ray-traced games your PC is capable of running will likely perform poorly.
For your average PC gamer playing on a middling GPU, ray tracing will cost too many frames to make it worth enabling.
Sources
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