DOOM: The Dark Ages is out now in early access and launching on May 15 for the wider gaming world, and many PC players have started wondering if their rig can handle this next-generation shooter from id Software. It’s a sumptuous-looking thing, but one PC element in particular has fans worried – is DOOM: The Dark Ages ray tracing required?
It has been a concern on the minds of PC players with a less-than-capable build for a while. Can you play DOOM: The Dark Ages without ray tracing?
Let’s find out.
Can You Turn Off Ray Tracing in DOOM: The Dark Ages?
DOOM: The Dark Ages has been released on PC with enforced ray tracing, which means you can’t turn the feature off. Unfortunately, this means that some older PC builds won’t be able to boot the game successfully.
It has been reported by some reviewers that the forced ray tracing mechanics in DOOM: The Dark Ages cause some performance issues, even on higher-end PC builds with capable graphics cards.
If you want to play DOOM: The Dark Ages, you’ll need a good ray tracing-compatible PC, and there are no two ways about it.
It’s not so tough, though.
The first consumer GPUs with ray tracing technology emerged in 2018 in the form of the RTX 20 Series. These cards incorporated real-time ray tracing mechanics that have since become something of a set standard. If you’ve got a GPU release inside the last five or six years, you should be fine to play DOOM: The Dark Ages.
How to Play DOOM: The Dark Ages Without Ray Tracing GPU
If you don’t have a GPU capable of ray tracing and you want to play DOOM: The Dark Ages on PC, you’re not at a complete loss.
To play DOOM: The Dark Ages on a much older PC with a cheaper GPU, you can stream the game through Game Pass Ultimate via the Cloud Gaming infrastructure.
By doing this, you’re relying on the processing power at Microsoft’s end, rather than your own. That means your GPU can be years old, and it’ll still play DOOM: The Dark Ages.
You’ll just need kick-ass internet instead.
Are you impacted by the enforced ray tracing in DOOM: The Dark Ages? Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out who composed the music for DOOM: The Dark Ages
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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