Ray Tracing Black Myth Wukong
Black Myth Wukong is set to be a visual tour-de-force, thanks to its implementation of full ray tracing, also known as path tracing. This means ray tracing is used to render all lighting, reflections, and shadows within its fantastical world. Ray-traced reflections enhance the serene beauty of water features and the shine of polished surfaces, while ray-traced shadows add depth and realism to every scene. Ray-traced indirect lighting allows light to bounce naturally, creating a more believable environment. Even the game’s particle effects, often a challenge for ray tracing, are rendered with impressive accuracy.
In Black Myth: Wukong at 1440p with ray tracing enabled, the RTX 5080 showcases substantial gains over previous-generation cards. Compared to the RTX 4080, it delivers a 20% improvement in the averages and an equally impressive 20% boost in the lows, offering a smoother and more consistent experience overall. The margins narrow slightly against the 4080 SUPER, where the 5080 still comes out ahead with a 15% improvement in both the averages and the lows. However, the RTX 4090 still retains its high-end dominance, with the 5080 trailing by 10% in both the averages and the lows. The most striking result, however, is in the NVIDIA vs. AMD comparison. Here, the 5080 continues to utterly obliterate the 7900 XTX, boasting a staggering 233% lead in the averages and an even more incredible 307% improvement in the lows. This cements the 5080 as the clear winner for ray tracing in this title, especially at its given price point.
At 4K, the RTX 5080 continues to deliver solid improvements over the previous generation. Compared to the RTX 4080, it offers a 24% boost in the averages and a 22% improvement in the lows, maintaining a strong lead. Against the 4080 SUPER, the margins are slightly smaller, with the 5080 ahead by 19% in the averages and 12% in the lows while again, the RTX 4090 remains competitive, at least in terms of performance with the 5080 falling just 3% behind in the averages and 15% in the lows, showing that NVIDIA’s flagship of last generation still holds its ground at 4K. Once again, the AMD matchup is striking, with the 5080 outpacing the 7900 XTX by an incredible 287% in the averages and an even larger 350% in the lows, further cementing NVIDIA’s advantage in ray tracing performance, though who knows what the RDNA4 lineup will hold.
