As much as many gaming purists want to discredit the role that graphics play in elevating an experience, the truth is that most games go mainstream and attract broader audiences based on how good they look. This makes it important for modern video games to come equipped with state-of-the-art visuals that will wow the masses.
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This graphical style may not be the most complex, but it lends plenty of charm to the games that use it.
Even if certain titles were released a while ago and have aged poorly, these games can still upgrade their visual fidelity with an all-encompassing update. Some of the best graphical patches have helped their respective video games become more popular than ever before.
8
Patch 1.62
Introduced Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode
- Released
-
December 10, 2020
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
Ray tracing has become the most important visual technology in modern times, and it’s easy to see why the most popular video games want to leverage this technology and look better than ever before. However, Cyberpunk 2077 took things a step further with an advanced form of ray tracing that most high-end graphics cards will struggle with.
Overdrive Mode turns Cyberpunk 2077 into one of the most beautiful video games around, but players will struggle for a playable FPS unless they pair this technology with DLSS or other AI-upscaling solutions. It’s a brief glimpse into the future of graphics for video games, making it clear that advanced ray tracing solutions are the way to make video games prettier than ever before.
7
Patch 4.0
Modernized The Witcher 3 For A New Generation
- Released
-
May 19, 2015
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Another CD Projekt Red game that showed what the very peak of visual fidelity looked like back in the day, most people will agree that the base version of The Witcher 3 looks pretty tame by modern standards. However, all of this changes with the advent of ray tracing and other visual upgrades in a free next-gen update.
It had some issues of its own that were eventually fixed, but most people would agree that The Witcher 3‘s next-gen update was in a class of its own. Players loved the idea of experiencing this beautiful game with a fresh coat of paint that breathed new life into Geralt’s adventures, with both in-house visual upgrades and fan mods going hand-in-hand to make the next-gen update look astonishing.
6
DF 50.01
Added Graphics To Make The Game More Palatable To The Masses
Roguelike
Strategy
Simulation
- Platform(s)
-
Linux
, macOS
, Microsoft Windows - Released
-
August 8, 2006
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Not all graphical patches need to use state-of-the-art technology to help their games stand out. In a lot of cases, context matters, and nowhere is this more important than Dwarf Fortress.
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A game that looked downright painful on the eyes courtesy of its rudimentary visuals released an update that finally added a proper, sensible tileset to the game. This allowed tentative players to finally make the plunge, given that they could finally see what was transpiring on-screen.
5
Patch 7.0
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrial Enhances The Game’s Graphics Considerably
Most popular MMOs received a graphical upgrade to keep them relevant in the long run for both new and existing fans. Final Fantasy 14 is no exception here, with the Dawntrail expansion being accompanied by a patch to improve the game’s visuals.
Given how popular this MMO is, it’s easy to see why Square Enix would want to attract new fans by showing off both excellent gameplay and visual flair. With this patch, the latter is guaranteed and goes a long way in making Final Fantasy 14 accessible for many.
4
Unreal Engine 5.1 Update
Makes This Revolutionary Battle Royale Game Look Better Than Ever Before
- Released
-
July 25, 2017
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Fortnite is one of the most popular battle royale games players can get their hands on. Given how popular this game is, it was only a matter of time before Epic Games would feel the need to improve this title’s visuals.
This is why porting the game to Unreal Engine 5.1 was a huge step forward for the title. Kids already have a soft spot for this game and will love Fortnite even more with state-of-the-art visuals that will leave players’ jaws on the floor if they haven’t played Fortnite since this facelift.
3
Update 3.10
Updates No Man’s Sky And Enhances Its Visuals
Adventure
Action
Survival
- Released
-
August 9, 2016
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Fair
No Man’s Sky is one of the biggest success stories in gaming. The title has received numerous updates to fulfill all of its lofty promises before adding more content to keep players engaged in the long run.
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This includes a next-gen update that improves the visuals to help it make the most of evolving hardware. This adds to the feature-rich nature of No Man’s Sky and ensures that players will have a great time enjoying what this title brings to the table.
2
Update 1
A Critical Day 1 Patch That Adds Full Ray-Tracing In The Game
- Released
-
December 9, 2024
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
A Day 1 patch may be low-hanging fruit in this context, but players who experienced this title without ray tracing can’t stress enough just how incredible this game looks with such a simple change. All of a sudden, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle transforms from an impressive visual feast into what is possibly 2024’s best-looking game.
The best part is that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is optimized to a T, ensuring that players will have a smooth experience without making major compromises on the visuals. For a game that didn’t enjoy a ton of buzz, it’s astounding to see just how incredible Indy’s video game adventure is.
1
Update 1.64
Ray-Traced Reflections Are A Game-Changer
- Released
-
September 17, 2013
- Developer(s)
-
Rockstar North
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Most people don’t need an excuse to revisit Grand Theft Auto 5, given how well this title has aged after all the years. However, players who aren’t sure whether the visuals have aged poorly or not will sing a different tune after checking out the true benefits of ray tracing in this title.
Lighting becomes more dynamic than ever before, ensuring that the game looks beautiful no matter what the time of day is. It’s genuinely impressive to see how these modern graphical advancements fit perfectly in the world of Grand Theft Auto 5, showing just how effective ray tracing can be when implemented correctly.
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