GTA 5 Enhanced PC's ray tracing explained

Rockstar Games dropped GTA 5 Enhanced PC, a new version of its 2013 release, today, March 4, 2025. It has brought some new features to the platform – among the most notable ones are its technical enhancements that include ray tracing features. Ray tracing simulates light in-game much like it would in real-life, making the visuals appear more realistic.

The implementation of some of its features should benefit the title. For those interested in learning more, this article explores ray tracing in GTA 5 Enhanced PC.

Ray tracing in GTA 5 Enhanced PC: All you need to know

Rockstar Games has stated that Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced has the following ray tracing features on PC:

Ambient Occlusion
Global illumination
Ray traced shadows
Ray traced reflections

All of these should help this version improve the lighting effects in GTA 5 Legacy PC. Here's an easy explanation of what each of these ray tracing features do:

GTA 5 Enhanced PC ray tracing: Ambient occlusion

Ray traced ambient occlusion adds more shadows on and around objects. It also makes areas that are not clearly exposed to the light source darker. As a result, in-game environments and objects appear more detailed.

GTA 5 Enhanced PC ray tracing: Global illumination

Ray traced global illumination is another lighting-based technology that works on making the in-game light reflect off surfaces more realistically.

As a feature of ray tracing, global illumination is able to produce more natural lighting in an in-game environment. This should be interesting to witness in GTA 5's Los Santos at night, when there are many light sources like buildings, car headlights, and street lamps.

Also check: What is GTA 5 Enhanced?

GTA 5 Enhanced PC ray tracing: Ray traced shadows and reflections

Ray traced shadows trace the path of a light source's rays in-game to create more accurate (and hence, realistic) shadows around objects. Ray traced reflections, on the other hand, make surfaces like windows, mirrors, or puddles around light much more reflective.

It is worth noting that ray traced shadows and reflections are also present in the GTA 5 Enhanced PS5 and Xbox Series X/S port, which was released in March 2022.

Also check: GTA 5 Enhanced Edition on PC: All new graphics settings

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About the author

Suyash is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in Rockstar Games' GTA franchise. Suyash uses in-depth research and knowledge of his immense experience with the game series to ensure readers have access to the most reliable information. His insightful content pieces have raked in more than 5 million views in just a little over a year's time.

Suyash holds a B.Tech degree and ventured into the world of gaming at a young age through the Prince of Persia Sands of Time trilogy. However, upon encountering GTA Vice City’s 1980s aesthetic, music, and vintage cars, he became enamored with the game, leading him to explore the rest of the franchise.

Suyash prefers solo titles to multiplayer, especially ones with a well-crafted story and character arcs. He admires journalist Jason Schreier for the respect he commands in the industry and the reliability of his news pieces. To ensure the accuracy of his own pieces, he checks multiple reputable sources and insiders.

If he were to recommend a game to a skeptic, it would be Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. When he’s not roaming the streets of Los Santos in GTA V, you can find him playing football, watching movies, or working out.

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Edited by Dinesh Renthlei