Anyone can download Minecraft RTX for free on Windows 10 from the official Windows Store website and test the game with ray tracing. It is essential to understand that there are many questions about the stability of its work because it is in the Beta-version stage.
Below is a step-by-step instruction on how to download and install the game. It is assumed that you have already bought a digital copy of Minecraft for Windows 10. We are talking about a licensed version of the sandbox. We will not talk about the use of torrents.
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Step 1: Check System Requirements
Before starting the download, check that your PC meets the game’s system requirements:
- Intel Core i5 processor, similar or more powerful.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or higher graphics card from the 20th or 30-series GeForce RTX.
- Minimum 8 GB of RAM.
- 2 GB of available hard-disk space to store maps, worlds, and resource packages.
- Operating system Windows 10 x64.
The Minecraft RTX system resources consumption is higher than that of the standard Java version of the game. All GeForce RTX graphics cards support ray tracing.
The game only works on 64-bit Windows 10. It is not possible to download Minecraft RTX on Windows 7 or phone. In this case, it remains to use resource packs with shaders – they are able to produce almost the same visual effect as ray tracing.
Step 2: Installing the Game Ready Driver
To run the game, you must install the Game Ready driver for Minecraft with RTX on Windows 10. It is necessary to ensure optimal performance, enable ray tracing, and also allows you to activate Nvidia DLSS 2.0 supersampling technology.
There are two options for installing the driver:
- Automatically. Open the GeForce Experience app, go to the Drivers tab, and select the GeForce Game Ready WHQL driver.
- Manually. Follow the link https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/drivers/, and specify your video card, operating system, and language. In the last Download Type field, select Game Ready Driver and click the search button. Download the latest version and install it.
Download GeForce Experience for automatic installation from the link above. The size of the installer is slightly larger than 100 MB.
After installing the Game Ready driver, proceed to the third step.
Step 3: Back up the Worlds of Minecraft Bedrock
Minecraft Bedrock Edition powers Minecraft RTX, so if you’ve played Bedrock Edition for Windows 10 and don’t want to lose your worlds, you need to back them up.
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Any world you discover in Minecraft with RTX will be impossible to use in other beta versions of the game for Windows 10, in the final version of Minecraft RTX and even in the standard Java version of the sandbox.
Make backups of all worlds so that you can restore them to other versions of the game. This can be done through Windows 10 Explorer or directly from the game. Open Minecraft, click the “Edit” icon, scroll down the menu, and click the “Export World” button.
If there are many worlds, it is easier to use Windows Explorer. Saved worlds can be found in the minecraftWorlds folder (its location depends on the version of the game):
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds
Or:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\minecraftWorlds
Each subfolder in the minecraftWorlds folder is a separate game world. Copy the entire minecraftWorlds folder to your desktop or other location outside the game folder.
Be sure to back up the worlds you want to save before the next step. After transferring worlds to Minecraft with RTX, it will be impossible to return to their previous versions.
Step 4: Enroll in the Xbox Insider program.
To download Minecraft RTX, register in the Xbox Insider program. Open the Windows Store and install the free Xbox Insider Hub insider app. It is now in beta.
Launch the app and if you’re not an Xbox Insider member, press the Join button and follow the on-screen instructions to sign up.
If you’re already a member of the Xbox Insider program, sign in to your account.
There is a known issue where the Xbox Insider Hub app freezes during the Xbox Insider enrollment process. This is due to a large influx of people wishing to register and Microsoft servers do not cope. Wait for the server to process your request or try again later.
Step 5: Download Minecraft RTX for Windows 11/10
So, you’re a part of a testing program. Open the Xbox Insider Hub app and tap the icon in the upper-left corner to open Preview:
From the Preview menu, select Minecraft for Windows 10 from the available games:
In the next window, click join.
In the open pop-up window, read the terms and conditions of participation in the test program and click the “Accept” button.
A menu with the “Manage” and “Find in Store” buttons will open. Click the first one, and in the pop-up window, choose Minecraft for Windows 10 RTX Beta:
All that’s left is to click the “Done” confirmation button.
At any time, you can exit the test program and return to the main Java version of Minecraft for Windows 11/10. To do this, select the last menu item “Cancel Registration” and click “Done”.
That’s it. If automatic app updates are active for the Windows Store, your installed version of Minecraft will automatically update to the latest available build with RTX.
If the game is not installed, the system will prompt you to download the latest build of Minecraft with RTX support.
It remains to launch Minecraft from the Start menu in Windows 10 and click the “Play” button. Download any world with ray tracing and enjoy the new graphics.
What to do if Minecraft RTX does not appear in the Microsoft Store
After you’ve successfully enrolled in the Minecraft RTX beta program, the update may not appear in the Microsoft Store.
The most obvious reason is that you’re still registered on the Bedrock beta channel, not RTX. Make sure you’ve joined the RTX beta in the Xbox Insider Hub app.
Microsoft servers are overloaded if you’ve verified that you’re registered for the correct beta test, and the update still doesn’t appear.
They can be overwhelmed by beta download requests. Be patient and wait for the decline in the number of people who want to download Minecraft with RTX support.
Restarting your computer or reinstalling the Xbox Insider Hub likely won’t affect this issue because the problem is with Microsoft, not you.
