Today marks the highly anticipated launch of Doom: The Dark Ages, the much-awaited prequel in the legendary shooter series. As players dive into this new installment, there is growing curiosity regarding the necessity of a ray tracing-capable graphics processing unit (GPU) for optimal gameplay. Given the significant advancements in the game’s technology, it’s important to clarify this point.
Ray Tracing: A Fundamental Requirement
Unlike many previous games that featured ray tracing as an optional enhancement, ray tracing is a compulsory requirement for Doom: The Dark Ages. Developed with the cutting-edge idTech8 engine, this game natively incorporates ray tracing to elevate the visual output.
Ray tracing features, such as global illumination and reflections, are integral to the gaming experience, providing players with breathtaking visuals and dynamic effects. As such, players will need hardware capable of supporting these features, even at the minimum settings.
The official Steam page outlines the minimum system requirements, confirming that a ray tracing-capable GPU is essential, even for playing at lower graphical settings.
Minimum System Requirements
| Settings | Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit / Windows 11 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit / Windows 11 64-bit |
| Processor | AMD Zen 2 or Intel 10th gen CPU @3.2GHz with 8 cores/16 threads or better | AMD Zen 3 or Intel 12th gen CPU @3.2GHz with 8 cores/16 threads or better |
| Memory | 16GB RAM | 32GB RAM |
| Graphics | Ray tracing-capable GPU (Nvidia RTX 2060 Super or AMD RX 6600 with 8GB VRAM or better) | Ray tracing-capable GPU (Nvidia RTX 3080 or AMD RX 6800 with 10GB VRAM or better) |
| Storage | 100GB available space | 100GB available space |
| Additional Notes | 1080p @ 60FPS at Low Quality settings; NVME SSD required | 1440p @ 60FPS at High Quality settings; NVME SSD required |
From these specifications, it is apparent that Doom: The Dark Ages is not playable on the Steam Deck, as its hardware does not meet the minimum requirements.
Console Compatibility
Players using consoles such as the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 will have the advantage of built-in ray tracing support. This means they can experience the game without any additional technical hurdles.
Furthermore, with the game available on popular cloud gaming services like GeForce NOW and xCloud, gamers with lower-end PCs can still partake in this thrilling title by streaming the game.
The developers at id Software have meticulously crafted the game’s environment and action sequences around ray-traced elements. Therefore, while ray tracing may have previously been a mere enhancement, it is now a critical component of the experience for those eager to embark on this demon-slaying journey.