Ray tracing without the jargon
What the technique does and what the Trailer 2 analysis points to.
Original illustration by Lucia.
Ray tracing is a technique that calculates how light bounces off objects. With it, reflections, shadows and lighting come out closer to real life. It is demanding on hardware, which is why many games use it only in part.
Digital Foundry's analysis of Trailer 2, which we read through outlet summaries, points to three uses. Global illumination, the light that bounces from one surface to another, seems to use ray tracing. Puddles and rivers show reflections made with the technique. Larger water surfaces use a simpler method, screen-space reflections, which only show what is already on the screen. Shadows follow the traditional method, as in Red Dead Redemption 2.
The trailer ends with a note that it was captured on PS5. Rockstar has not detailed which techniques the final game will use on each device. That will only be known after Nov 19.
Source: LibertyCity: Digital Foundry analysis · May 8, 2025, read on Nov 15, 2026 · Ensigame: Digital Foundry analysis · May 13, 2025, read on Nov 15, 2026 · Den of Geek · May 6, 2025, read on Nov 15, 2026
Read on Nov 15, 2026. The game launches at local midnight on Nov 19, and this item may change at launch.