Please be sure you are on a Windows 10 release version of Minecraft that is 1.16.200 or higher! Don't see the update? Go here first.

Here’s a handy link to also learn more about how to check if your graphics drivers are up to date.  

There's a lot of information here, so we made a quick menu to link you to where you need to go!

• What are graphics drivers? Why am I being informed mine may be out of date? How do I update my graphics drivers? 
• What are the minimum requirements to experience physically based rendering (PBR) and ray tracing in Minecraft for Windows 10? 
• Is ray tracing a special version of Minecraft? 
• Is Minecraft with ray tracing free? 
• Are there plans to support the NVIDIA GeForce GTX series cards?  
• Sounds awesome! How do I experience it? 
• Did you have the Ray Tracing beta installed? Follow these steps! 
• Is there a “ray tracing mode” or a way to play vanilla Minecraft with ray tracing? 
• How do I turn ray tracing features on and off in the game?  
• Can you use Minecraft with ray tracing in multiplayer games, like on Realms or servers?  
• Why is render distance different when ray tracing is turned on?  
• What is the “Upscaling” toggle?  
• Is Minecraft with ray tracing coming to next-generation consoles? 
• Can I access my ray tracing enabled worlds to Minecraft on my other hardware devices?  
• How can I create my own PBR resource pack and play with ray tracing? 
• Why aren’t all light-emitting blocks glowing in ray tracing worlds?  
• I have a new feature request! 
• I think I found a bug! 

What are the minimum requirements to experience physically based rendering (PBR) and ray tracing in Minecraft for Windows 10? 

• OS (Operation Systems): Windows 10 64-bit 
• GPU: DirectX hardware ray tracing capable GPU like VIDIA GeForce® RTX 20 Series and higher, and AMD Radeon™ RX 6000 Series and higher

• Hardware: PC; Virtual reality headsets and Mixed Reality (MR) headsets are not supported 
• CPU: Intel Core i5 or equivalent 
• RAM: >8 GB of RAM  
• A version of Minecraft: 1.16.200 or higher  

 You may have to update your Windows operating system and graphics drivers to experience ray tracing. You can learn more about updating Windows 10 here. 

If your hardware does not support ray tracing, you will be unable to download ray tracing  content from the Minecraft Marketplace: 

Is ray tracing a special version of Minecraft? 

Ray tracing is a free feature included in the Minecraft for Windows 10 game! Players who own Minecraft for Windows 10 can experience ray tracing for free if they meet the minimum technical requirements and download the latest update.  

Is Minecraft with ray tracing free? 

Yes! Players who own Minecraft for Windows 10 can experience ray tracing for free as part of this game update. Please note that you must meet the minimum technical requirements to experience some of these new features.  

Are there plans to support the NVIDIA GeForce GTX series cards?  

No. Minecraft with ray tracing makes use of hardware ray tracing support to achieve optimal visual fidelity and performance. This hardware support is only available on the NVIDIA GeForce® RTX 20 Series and higher, along with the AMD Radeon™ RX 6000 Series and higher.  

Sounds awesome! How do I experience it? 

If you meet the minimum requirements and you are on the Windows 10 version of the game, you can experience ray tracing in Minecraft one of two ways. If you are already in the Minecraft beta, see below for how to rejoin the non-beta version of the game.  

1. Download Ray Tracing Enabled Packs in the Minecraft Marketplace
   1. • There are many FREE worlds featuring PBR and ray tracing available in the Minecraft Marketplace, with more to come!
      • You can find all the ray tracing supported content in the Marketplace with this blue icon:
        
        
        
2. Create your own PBR textures and sideload them into the game!
   • Check out a PBR texture authoring guide for more information  

Once you are inside a ray tracing enabled world, ray tracing lighting will be turned on by default!  

If your hardware does not support ray tracing you will be unable to download ray tracing content from the Marketplace: 

Did you have the Ray Tracing beta installed? Follow these steps! 

If you’ve been playing and testing  Minecraft with ray tracing for Windows 10 beta, thank you! Your participation has helped find bugs, optimize performance, and introduce new features that have made the experience even more enjoyable. To get back onto the mainline branch of Minecraft, you’ll need to follow a few steps: 

1. Back up your existing worlds, saves, and profiles, just in case 
2. Open the Xbox Insider Hub application 
3. Navigate to Insider Content and click on Minecraft 
4. Click Manage, select “Unenroll”, and then Done 
5. Wait a few minutes, then check for Minecraft updates in the Windows Store app 
6. If you haven’t been updated, uninstall Minecraft completely, and install a fresh copy from the Windows Store 

And if you’re still having issues, uninstall Minecraft, log out from the Insider Hub, Xbox Companion App, and Windows Store. Restart your PC, then log back into the Windows Store and download a fresh version of Minecraft. 

