Updated: Mar 23, 2023 6:16 pm
Given it’s now something that the home consoles can achieve (within reason), a big question this week will be ‘does Resident Evil 4 Remake feature and have ray tracing’. Well we’re here to report, yes, yes it does.
However, right from the off, there will need to be some clarification. First, is that this is almost certainly (we’re awaiting official/visual confirmation) going to be a PC and new/current-gen console only tech. Unless there’s some wizardry on show that take us really by surprise, we don’t expect it to be on PS4. Secondly, it will vary across the platforms that it does appear on, too. Broadly speaking the divide on this will fall between PS5 & Xbox Series X, and PC.
Resident Evil 4 Remake ray tracing details
As a reminder, broadly speaking, ray tracing is a tech that’ll give your games even clearer, more beautiful reflections, lighting, and shadows.
This is the perfect enhancement and augmentation for a game series such as Resident Evil, and a game like Resident Evil 4 Remake adding extra detail, atmosphere, ambiance, and mood to every scene. Sounds excellent, right? The only downside is that ray tracing can be quite demanding on hardware so there will often be a payoff or compromise. This usually translates as getting a slightly lower frames-per-second experience, but enjoying a higher quality picture.
Resident Evil 4 Remake graphics settings – what’s best?
When you boot up Resident Evil 4 Remake on PS5 or Xbox Series X this weekend, you will have (largely) two settings to choose from. Often called Fidelity or Performance these are you two modes that will concentrate either on picture quality (and lower frame rates) or higher frame rates and smoothness (while compromising picture quality slightly).
In Resi 4’s case, the two modes are called ‘Resolution’ and ‘Frame Rate’. In either case, you’re essentially telling the game and your hardware to focus on one or the other – simples.
What’s best will – and will always govern the choice – is what you enjoy more. Some folks will want to see every shadow line, every glimmer of light in their crispest detail, while some just want to see Leon move at his smoothest and most fluid. if you get the game, try out both and see how you feel!
Above is a screenshot from the PS5 game, and you can see that Ray Tracing is on Resolution mode – it gets turned off by default in Frame Rate mode, for reference.
On PC, you’ll have a larger array of settings to play with and greater flexibility. So, including whether to have ray tracing on or off, you’ll be able to wiggle your settings into a position that’s good for your hardware and your experience. Heck, you may even work out other compromises to make which can see you able to turn ray tracing on! For more information on this, we recommend you check out our guide to the best graphics settings for Resident Evil 4 Remake PC.
Want to play early? See if the Resident Evil 4 Remake New Zealand trick works for you.
