How to Enable Ray Tracing on Minecraft

ByLucas Coulson

Minecraft is known for its old-school graphics, looking more blocky and pixelated. However, many people want to see how good Minecraft graphics can actually get.

This soon became a reality when Microsoft released Minecraft for Windows 10 / Bedrock edition.

Nvidia partnered with Microsoft to implement ray tracing.

This improved the lighting, shadows, and reflections inside the classic game we all know. This created a fresh new experience for a lot of its veteran player base.

What Ray tracing in Minecraft looks like when it is enabled

Steps to Enable Ray Tracing on Minecraft

Firstly, I want to say that this article is about how to enable ray tracing specifically in Minecraft.

I have written an article about how to enable ray tracing on your computer. If you haven’t done so yet, then you should probably read that before you continue.

The steps to enabling ray tracing on Minecraft are pretty straightforward.

  • Check Compatibility
  • Update Graphics Card Drivers
  • Download Ray Tracing Packs From Minecraft Marketplace
  • Alternative: Download Packs From Nvidia website
  • Create a New World With Ray Tracing
  • Activate The Ray Tracing Pack

1. Check Compatibility

The first thing you will have to do in order to enable ray tracing in Minecraft is to check for compatibility.

The first thing you should note is that there are two different versions of Minecraft.

  • Minecraft Java (The Original)
  • Minecraft Bedrock (Windows 10 Version)

In order to activate ray tracing in Minecraft you will need to have Minecraft Bedrock edition. Ray tracing does not work on Minecraft Java.

The next compatibility check you will need to consider is your graphics card.

Real-time ray tracing (which is what Minecraft uses) Can only be run on RTX cards from Nvidia, or RX 6000 and up from AMD.

However, you should also note that to get the best experience an Nvidia card is recommended.

2. Update Graphics Card Drivers

The next step is to make sure your graphics card drivers are up to date.

Checking for updates on the Nvidia Drivers

For Nvidia GPUs, use their update software to check for any pending updates. If this doesn’t work you can always go to your manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers from there.

3. Download Ray Tracing Packs From The Minecraft Marketplace

In order to have the ray tracing experience, you will have to download some RTX-ready ray tracing-enabled resource packs from the Minecraft Marketplace.

You can find the Minecraft Marketplace at the bottom of the main menu when you log into your Minecraft game.

downloading ray tracing packs in the Minecraft market place

Once you’re there click on the Marketplace, go to the search bar, and search for Nvidia.

You can basically pick any ray tracing support pack that you like, but I would recommend downloading a few different ones until you find the one that you enjoy the most.

4. Alternative: Download Packs from Nvidias Website

An alternative to the previous step is to downlad a resource pack directly from Nvidias website here.

Once you go to this page, scroll down to “Nvidia and partner resource packs.” You will then find the download links in the highlighted sections.

To install the resource pack, all you need to do is double click on the .mcpack file while your game is running, and the pack should automatically install.

5. Create a New World With Ray Tracing

This next step is pretty self explanitory. All you need to do is load up Minecraft and start a new world, or join an old one.

6. Activate The Ray Tracing Pack

The final step is to actually activate the ray tracing resources pack.

Once it’s done downloading, go to settings, under general, click “Global Resources”, then on “My Packs”, click on the one your downloaded. Finally click activate to apply it.

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