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Roundup: Nvidia's RTX Remix modding suite exited beta in March, granting modders full access to tools that enhance classic PC games with full ray tracing, also known as path tracing. An ongoing contest has encouraged modders to create significant visual overhauls for several titles. Here are a few of the finalists.

Nvidia's $50,000 RTX Remix mod contest ends early next month, and around two dozen projects have taken up the challenge to demonstrate how the company's ray tracing SDK can fundamentally alter games released over 20 years ago. While most of the mods are still in development, many are already available to try, and some are fully playable.

RTX Remix is a modding toolkit that adds path tracing to games developed for DirectX 8 and DirectX 9. The technology introduces fully simulated indirect lighting and shadows. Although path tracing is typically associated with modern, high-end releases like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2, it arguably has a more dramatic effect on older games with simpler geometry.

However, implementing path tracing is not as simple as flipping a switch. Because the technique requires material data, modders must rework textures to ensure accurate lighting and reflections. This creates both a challenge and an opportunity: enhancing visuals while staying true to each game's original art direction.