The PS5 Games That Make The Best Use Of Ray-Tracing | Game Rant
With the next generation of consoles, much of the discussion has surrounded how the new systems have upgraded the overall visual and performance over their predecessors. From the speed to the console to the upgrade graphics, gamers are looking to have the best experiences possible. With the PlayStation 5, one of the major sticking points is ray-tracing.
The technique is used as a way of rendering light and cast shadows in even more realistic ways than gamers are used to. It's taken a while for video games to use since it takes a lot of power, but the PlayStation 5 handles it well and a small selection of games have taken advantage of it.
10 Maneater
Maneater, the game where players become a shark that feasts on the corpses of almost every living being in the ocean, can actually be rather pretty. The lighting is solid throughout the game with dark tunnels being perfectly illuminated by stray lights and sunlight perfectly matching weather situations. There is a massive flaw in how the game uses ray-tracing, however, as there is a lack of water reflection in the game, something the lighting technique could do well with but developers didn't take advantage of.
9 Dirt 5
There isn't a massive list of racing games to play out of the gate for PlayStation 5, which is disappointing considering how beautiful those realistic simulators tend to be. However, Dirt 5 is here to give players the ability to see ray-tracing while riding top speed in the mud. Players can see little things like the reflections in the dirt and the shift between riding in the shadows and then the light. The graphics are also rather stunning for a game that hasn't gotten a lot of hype and it may be worth a ride or two for the visuals alone.
8 Astro's Playroom
It's always important that the game designated to showcase the capabilities of the console to do just that and while it doesn't play a large part in Astro's Playroom, ray-tracing does exist at various points throughout the game.
Many of the reflective surfaces in the game are clearer than one would expect with the previous generation, but at times it falls flat like in the PlayStation Labo area where items collected are displayed. Still, with the PS5 library where it is at the moment, Astro's Playroom is a good starter for seeing the technique used.
7 Fortnite
The biggest battle royale game in the world also got a next-generation release, but it was not just an upgrade. Epic Games decided to create a whole new build of Fortnite in order to make the most of what the PlayStation 5 has to offer. The game isn't a world-beater graphically, but players who have been around the game for a long time will enjoy seeing that the ray-tracing has made the experience look better. And who knows how much better it could get knowing that Epic Games will be dropping the new Unreal Engine soon.
6 NBA 2K21
A sports game may not be the biggest hook for those looking for a graphical masterpiece, but the developers at 2K took advantage of what the PS5 could handle and gave it's signature basketball series a nice upgrade with ray-tracing. In NBA 2K21, gamers can watch as the reflection of the players' movements on the courts or shown perfectly, bringing the court to life compared to just staring at the usual hardwood. This is the biggest change, but even the general reflections coming off of people and objects around the stadium are impressive as well.
5 Observer: System Redux
Players may not think about the significance of lighting in a psychological horror game that takes place mostly in the dark, but Observer: System Redux is a next-generation upgrade that deserves a ton of credit for its visuals. Where there is light in the game, it stands out and brights up a room. The lightning is very neon, so it adds to the eerie cyberpunk environment. Of course, the shadows are probably more important here than in many other games due to the dark atmosphere. Overall, the underrated hit deserves credit.
4 Watch Dogs Legion
An open-world game ripe for exploring is a perfect way for players to enjoy all that a graphics engine and updated hardware have to offer. Watch Dogs Legion got the next-generation upgrade soon after it came out and the game has made massive strides in the lighting department.
The best use of the ray-tracing has to be the vehicles, especially at night as the shininess of the cars shows perfect reflections of the lights and objects surrounding it. Beyond that, the usual lighting upgrades that come with the popular technique are shown in full-swing.
3 Call Of Duty Black Ops: Cold War
Call of Duty has been in the ray-tracing business for a bit, but the Black Ops: Cold War upgrade to the PlayStation 5 may give the franchise its best look yet. There are quite a few moments that may make players feel they are on a real-life battlefield. There is an early scene in the game that involves vehicles driving in the rain at high-speed shooting at a cargo plane with big examples like explosions and little examples like taillights of what ray-tracing does in the game. There are also moments of fighting in the swamp where laying in the muddy waters looks uncomfortably realistic.
2 Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Devil May Cry 5 has been out for some time, but the developers over at Capcom decided to rerelease the game on next-generation consoles and give it an upgrade that takes full advantage of ray-tracing, and that is an understatement. The lighting engine has seemed to be completed revamped, with shadows being cast more accurately in the game and the world coming to light through puddles that initially just looked misplaced. It's not perfect, but the special edition really changes the visuals to make the environment feel real and make the game feel new.
1 Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales was arguably the biggest title to hit the Playstation 5 first along with Demon's Souls. Unfortunately for Souls fans, the team announced shortly before release the game didn't have ray-tracing. Miles Morales did on the other hand and it's beautiful. Its best showcase is Miles being able to land on a window and have a perfect reflection. Even swinging through the city, players can watch as the light reflects on each individual window. Players can also enjoy the ray-tracing goodness in Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered.
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