Is there a “ray tracing mode” or a way to play vanilla Minecraft with ray tracing? 

No- there is no vanilla ray tracing “mode” in Minecraft.  

Think of ray tracing and PBR as tools for our community to express their creativity and develop their own creations.  

If you meet the minimum requirements, you can experience ray tracing in Minecraft in one of two ways: 

1. Download Ray Tracing Enabled packs on the Minecraft Marketplace 
2. Create your own PBR textures and sideload them into the game!  

The “Ray Tracing” toggle is disabled unless you are in a ray tracing enabled world: 

How do I turn ray tracing features on and off in the game?  

You can experience ray tracing features by either (1) downloading a ray tracing enabled world from the Minecraft Marketplace or (2) creating and sideloading your own PBR texture pack. 

Once you have opened your ray tracing enabled world, ray tracing will be turned on by default. 

To toggle ray tracing on and off you can: 
 
(1)  Hit the “;” key on your keyboard  

OR 

(2) Go to Settings > Video > Ray Tracing and hit the toggle  

The “Ray Tracing” toggle will only be turned on when you are in a ray tracing capable world. This toggle will not be selectable in vanilla worlds: 

Can you use Minecraft with ray tracing in multiplayer games, like on Realms or servers?  

Yes, you can upload your ray tracing enabled resource packs and worlds to multiplayer environments! Players with compatible hardware will be able to experience ray tracing and PBR features in that multiplayer environment. Users that do not have supported hardware will not experience PBR textures or ray tracing features.  

Why is render distance different when ray tracing is turned on?  

In Minecraft, view distance is measured by chunks, 256-block tall 16×16 segments of world generation. The path tracing technique used in Minecraft requires a significant amount of graphical computing power, so we reduce the default number of viewable chunks to ensure our players have a stable, high frame-rate experience. 

What is the “Upscaling” toggle?  

The upscaling toggle is a performance-enhancing toggle that enables NVIDIA DLSS 2.0 to boost frame rates on GeForce RTX graphics cards and support higher than 1080 resolutions. For players on other hardware, there is an alternative TXAA variant upscaler available. 

What are graphics drivers? Why am I being informed mine may be out of date? How do I update my graphics drivers? 

You may have received a pop-up message in your Minecraft for Windows 10 game informing you that your drivers may be out of date:  

Graphics drivers are software updates provided by graphics hardware manufacturers that ensure your operating system and programs, including Minecraft for Windows 10, work well together. Here’s a handy link to learn more about how to check if your drivers are up to date.  

Please ensure your Windows 10 operating system is up to date whenever playing Minecraft for Windows 10.  

You can also visit the following websites to learn if your graphics card has a potential driver update:  

• https://www.amd.com/en/support 
• https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html  
• http://nvidia.com/drivers 

Is Minecraft with ray tracing coming to next-generation consoles? 

We do not have any news to share at this time. For future updates be sure to follow the news on www.minecraft.net.

Can I access my ray tracing enabled worlds to Minecraft on my other hardware devices?  

Yes, if you purchase a ray tracing enabled world from the Minecraft Marketplace on Windows 10 and sign-in to your free Xbox Live account, you will be able to download that content on your other Minecraft Bedrock devices. However, you will not experience ray tracing features or PBR on non-supported devices.  

Ensure you are signed in to the same Xbox Live account on both devices and visit your Inventory in the Minecraft Marketplace to find your content.  

How can I create my own PBR resource pack and play with ray tracing? 

Check out a PBR texture authoring guide for more information on how to author texture packs for Minecraft with PBR and enable your texture packs for ray tracing features  

Why aren’t all light-emitting blocks glowing in ray tracing worlds?  

Only torches, redstone torches, end rods, and lanterns are coded as point lights. All other blocks will require emissive textures, made by creators.  

I have a new feature request! 

Have a suggestion for how to improve a feature in Minecraft? Head over to feedback.minecraft.net and let us know!  

I think I found a bug! 

Please ensure that your graphics drivers are updated before playing Minecraft with ray tracing. Found a bug that is not listed in our known issues? Report it on bugs.mojang.com (include screenshots/videos please!).