Minecraft isn’t typically known for its looks. The voxel-ba game has its simple charms, but compared to a lot of modern-day games, it doesn’t look that advanced. At least, not until you throw some sweet ray-traced shadows and light sources in there. Then it becomes something from the future, a completely transformed game that makes its block-based world look like real life. The Minecraft RTX experience on Windows 10 has already been available through a public beta, but now every player can see the game in its ray-traced glory.
For players just getting into Minecraft with RTX, the full package comes with much more than fancy shadows and light shafts. This version of the game also comes with Nvidia DLSS 2.0, the AI upscaling technique that maximizes ray tracing performance while also boosting possible resolutions.
Playing Minecraft with RTX on Windows 10 is pretty simple. First, potential players need to make sure they can actually run the game with its new visual style. For that, Nvidia recommends the following:
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or better
- CPU: Intel Core i5, equivalent, or better
- Memory: 8 GB or more
- Storage: 2 GB
- OS: Windows 10 x64
After making sure you can run Minecraft with RTX, actually playing it is as simple as changing some options in-game. Ray tracing and DLSS are part of the Minecraft for Windows 10 client, so options for each should be easily accessible.
Whole new worlds
To further show off the difference RTX makes in Minecraft, Nvidia has recruited more map makers to design three unique worlds in the game. These three maps each come with unique styles, challenges, and gameplay elements. They’re not just pretty sights — there’s something unique to experience in each. The maps can be downloaded from the Minecraft Marketplace.
For those that have already been playing Minecraft with RTX on Windows 10, getting back onto the mainline branch of the game takes a few steps. Those players will have to back up everything they want to save, use the Xbox Insider Hub to unenroll from the beta program, and then check the Windows Store app for any Minecraft updates. If that goes without any issue, you should be set. Otherwise, Nvidia has some troubleshooting tips that can be found here.
