How do you enable ray tracing in Minecraft?

Who this is for: Minecraft Bedrock Edition players with RTX-capable graphics cards wanting to enhance their gaming experience with realistic lighting effects.


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System Requirements for Minecraft Ray Tracing

Before diving into the setup process, you’ll need specific hardware to run Minecraft with ray tracing. Your system must have an NVIDIA RTX graphics card (RTX 20 series or newer) or an AMD RX 6000 series GPU with ray tracing support. You’ll also need Windows 10 version 1903 or later, and importantly, you must be playing Minecraft Bedrock Edition – not Java Edition.

Enabling Ray Tracing in Minecraft Bedrock

Launch Minecraft Bedrock Edition and navigate to Settings from the main menu. Look for the Video tab in the settings menu. Scroll down until you find the “Ray Tracing” option – this will only appear if your system meets the hardware requirements. Toggle the ray tracing setting to “On” and apply the changes.

If you don’t see the ray tracing option, your graphics drivers might be outdated. Download the latest drivers from NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD’s website, restart your computer, and check again.

Choosing Compatible Worlds and Resource Packs

Ray tracing only works with specific worlds and resource packs designed for RTX. When creating a new world, look for the “RTX” label in the marketplace or world templates. Popular options include the RTX demonstration worlds that showcase lighting effects, reflections, and realistic shadows.

You can also download RTX-compatible resource packs from the Minecraft Marketplace. These packs enhance textures with physically-based rendering materials that interact beautifully with ray-traced lighting.

Optimizing Performance Settings

Ray tracing is demanding on your hardware, so you might need to adjust other graphics settings for smooth gameplay. Consider lowering your render distance to 8-12 chunks and reducing particle effects if you experience frame drops. The upscaling feature (DLSS for NVIDIA cards) can significantly boost performance while maintaining visual quality.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If ray tracing isn’t working after enabling it, try these solutions:

  • Verify you’re using Minecraft Bedrock Edition, not Java Edition
  • Update your graphics drivers to the latest version
  • Restart Minecraft completely after changing settings
  • Check that Windows is updated to version 1903 or newer
  • Ensure your RTX-compatible world or resource pack is properly loaded

Some players report that switching between fullscreen and windowed mode can resolve activation issues. If problems persist, try creating a fresh world with an RTX template to test if the feature works correctly.

Once you’ve got ray tracing running smoothly, you’ll be amazed by the realistic lighting and reflections that transform your Minecraft experience into something truly spectacular.

TL;DR

Enable ray tracing in Minecraft Bedrock Edition through Video Settings if you have an RTX/RX 6000+ GPU and Windows 10. Use RTX-compatible worlds and resource packs for the full effect.

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Joyst1ck

Gaming Writer & HTML5 Developer

Answering gaming questions—from Roblox and Minecraft to the latest indie hits. I write developer‑focused HTML5 articles and share practical tips on game design, monetisation, and scripting.

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