Minecraft with RTX beta start April 16

Ray tracing is a new graphics technology that’s all the rage in video games. On Thursday, Minecraft players will be able to experience more realistic effects in the game thanks to a beta featuring the tech. 

Minecraft with RTX beta will start at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on April 16 for owners of the Windows 10 version of the game. Players will be able to build their own world and see the lighting effects from ray tracing, which gives shadows, light and reflections a realistic look.  

Included in the beta will be six crafted worlds provided by Nvidia and designed by prominent Minecraft creators. Players will also see an improvement in the game from DLSS 2.0, or Deep Learning Super-Sampling, Nvidia’s AI-based scaling algorithms. This tech will boost the frame rates to the game while maintaining the image quality. 

To participate, Minecraft owners will need to download the Xbox Insider Hub for Windows. The beta will be accessible on Thursday via the app. 

There is no set end date for the Minecraft with RTX beta. Microsoft did say, however, the full version of the game with ray tracing will debut sometime this calendar year.