How to play the Minecraft RTX ray tracing beta

Minecraft RTX Screenshot Source: Windows Central

Minecraft RTX means Microsoft's ongoing partnership with NVIDIA brings the power of ray tracing to Minecraft, via its GeForce RTX platform. Now available via Minecraft for Windows ten in beta, the update enables official real-fourth dimension ray tracing, promising advances to lighting, shadows, and more than. We've wrapped up what y'all need to know about the Minecraft RTX beta and how to play.

Products used in this guide

RTX-compatible: Minecraft (Windows 10 Starter Drove) ($30 at Microsoft)
Early admission hub: Xbox Insider Hub for Windows 10 (Free at Microsoft)

What is the Minecraft RTX ray tracing beta?

Minecraft RTX Screenshot Source: Windows Fundamental

Minecraft'due south ray tracing support hooks into NVIDIA'south RTX platform, promising substantial improvements in lighting and shadows for heightened visual fidelity. While those enhancements may contrast with the simple, voxel stylization of Minecraft, the leap in light, shadows, and reflections upgrade its appearance while retaining the hallmarks. It's a new look for Minecraft, introducing a new fashion to experience the bestseller on Windows ten PCs.

Minecraft RTX has launched exclusively via the Windows 10 client (the Microsoft Store version) and tied to NVIDIA hardware uniform with its RTX platform. While Microsoft has demonstrated ray tracing on image Xbox Series 10 hardware, the NVIDIA-backed solution is the offset official, public-facing solution available. It'southward sectional to Minecraft for Windows 10, over the legacy Java client, due to the requirement of the new Boulder engine.

Nosotros went hands-on with Minecraft RTX back up back in 2022, demonstrating sizeable improvements over the vanilla experience. Those upgrades introduce an all-new tone to the Minecraft sandbox, with an added sense of depth and context throughout the world. It also looks phenomenal, representing Minecraft in its best form even so.

If your PC is capable of handling it, RTX is a must-endeavour for Minecraft fans. Accept a look at our collection of the all-time graphics cards available at present if yous need an upgrade.

How to play the Minecraft RTX beta

Minecraft RTX Screenshot Source: Windows Key

Minecraft RTX requires Minecraft for Windows ten, its latest PC client available exclusively via the integrated Microsoft Store within Windows 10. While starting at $30 for the Starter Collection, existing Coffee users can also leverage a limited-time upgrade program for an opportunity to secure the latest Minecraft fork for gratis.

The open Minecraft RTX beta is hosted via the Xbox Insider Hub application for PC, its in-house platform for flighting pre-release Windows x gaming applications. The RTX beta is available as a split co-operative to the existing not-RTX enabled beta for Windows 10.

The formal step-by-stride process for installing the Minecraft RTX beta follows below.

Install Minecraft for Windows x via the Microsoft Shop.
Install the Xbox Insider Hub app via the Microsoft Shop.
Open up the Xbox Insider Hub app.

Source: Windows Key
Click the Insider content tab on the left-manus card.
Click the Minecraft for Windows x tile.
Click Join.

Source: Windows Fundamental
Select the Minecraft for Windows ten RTX Beta. Ray tracing isn't available via the standard "Minecraft for Windows 10" beta selection.
Click Have. Minecraft will automatically install the RTX Beta build via the Microsoft Store.

Once installed, the RTX is enabled via the Minecraft for Windows 10 application.

For those running the existing Minecraft for Windows ten beta, a switch to the RTX-enabled beta co-operative is required. Switching from the sometime beta branch to the RTX beta volition reinstall the game via the Microsoft Store, also deleting all Minecraft worlds in the process.

Microsoft recommends players to navigate to LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds and dorsum up any folders for saved worlds to avoid losing progress. The stride-past-step guide to installing the Minecraft RTX beta for existing beta users follows.

Open up the Xbox Insider Hub app.
Click the Insider content tab on the left-hand menu.
Click the Minecraft for Windows ten tile.
Click Manage.
Select the Minecraft for Windows 10 RTX Beta.
Click Done. Minecraft will automatically install the RTX Beta build via the Microsoft Store.

The Minecraft RTX beta is usually behind the public release of Minecraft, let alone the beta release, just because additional work is required for every update to enable RTX ray tracing. Fifty-fifty if yous've enrolled in the Minecraft RTX beta properly, RTX will just be available if you have compatible hardware, the game is fully upwardly-to-date from the Microsoft Shop, and you're playing on one of the pre-designed RTX maps available in the Minecraft Market.

