Call of Duty: Modern Warfare PC Performance Review and Optimisation Guide

DXR Raytraced Shadows – RTX On

If you want a more in-depth look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s DXR Raytracing, you should look at our full DXR/RTX Raytracing Analysis for Call of Duty here. There you will find performance data, more image comparison sliders and a lot more information about Infinity Ward’s use of DXR raytracing. Here you will only find the board strokes of a more detailed piece.   

Infinity Ward/Beenox has partnered with Nvidia to bring raytracing to the Call of Duty series. While some gamers will scream “paid by Nvidia” or something similar, it is worth remembering that developers are preparing for the next generation of console hardware. Both the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett support hardware-accelerated raytracing, which means that developers are keen to see how raytracing can improve their games push the graphical envelope further. 

With the Call of Duty series demanding high framerates, it’s only reasonable for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to focus on delivering a performant implementation of DXR raytracing. That’s why Modern Warfare only utilises raytracing for specific light sources, limiting the graphical and performance impact of raytracing on the game. 

Below, we can see the impact that DXR has on Modern Warfare’s shadow quality, allowing certain shadows to gain detail which wouldn’t be present with the game’s standard shadow maps. These details are too small to be given sharp shadows with Call of Duty’s standard shadows, highlighting how raytraced shadows can impact future games.  

One oddity with Modern Warfare’s DXR shadows is that the player doesn’t cast a shadow. In Modern Warfare’s campaign, the player’s model has no impact on the game world, preventing players from casting shadows in front of spotlights or area lights. This somewhat undermines the accuracy offered by raytraced shadows. 

(DXR On VS DXR Off)

The example below shows one of the starkest differences that DXR shadows can deliver in Modern Warfare. The grass below now takes on detailed shadows; shadows which are not correctly covered by Modern Warfare’s standard shadows. Raytracing can remove this kind of inaccuracy, which will help developers create more realistic worlds.     

 

(DXR On VS DXR Off)

Below we can also see that DXR raytracing does not affect all shadows in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Daytime scenes and outdoor scenes see little benefit from DXR raytracing. Sun shadows don’t use raytracing, which means that many scenes in Modern Warfare are not impacted by raytracing at all.   

(DXR On VS DXR Off)