ReShade RTGI 0.33 is not a replacement for native hardware-accelerated Path Tracing. But it doesn't need to be.
It is the ultimate "what if" machine. What if Assassin’s Creed: Unity had modern denoising? What if The Witcher 3 (pre-next-gen update) had bounce lighting? What if Mirror’s Edge Catalyst actually looked like the concept art?
With version 0.33, Marty McFly has proven that software ray tracing is not dead; it is just getting mature. If you haven't looked at ReShade in a year, go update your preset. The grain is gone. The future (of modding) is bright.
Ready to try it? You can find the shader on Marty McFly’s Patreon (usually free after a short exclusivity period) or via the ReShade Discord server. Pair it with qUINT_ssr for reflections and MXAO for ambient occlusion, and you won't recognize your old games.
Have you tried RTGI 0.33? What game did you test it on first? Let us know in the comments. Reshade Ray Tracing shader RTGI 0.33
No. And yes.
Native RTX (or DXR) gives you accurate, world-space lighting with multiple bounces and no edge artifacts. It’s objectively better.
But RTGI 0.33 runs on any GPU from the last 8 years, doesn’t require a 5-minute shader compilation, and costs a fraction of the performance. More importantly, it works in literally any DirectX 9–12 or Vulkan game.
You can’t inject DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction into Fallout New Vegas. But you can inject RTGI 0.33. That’s the beauty of it. ReShade RTGI 0
Reshade’s RTGI 0.33 shader represents a significant step forward in the modding community’s ongoing effort to bring more realistic lighting to games that lack native ray tracing. RTGI (Ray-Traced Global Illumination) is designed to approximate complex light transport — indirect lighting, color bleeding, soft interreflections, and subtle occlusion — by using screen-space techniques and clever temporal accumulation rather than full hardware ray tracing. Version 0.33 refines that approach, balancing visual fidelity, performance, and compatibility for a wide range of titles and systems.
Principles and goals
What changed in 0.33
Visual impact
User controls and tuning RTGI exposes several useful parameters:
Practical considerations
Conclusion RTGI 0.33 is a thoughtful incremental update that improves visual quality and stability while remaining practical for many users. It delivers richer indirect lighting through smart sample management, better temporal handling, and refined denoising — all without requiring hardware ray tracing. For players seeking a notable boost in realism with configurable performance options, RTGI 0.33 is a strong choice that demonstrates how screen-space GI techniques can meaningfully elevate the look of older and newer games alike.
As of 2026, how does an old shader stack up against modern tech? Ready to try it
| Feature | RTGI 0.33 | NVIDIA RTXDI (Path Tracing) | AMD FSR 3 + Native GI | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Hardware Required | GTX 900 series + | RTX 2060+ (Struggles) / 4070+ | RX 6000+ | | Accuracy | Medium (Screen Space) | High (World Space) | Medium-High | | Installation | 10 minutes (Manual) | Built-in to game | Built-in to game | | Ghosting | Moderate (TAA) | Low (DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction) | High (FSR 2.2) | | Best Use Case | Old DX9/DX11 games | New AAA releases | Cross-platform indie games |
The Bottom Line: You don't use RTGI 0.33 to beat Alan Wake 2. You use it to make Mass Effect 2 look like it was released yesterday.