Nvidia's RTX Remix contest highlights how ray tracing transforms classic games, making more mods available

Nvidia's RTX Remix contest, ending August 5, showcases dramatic ray-tracing transformations in classic games with a $50,000 prize.

: Nvidia's RTX Remix modding suite, having left beta in March, enables modders to integrate ray tracing into classic PC games, effectively transforming them with enhanced lighting and shadows. The ongoing contest, with a $50,000 prize, has encouraged numerous projects that visually overhaul games over two decades old using this technology. Notably, games like Painkiller, Need for Speed, Colin McCrae Rally 3, and Sonic Adventure are among the highlighted entries. The competition concludes on August 5, offering a substantial $20,000 top prize for the best mod.

In May 2025, NVIDIA launched a $50,000 RTX Remix Mod Contest in collaboration with ModDB, designed to showcase how ray tracing can transform classic games. The contest features four categories—Best Overall, Best Use of RTX, Most Complete, and Community Choice—with cash prizes and GeForce NOW Ultimate memberships. Submissions were accepted until July 18, and winners will be announced during Gamescom 2025 in August. The initiative aims to reward creative remasters of classic titles using NVIDIA’s RTX Remix tools.

RTX Remix, now officially released, allows modders to inject full path-traced ray tracing, DLSS 4, and AI-enhanced textures into DirectX 8 and 9 games. The toolset supports PBR materials, volumetric lighting, and is compatible with software like Blender and Substance Painter. Through an open-source runtime, modders can re-capture game scenes, replace assets, and overhaul visuals without needing to access source code. This lowers the technical barrier for remastering old games with modern visual effects.

The contest has already spotlighted several standout mods. Finalist projects include RTX remasters of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Painkiller, Sonic Adventure, Portal 2, Jedi Knight II, and Need for Speed Underground. These projects demonstrate deep visual overhauls, replacing textures, lighting systems, and materials to fully exploit ray tracing’s potential. The result is an elevated aesthetic that preserves original gameplay while offering a strikingly modern look.

Ray tracing’s effect on classic games is especially profound due to the simplicity of their original graphics. Many older games used flat lighting and minimal reflections, so adding path tracing introduces dynamic shadows, global illumination, and more realistic materials. This not only makes them more visually engaging but also shows how RTX technology can revive beloved titles without altering their core design.

Since RTX Remix exited beta, over 350 projects have been started and more than 100 mods released. More than two million players have experienced these enhanced versions. The Remix contest is pushing this momentum further by giving modders a platform, resources, and incentives to reimagine nostalgic favorites through the lens of cutting-edge rendering.

Sources: Nvidia, TechSpot, ModDB, TweakTown, Polygon

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