Minecraft RTX Survival Preview

April 16, 2020 at 1:15pm
By Jason Stettner

The Minecraft RTX Beta has arrived and I finally get to go over what I’ve been playing for the last week or so. I thought I’d do something a little different initially, aside from a more in-depth technical article. This is going to go over what the core of Minecraft actually is, the survival aspect.

Less about the smaller tweaks RTX brings, and more about how this adjusts one’s regular gameplay experience. So I’ve played thousands of hours of Minecraft over the years and this has to be the biggest change to the game I’ve ever seen. Through NVIDIA, this applies gorgeous visuals and glorious ray tracing. That’s about as technical as I’ll get, for this particular piece.

That might sound weird, but it’s important to go over what it feels like to regularly play with these effects applied. I selected the most regular type of effect pack, the Razzleberries Razzlecore Resource pack. In my opinion, this is the most natural selection of effects when it comes to textures and lighting.


I then picked my regular seed “sky” that I’ve been using in some sandbox type adventures. I just call it a sandbox whenever I do one of my survival series. It’s the landscape I was familiar with, but completely adjusted. I then created a sort of test house in creative to get an idea of certain glass reflections and how that would alter various rooms.

I threw in some of the most important tools, and went to playing in survival mode. I ventured across the close land taking in the sun whether it was rising across the grass with a soft baked feeling, or seeing the dark creep in when night arrived. Another glorious situation was witnessing the sun rise, and just sitting there watching how it changed the landscape.

It really does alter the feeling of the game, to actually want to sit there and just take in a warm sun in a game like Minecraft. It’s incredible seeing the shadows adjust, the leaves warm on the trees and the mobs start to fizzle as the sun arises.
Minecraft survival ray tracing
This is an experience unlike any other, and I’m not sure any other game could showcase it like this one does. That’s just sitting there taking in the sun changing, nothing else. It feels so warm and welcoming, distinctly different and everything just comes across as more lively. It’s truly a remarkable thing to witness. Following that aspect we have cave exploration, a really exciting and different atmosphere than on the surface. It’s dark down there, truly quiet and unsettling now. Your torches emit just a little bit of lighting, and it’s frightening to see enemies appear from the dark distance.

It’s also more dangerous feeling, and almost like it’s out of a horror movie at times. You’re never sure what’s around the corner, and it feels like real cave exploration. I loved this aspect of play, as it felt so mysterious and far more challenging. I also loved when I would finally exit a cave and see that soft light hitting the side of the wall. The way it fought off the darkness and welcomed me, was just marvelous.

It’s just, so much better to have that sense of realism be present. To sit there mining, working hard and then seeing the outside so much more clearly upon leaving. I’m sure for those that play often, they know how hard it can be to find the outside after a long mine. This helps, a lot. Furthermore, when you get to the bedrock part of the world or close to it that area is insane.

The redstone lightly lit up, the chilling effects of the lava and it’s just such a weird place to explore. The sense of danger with those mobs roaming, the warm lava crackling and so many riches to uncover. It’s been great to chat about this part of the game. I showcase a lot of this in the video and hope to continue exploration if it’s enjoyed. I really wanted to highlight just a regular world showcase, just straight up survival.

To also highlight the effect on the caves you visit quite often. How this alters the glow of the sun on the world, and also a bit of a birch tree forest. I hope to showcase the Mooshroom island if I do continue, and also the enchanting ravine type of area that lies hidden below. There’s so much to do, and this really does revolutionize the way the game can be played.

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Read about RTX in Minecraft from CES

Gamerheadquarters Reviewer Jason Stettner