Uploaded November 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Is Ray Tracing the true generational leap in computer graphics or it is just an overrated tech? Come with me and let’s find out together.

Full list of system requirements: nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/cyberpunk-2077-system-requirements

At 3:51 I claim that there was no direct comparison between RTX on and OFF, I was wrong, tnx to @Wahid Ahmad who pointed out the right footage I managed to make this complementary image: imgur.com/a/pXS85ku

Now that the next generation of consoles has arrived, it looks like NVIDIAs plan to force RTX on the whole industry is finally coming true. Not only the new consoles, but also AMD new graphic cards just launched with their first generation of hardware accelerated ray tracing. Well, if you consider 15 FPS at minecraft gaming at least.
With cyberpunk 2077 launch just around the corner (hopefully at december 10th), the hype couldn’t be any higher. Just as yesterday, NVIDIA launched a brand new behind the scenes trailer with brand new Ray Traced gameplay footage. And this is the material I will be analyzing for you.
Before we get into that, just a quick disclaimer. This footage was downloaded at 4k from YouTube and compression artifacts are expected.
When cyberpunk 2077 is launched, the first content I’m creating is a video comparing RTX-ON and OFF and also comparing PC with PS4 and PS5. So make sure to smash that subscribe button so you won’t miss any of that.

For more Cyberpunk 2077 videos check out the following playlists:
➡ Lore Explained: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv5wnfhfz9sITNldmZGhvWiZKjgtiWcOr
➡ Technical analysis: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv5wnfhfz9sLYtmyAqHFR6trPcgsOaHQH
➡ Trailer React/Breakdown: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv5wnfhfz9sL-s3nQa8ZiI-KGhirZIDRe

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From all the side by side comparisons I could find, I think this is the one that best captures the differences between RTX and non-RTX versions of the game. And even here it is hard to say that ray tracing makes this scene look objectively more accurate.

On this other shot, there are clear differences in reflections on the statue, however they also don’t appear to be made of the same material either. So it is hard to separate the effect of ray tracing and the upgrade they have done in graphics overall over the past few months.

Here we have a really good example on just how stunning the game actually is. This is a direct comparison between in-game capture and in-engine trailer. The technical differences are subtle but when you have gameplay capture, there is no cheating, what you see is what you get. While when doing in-engine capture, you can play with camera angles and light sources to make the shot look just perfect for the thing you want to showcase. And yet, the gameplay footage without ray-tracing have perfect shadows, perfect reflections, and even the global diffuse lighting is almost identical to the ray traced one. The only significant differences I could spot are those shadows on the background and I had to look very hard to find those.

Here is another good example of shadow accuracy. On the RTX-OFF scene, there are some minor inconsistencies with length and direction of the shadows. The car has a small shadow when compared with the tree and the house, the angles are not the same, considering the only significant source of light is the sun. Also very small objects are not casting any visible shadow like those small bushes and this barrel.
With RT-On, all the shadows appear more accurate, at least for me. And Even those tiny patches of grass are casting appropriate shadows on the dirt.
I know the two scenes have the sun in different elevations on the sky, but even when you factor-in this, I would give the win for RTX, at least on this one.

Here, there is the addition of the Orbital air spinning ad, but that has nothing to do with RTX. For most of the comparisons you will see, the differences are so subtle that you really have to look for them. I bet with you that if I were to remove the labels on the footage, you would have a hard time telling which one is which.