DOOM: The Dark Ages became the sixth PC title to feature real-time path tracing after its developer added the technology through an update on June 18, 2025. The game joined Cyberpunk 2077, DESORDRE, Alan Wake 2, Black Myth: Wukong, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in supporting the advanced rendering technique.
id Software needed approximately six months to implement path tracing into id Tech 8, according to Director of Engine Technology Billy Khan. NVIDIA published an interview this week in which Khan discussed optimization methods such as Opacity Micro-Maps and Shader Execution Reordering that proved essential for achieving high performance. Khan said path tracing will likely appear in more titles as the technology continues to develop.
The Texas-based studio also integrated NVIDIA DLSS Ray Reconstruction to enhance visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates. Khan expressed enthusiasm about future innovations that could enable more devices to run games with improved graphics quality. Game developers may accelerate adoption if upcoming AMD graphics cards deliver substantial improvements in ray tracing, as rumored.
id Software needed approximately six months to implement path tracing into id Tech 8, according to Director of Engine Technology Billy Khan. NVIDIA published an interview this week in which Khan discussed optimization methods such as Opacity Micro-Maps and Shader Execution Reordering that proved essential for achieving high performance. Khan said path tracing will likely appear in more titles as the technology continues to develop.
The Texas-based studio also integrated NVIDIA DLSS Ray Reconstruction to enhance visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates. Khan expressed enthusiasm about future innovations that could enable more devices to run games with improved graphics quality. Game developers may accelerate adoption if upcoming AMD graphics cards deliver substantial improvements in ray tracing, as rumored.
