Nvidia RTX Remix open beta releases & it could change retro PC gaming forever

RTX Remix, the toolset powering titles like Portal RTX and Half-Life 2 RTX has just been released in open beta, and it could change the way PC gamers experience retro titles forever.

Nvidia’s RTX Remix is not inherently new, the company announced it alongside Portal RTX in 2022, which featured a gorgeous remaster of the classic game by Valve with fully path-traced lighting. While it’s remained in a closed beta, the tech is finally getting an open beta, which could revolutionize the way you play older titles on PC.

RTX Remix is supported by DirectX 8 or 9 titles, and even already has the beginnings of a bigger compatibility list. Nvidia states that some titles ready for injection include fan favorites like Garry’s Mod and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. The tools enable you to remaster assets, with additional support for injecting the new assets into the game.

RTX Remix also allows you to mark down or replace assets, with full support for material customization. While your eyes glaze over while reading this, it means that metallic surfaces will look metallic, shiny surfaces will be shiny, and refract light sources which you can place in the scene. For those who can’t do all of the complicated retexturing work, Nvidia has also added a generative AI texture tool, which can accurately use the Tensor cores in your GPU to analyze and recreate them at modern, high resolutions.

Where to download RTX Remix

To get RTX Remix, you will just have to head over to Nvidia’s website and grab the application yourself. Of course, some game development and software know-how could help you remaster your favorite retro PC games. There’s even heaps of documentation for those of you technically minded, too.

This could revitalize old games

With RTX Remix finally opening its floodgates to dozens of users, we’re likely going to see some spectacular mods from the community of people who feel passionately about retro games. One user has already shown off a proof of concept for Max Payne, which looks absolutely incredible.

In the video, we see newer, higher-res textures, as well as fantastic path-traced lighting which makes the game look much more modern than the original title, which was released 23 years ago. With the open beta starting today, it’s a very exciting time to be a PC gamer indeed.