NVIDIA Game Ready drivers

To properly savor Minecraft RTX in all its ray tracing glory, yous'll also need to brand sure yous have the latest Game Set up drivers from NVIDIA installed. These drivers are GPU specific and enable new and experimental features in games that your GPU hardware tin can take reward of. While you can technically play Minecraft RTX without these drivers, nothing volition work properly at all, and the game will be more than or less unplayable with ray tracing turned on. To ensure you're always upward-to-date with the latest NVIDIA Game Ready drivers, follow these steps:

Install GeForce Experience from NVIDIA.
Head to the Drivers tab, right next to the Home tab in the upper left-mitt corner of the screen.

Source: Windows Central
NVIDIA may suggest the latest Game Set up drivers for yous if you haven't already installed them. Install them from this screen.
If NVIDIA doesn't suggest annihilation, you tin check for updates using the push in the upper right-manus corner.
NVIDIA GeForce Feel will download and install the latest Game Ready drivers for you.
In one case you're fully upwardly-to-date, y'all're ready for Minecraft RTX.

RTX compatible

Minecraft Bedrock Edition

Minecraft

Microsoft is bringing ray tracing exclusively to Minecraft for Windows x, outset available via the RTX beta exam. This version features the full modernistic Minecraft experience, including cantankerous-platform multiplayer and purchases with Xbox One, PlayStation four, mobile, and more.

How to plough on Minecraft RTX ray tracing

Minecraft RTX Screenshot Source: Windows Central

Minecraft RTX ray tracing can be enabled and disable on the wing, via Settings > Advanced Video > DirectX Ray Tracing or using the semicolon on your keyboard ; every bit a hotkey.

Even so, with Minecraft'southward RTX beta yet in the early stages, Microsoft has limited which worlds support its ray-tracing solution. From the initial RTX beta launch, ray tracing is just supported via "RTX-enabled" worlds from the Minecraft Marketplace, or by using your own ray tracing-capable resources pack.

"To experience ray tracing, y'all can either download a free RTX enabled world from the Market place," states Mojang. "Or create your own textures that make use of the physically-based rendering organisation and sideload them into the game."

The Minecraft RTX beta launched alongside six maps designed for ray tracing, created by various customs members, simply more have since been added in additional updates.

Does my PC run Minecraft RTX ray tracing?

Minecraft RTX Screenshot Source: Windows Cardinal

Minecraft ray tracing support leverages NVIDIA's RTX platform, designed specifically effectually RTX-capable graphics cards. Its latest xx-serial cards characteristic dedicated hardware to advance ray tracing, ensuring enabling the feature doesn't tank your framerate. If necessary, you tin bank check out all the minimum and recommended requirements for Minecraft RTX before attempting to access the beta.

NVIDIA states users should use GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card or newer, encompassing the full 20-series lineup. While desktop-grade RTX graphics cards lead in performance, a vast range of laptops besides characteristic RTX capabilities. Here's the full listing of RTX-compatible graphics cards that work with Minecraft's RTX beta.

GeForce RTX 2060
GeForce RTX 2060 Super
GeForce RTX 2070
GeForce RTX 2070 Super
GeForce RTX 2080
GeForce RTX 2080 Super
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
Titan RTX

When in the market for a twenty-series upgrade today, NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2060 Super is our recommended option for high performance while on a budget. Information technology surpasses the baseline for Minecraft and other RTX-enabled titles while providing additional overhead compared to entry-level 2060 cards. Opting for RTX makes Minecraft significantly harder on the GPU, but this card handles the next generation of ray tracing like a champ.

First with RTX

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super

The xx-series GPUs from NVIDIA offers some serious ability, including ray tracing and deep learning super sampling (DLSS), which uses AI to help deliver the right level of performance at all times. This Minecraft RTX-uniform carte has 8GB GDDR6 and a boost clock upward to ane,650 MHz, providing a slight upgrade over entry-level cards, with a balance of operation and affordability.

The mobile work demands on-the-go solutions, with this Dell G5 fifteen our preferred RTX laptop for Minecraft. The option of robust hardware configurations and topped out with the RTX 2060, information technology covers all gaming essentials, with the added benefit of an RTX-uniform card. That includes ray tracing and deep learning super sampling (DLSS) compatibility, both supported past the Minecraft beta.

RTX on the motion

Dell G5 15

The Dell G5 fifteen-inch gaming laptop is one of the most balanced picks for RTX graphics, with a budget-friendly offering over other laptops, forgoing an aggressive "gamer" design, and sporting Dell's excellent post-purchase support. The RTX 2060 is joined by an Intel Cadre i7-8750H processor and 8GB of RAM, the latter being upgradable.

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