Quake 2 RTX gets all-new polish in latest visual upgrade

NVIDIA has put out a new update for Quake II RTX that brings a ton of graphical updates to the remastered 1997 shooter, including ray-tracing.

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Does the world need more, better versions of classic Quake? The answer is yes. Always. And NVIDIA is happy to deliver. Recently, NVIDIA released new updates for Quake 2 RTX, the remastered version of the classic first-person shooter. Among the updates, Quake 2 RTX received a ton of new textures, improvements, and visual upgrades that included allowing for new ray-tracing effects in the game.

NVDIA announced Quake 2 RTX’s 1.2 update on November 26, 2019. Available to players on Steam or downloadable directly from NVIDIA, the 1.2 update’s topline feature was the introduction of ray-tracing effects in Quake 2 RTX. Water, glass, mirrors, monitors and other reflective surfaces have gotten a major boost in visual clarity, quality, and reflective effects. In addition, over 400 new textures were updated to boost the look over the game all-around. You can take a peek at the difference between Update 1.1 and 1.2 just below.

Outside of obvious texture updates, the difference in what Quake 2 RTX does with water, monitor, and glass effects is stark.
Outside of obvious texture updates, the difference in what Quake 2 RTX does with water, monitor, light, and glass effects is stark.

NVIDIA’s dedication to improving and boosting classic Quake 2 while keeping its game play intact is impressive. Ray-tracing has definitely become a major trend in the transition to the new gaming generation and we have to admit, it gives the overall quality of a game as old as Quake 2 a lively boost.

That wasn’t all NVIDIA had to share either. They’ve also released a new Game Ready Driver for the Master Chief Collection version of Halo: Reach on PC. The new Game Ready Drivers not only help boost Halo: Reach on GeForce cards, but also adds support for OpenGL and Vulkan titles, boosting improving the Image Sharpening feature in the NVIDIA control panel.

Quake 2 RTX is free to download from either NVIDIA or Steam, so if you want to check out the new bells and whistles on a classic, it comes at no cost. If you’re looking for even more fun in the stylings of classic run n’ gun, be sure to check out WRATH: Aeon of Ruin as well, which just entered Early Access on Steam.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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