DOOM: The Dark Ages gets Path Tracing update in June, bringing better visuals for PC players

PC players will get to experience even better visuals with DOOM: The Dark Ages' Path Tracing update in June, NVIDIA shared on Monday at Computex 2025.

While we already knew that id Software's dark fantasy-themed first-person shooter was getting Path Tracing, this is the first time we've had a release window for the update.

Running on id Software's proprietary id Tech 8 engine, DOOM: The Dark Ages features ray-traced global illumination (RTGI) on all platforms, with PC versions of the game additionally featured ray-traced reflections. This Path Tracing update aims to push the PC version even further, with additional ray-traced detail in every facet of the game.

Path Tracing is ray tracing, but with the technology taken to a completely new level, providing better lighting and visual quality in every aspect of the game. It's computationally expensive, which is part of the reason NVIDIA is pushing Multi Frame Generation with its 50-series cards in order to make it viable.

Only a handful of games so far have supported Path Tracing, with the tiny but growing list including CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077, Remedy's Alan Wake 2, and MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

The latter is particularly notable in this context, as MachineGames is a sister studio to id Software, with the teams frequently collaborating on new features for id Tech.

Outside of DOOM: The Dark Ages, several other games are launching with support for various DLSS 4 technologies in the coming weeks, including Remedy's FBC: Firebreak, which launches June 17 with ray tracing and Multi Frame Generation support.

NVIDIA says that over 125 games and apps now support DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation technology. This also comes as NVIDIA launched its RTX 5060 graphics cards, but as my colleague Cale Hunt explains, there's some strangeness with early impressions of the card.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is currently available across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. As an Xbox first-party game, it's also available in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Premium Edition
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DOOM: The Dark Ages is a blast, proving that developer id Software can still reinvent the wheel when needed. New combat mechanics, weapons, and more shake up the established formula in fun ways across this blockbuster prequel to DOOM (2016). The Premium Edition includes the art book and soundtrack, which is quite good!

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