Doom 64: Retribution has received a real-time path-tracing mod, giving the GZDoom total conversion a much darker and more detailed lighting setup. The release is aimed at players with high-end GPUs and lets them play through the entire game, though some visual glitches remain.
There is an important catch: this project works with Doom 64: Retribution, not the standalone PC version of Doom 64 that launched in March 2020. Retribution is the total conversion that brought Doom 64 into the GZDoom engine, so the path-tracing mod depends on that version of the game.
What the Doom 64 path-tracing mod adds
The lighting pass brings volumetric fog, light shafts from ordinary lamps, moonlight, clouds, and lightning into the campaign. Water also receives a stylized treatment with projected caustics, while combat effects now include smoke, impact sparks, debris, projectile scorch marks, and exploding barrels.
Blood splats remain in the world, and each monster type has its own blood color. The project also adds a flashlight, an updated HUD mugshot, and act title cards. Some PBR material work is included too, although the effects are kept restrained because the current denoiser can create visual artifacts.
Version 0.1.10 is available through the GitHub release page. On its first run, the launcher asks for a DOOM II IWAD that the player owns, along with Doom 64: Retribution v1.5 and the matching OGG music pack.
Visual bugs are still part of the package, but they do not prevent the full game from being played. For a classic built around oppressive corridors, muzzle flashes, and monsters appearing out of nowhere, path-traced lighting is a fitting new layer of menace.
The DOOM 64: Ray Traced Project gameplay footage gives a closer look at the mod’s lighting, effects, and combat presentation.
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