Minecraft RTX is the ray tracing graphics mode in Bedrock Edition for Windows. It simulates how light bounces off blocks in real time, which produces reflections, shadows and light rays. It needs a PC with a ray tracing capable GPU, such as a GeForce RTX 20 Series or Radeon RX 6000 Series card, and it does not exist on Java Edition.
So, does Minecraft have ray tracing? Yes, on Bedrock for Windows only. This page draws on Mojang's 2020 beta announcement, Microsoft Learn and the Minecraft Wiki, read on 19 October 2026. We did not run ray tracing on any hardware, so we give no frame rate figures of our own.
What Minecraft RTX is
Mojang's April 2020 beta announcement describes it as a form of ray tracing known as path tracing, added through a partnership with NVIDIA and the RenderDragon graphics engine. Microsoft Learn lists its effects: sunbeams, dynamic shadows, ambient occlusion, reflections and refraction. The Minecraft Wiki adds that it only changes appearance and has no effect on gameplay.
Ray tracing is switched on through resource packs. A pack must declare `raytraced` capability in its manifest.json file, and that unlocks a "Ray Traced" option in the graphics mode dropdown, according to the wiki. Packs can define metallic, emissive and roughness properties for materials. Mojang has published free ray traced worlds in the Marketplace, and the wiki notes they can be opened on devices that do not support ray tracing.
Which edition and devices support ray tracing
The wiki states the feature is exclusive to the Windows version of Bedrock Edition. Mojang's 2020 beta post says it was Windows 10 only and not available on Xbox One. Microsoft Learn says VR and Mixed Reality headsets are not supported. See Minecraft Java vs Bedrock for how the two editions differ.
Hardware Minecraft RTX needs
| Part | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | 64-bit Windows (Windows 10 or 11) | Microsoft Learn, Minecraft Wiki |
| GPU | DirectX hardware ray tracing capable, like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series and higher or AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series and higher | Microsoft Learn |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 or equivalent | Microsoft Learn |
| RAM | At least 8 GB | Microsoft Learn |
| Game release | 1.16.200 or higher | Microsoft Learn |
The 2020 beta post named a GeForce RTX 2060 as the minimum GPU. Current requirements are listed as families, not a single card. For the wider picture, see Minecraft system requirements.
How RTX differs from Vibrant Visuals
The wiki calls Vibrant Visuals the vanilla implementation of physically based rendering, and ray tracing the separate RTX mode. Microsoft Learn tags its ray tracing page with the note that ray tracing "has largely been superseded by Vibrant Visuals". The wiki adds that with the release of Vibrant Visuals in 1.21.90, no further changes are planned for ray tracing, though it stays compatible with newer releases.
The two still overlap. With ray tracing on and no custom fog, the biome fog settings default to those defined for Vibrant Visuals. A ray traced pack without its own textures also picks up the Vibrant Visuals block textures, with less intense effects. Our comparison is at Vibrant Visuals vs shaders.
How RTX differs from Java shaders
Java shaders are unofficial shader packs that run through a loader such as Iris, and they are Java Edition only. RTX is a built-in Bedrock graphics mode driven by resource packs, and Bedrock cannot run Iris. The wiki also says ray tracing runs locally, so you can enable it on a multiplayer world while other players leave it off.
If you play Java, browse our shader listing. If you play Bedrock and want shader-like visuals, read how to turn on shaders in Bedrock, or the general shader install guide.
What ray tracing costs in frame rate
None of the sources gives a frame rate figure. The wiki says many emissive light sources and reflections together can decrease performance, especially on lower-end devices. It also lists two controls. A "Ray Tracing Render Distance" slider replaces the regular one and runs from 8 to 24 chunks by default. On GeForce RTX cards, NVIDIA DLSS 2.0 upscaling renders at lower resolution and upscales to native, which the wiki says improves performance significantly.
The trade-off is plain: the hardware bar is high, the feature is Windows and Bedrock only, and Microsoft points newer visual work at Vibrant Visuals instead.
