Ray tracing is a graphics technique that simulates how light travels and interacts with surfaces. In games, it is used to create more realistic reflections, shadows, lighting, and indirect light.
Why ray tracing looks different
Traditional rendering often uses clever shortcuts to fake lighting. Ray tracing can calculate light paths more directly, which can make glass, water, metal, and shadows look more natural.
The performance cost
Ray tracing can be demanding. Many games use special hardware features, upscaling, or limited ray-traced effects to keep frame rate playable.
Ray tracing is part of modern real-time rendering, but it is not required for a game to look good.