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Image: Bethesda Softworks

If you choose to pay the premium for early access to play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PC, you'll notice that full ray tracing isn't initially included. The early access period for Premium Edition and Collector's Edition buyers begins at 7 PM ET today. However, it's not until December 9th that full ray tracing will be added, making the game accessible to everyone else.

Nvidia states in a blog post that after the update, shadows, reflections, and global illumination will be accurately rendered using Full Ray Tracing, enhancing the image quality significantly. Additionally, DLSS Ray Reconstruction will be arriving soon, as indicated in an emailed media alert.

The Sting for Early Access Buyers

The belated addition of these graphics options might disappoint early access buyers. Considering the cost, it's especially notable. For instance, the Premium Edition costs $99.99, which is a $30 increase over the standard price of $69.99. This price difference can make the lack of full ray tracing in the early access period more noticeable.

The game already has demanding PC specs, with GPU hardware ray tracing being required even at the minimum settings. Jim Kjellin, the CTO of Great Circle developer MachineGames, provides a reason for this requirement. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle utilizes a technique called global illumination to light the environment and characters. The engine MOTOR used by MachineGames employs hardware raytracing to calculate this. Although it may not be the typical concept of "ray tracing" that players expect, the compatible hardware is necessary to achieve a performant and high-fidelity result.

Availability on Other Platforms

Great Circle will not only be available on PC but also on Xbox Series X / S. Moreover, it is set to release on PS5 in spring 2025, expanding its reach to a wider audience.