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Nvidia advertises the RTX 3050 as a GPU that is capable of playing ray-traced games. But can it really? The answer is both yes and no. That's because the RTX 3050 is the weakest and cheapest GPU in the RTX 3000 series, and it has the lowest number of RT and CUDA cores among the 3000 series lineup. So, playing ray-traced games is possible, at least some of them.
This article presents the five best ray-traced games you can play on the RTX 3050, including Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, in 2024.
Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
5 best ray-traced games to play on RTX 3050 (2024)
When you are trying to play these ray-traced games on such lower-end GPU, there are some compromises that you need to keep in mind. Not every game here can be played on the highest settings. Some will run well on ultra settings, while others need to be turned down to medium.
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But every game on this list will provide close to 60 FPS at 1080P. After all, this is a PC and not a console. PC gamers don't need to play at 30 FPS locked. Here's the list of five best ray-traced games to play on RTX 3050.
1) Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is one of the best game releases from Ubisoft by the end of 2023. The developer recreated the world of Pandora in such a stunning and holistic manner that even James Cameron would be impressed. Every part of the atmosphere interacts with the character movements, and they are all meticulously detailed.
These graphics are on a different level, and part of that reason is ray tracing. The ray-tracing capabilities are built into the game engine itself, so the reflection and shadow effects don't need to be applied separately. Everything is already enabled. Even the lowest preset has some form of ray tracing enabled.
The title runs around 50-60 FPS at medium settings and DLSS set to quality. But if you want to get closer to 60 FPS, set the DLSS to medium settings. It is considered Ubisoft's one of the best-looking ray-traced games.
2) Control
2019's Control was a stunning display of what RTX can do. It supports multiple ray tracing settings, including lighting, shadows, and reflections. This game has some of the most impressive indoor lighting systems, and the graphics are simply incredible. Even Jesse's character is so well designed.
The game provides you with various abilities as you progress through the story. One of those abilities is levitation, which allows you to fly or levitate around the Oldest House. It's a one-of-a-kind ray-traced game that you must not miss. The title runs close to 60 FPS at ultra settings, and the ray tracing is set to high, which is the best possible.
If you want a locked 60 FPS experience, drop the graphics settings to high and the ray tracing settings to medium.
3) Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is an extremely well-optimized offering from Sony. It not only runs well, but it is also extremely fun to play. The story is also very well done, featuring some of the most interesting characters from Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery. The Heist DLC of the game finally shows off the Black Cat in the flesh. It's an excellent game for anyone who enjoys Spider-Man movies.
Even with the game set to very high graphics and ray tracing set to high, you will still get 60+ FPS. But during intense combat or places with high NPC counts, the framerate may slightly drop below 60. If you want constant 60+ FPS at all times, you will need to turn on DLSS.
When you swing around buildings, you will see your reflection and everything behind you in the building glasses, all thanks to ray tracing.
4) Far Cry 6
Far Cry games are considered Ubisoft's best of all time, and Far Cry 6 is no different. It features a compelling story in an environment setting that is so mesmerizing. The story follows Anton Castillo who is determined to take the country back to its original glory while simultaneously training his son to take his place. If you have always wanted to play Far Cry games, then it won't disappoint.
It also features two ray tracing settings to handle reflections and shadows. The game has a lot of water surfaces, which benefit from ray tracing. The lighting was already so well done that there's little for it to be ray traced. The game easily provides 60+ FPS at the ultra settings with both ray tracing settings enabled.
It looks incredibly well-designed and runs very smoothly on the RTX 3050. Just keep the FSR 2 setting at quality.
Also, check out some of the best GPUs to play games at 1080P.
5) Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition
Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition is a stunningly beautiful game from a first-person perspective. So, expect dark and moody gameplay. The graphics of the game were so ahead of time that it looks good even to this day. It is set around the supernatural and paranormal side of things, so it is not for the faint of heart. This title was released with only ray tracing in mind.
So, if you don't have a ray-tracing capable GPU, the game won't even launch. Luckily, the RTX 3050 is quite capable, and the results are simply astonishing. It provides constant 60+ FPS in the underground parts, while open areas achieve 50+ FPS. Now, this is with max settings and DLSS set to quality, making it one of the best ray-traced games to try out.
These are all the ray-traced games that can comfortably run on the RTX 3050. There are others as well, but they are just too much for this little GPU to handle.
