Path Tracing vs Ray Tracing in Games: The Ultimate Graphics Showdown

In 2025, more and more games are featuring Path Tracing-a cutting-edge rendering technology that brings visuals to an unprecedented level of realism. While many gamers are familiar with Ray Tracing (RTX), the distinction between "ray tracing" and "path tracing" is not always clear. In this article, we'll explain what Path Tracing means in simple terms, how it works in games, how it differs from Ray Tracing, and whether it's worth enabling on your PC.

Path Tracing Explained in Simple Terms

Path Tracing is a rendering technique that simulates the entire journey of a light ray from its source to the camera, including reflections, refractions, and scattering along the way.

• Traditional rendering uses pre-baked textures and shadows.
• Ray Tracing imitates the behavior of individual rays for effects like reflections and lighting.
• Path Tracing calculates all possible interactions of a ray with the scene, resulting in an image that's as close to reality as possible.

In short, Path Tracing is essentially "full" Ray Tracing.

Path Tracing vs Ray Tracing: What's the Difference?

Many people confuse Path Tracing and Ray Tracing, thinking they're the same. In reality:

• Ray Tracing (RTX) is used for specific effects: realistic reflections, soft shadows, and global illumination. For more details, check out our article on "What is RTX and Ray Tracing."
• Path Tracing renders the entire scene, simulating the behavior of light at every point.

So, Ray Tracing can be seen as a "simplified version," while Path Tracing is the "full light simulator."

Path Tracing in Games

Currently, Path Tracing is rare in games due to its extreme hardware demands.

Notable games with Path Tracing support:

• Cyberpunk 2077-the Overdrive mode fully transitions graphics to Path Tracing, making it the most famous example.
• Minecraft RTX-demonstrates how even simple visuals can become cinematic.
• Portal RTX-a remaster of the classic game with full path tracing.

In practice, Path Tracing delivers photorealistic graphics but requires top-tier NVIDIA RTX 40-series GPUs.

Performance and System Requirements

The main drawback of Path Tracing is its heavy load on your graphics card.

• Even with an RTX 4080 or 4090, FPS can drop below 60 without upscaling technologies.
• For smooth gameplay, DLSS 3 and Frame Generation are essential.
• On lower-end PCs, enabling Path Tracing will turn your game into a slideshow.

For now, Path Tracing remains a "demo technology" available mostly to enthusiasts with powerful hardware.

Is Path Tracing the Future of Gaming?

The answer is yes-but not in the next 1-2 years. The technology is currently too demanding to become mainstream. However, the trend is clear:

• From 2023 to 2025, we've seen the first full path tracing projects emerge.
• With future GPU advancements, Path Tracing could become as standard as HDR or tessellation once were.

In short, Path Tracing is the "graphics of the future," but for now, it's accessible to only a select few.

FAQ

What is Path Tracing in simple terms?

It's a rendering technology that simulates the full journey of light through a scene, creating ultra-realistic images.

How is Path Tracing different from Ray Tracing?

Ray Tracing renders individual effects like shadows and reflections, while Path Tracing simulates the entire scene.

Which games support Path Tracing?

Cyberpunk 2077 (Overdrive mode), Minecraft RTX, and Portal RTX.

How does Path Tracing affect FPS?

It significantly reduces performance. Without DLSS, even an RTX 4090 struggles to deliver playable frame rates.

Should you enable Path Tracing on a low-end PC?

No, this technology is designed for powerful GPUs only.

Conclusion

Path Tracing is the next leap after Ray Tracing, pushing graphics to the peak of realism-at the cost of massive hardware requirements. As of 2025, this technology is featured in select projects and remains a playground for enthusiasts.

If you own a high-end RTX 40-series graphics card, try Path Tracing modes in Cyberpunk 2077 or Minecraft RTX. For everyone else, it's worth waiting a few more hardware generations.