How Metro Exodus Uses Ray Tracing to Heart-Pounding Effect

The Star Wars-themed “Reflections” demo is so visually stunning, it’s natural to assume it’s a film clip. I felt that way the first time I saw this real-time ray-tracing showcase, at GDC 2018, and so have the hundreds of people I’ve shown it to since. Hitting a hotkey to reveal the wire-frame leaves you floored. Last October, I was again delivering a knock-your-socks-off ray-tracing demo at PAX Australia. It was then that I realized Metro Exodus could be a showcase title for real-time ray tracing in games.