NVIDIA’s RTX Remix 1.2 particle system lets modders add or replace effects such as fire, smoke, embers and energy projectiles in compatible DirectX 8 and 9 games. The GPU-driven particles can receive path-traced shadows and reflections and react to environmental collisions, bringing modern volumetric effects to older titles.
What RTX Remix path-traced particles are
NVIDIA announced the particle system on September 9, 2025, as part of RTX Remix 1.2. RTX Remix captures a classic game’s scene and assets, allows creators to replace or enhance them, and uses its runtime to render the revised scene with path tracing.
The new system creates GPU-driven particles that can supplement an original effect or replace it entirely. NVIDIA describes support for path-traced shadows, path-traced reflections and physics-based collisions with the environment. That makes particles interact visually with the remastered world instead of appearing as a flat overlay.
Examples NVIDIA has shown
- Fire, smoke and embers.
- Portal energy pellets.
- A Half-Life 2 RTX enemy emitting particles.
- More than 100,000 shadowed particles in an NVIDIA Half-Life 2 RTX Antlion Guard demonstration.
These are NVIDIA demonstrations, not independent performance tests. The company’s phrase “without significantly reducing performance” is also a vendor claim; NVIDIA did not define a workload or publish a frame-rate comparison with the announcement.
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How to add particles in RTX Remix
RTX Remix offers a fast runtime workflow for experimentation and a more controlled Toolkit workflow for substantial projects.
Runtime tagging for quick prototypes
- Launch the compatible game with the RTX Remix runtime.
- Open the in-game RTX Remix Developer Menu with Alt+X.
- Open Games Setup, then choose Categorize Textures.
- Select the game element you want to modify and designate it as a particle emitter.
- Use the Rendering tab to adjust controls such as effect size, particle count and color.
- Return to the game and iterate while viewing the result in context.
NVIDIA positions runtime tagging for prototyping or a small number of particles because it provides immediate feedback with relatively little setup.
Toolkit authoring for larger or complex mods
The RTX Remix Toolkit is the recommended route when a project needs repeatable assets, more detailed control or many effects. It is better suited to organizing a full mod than repeatedly tagging elements during play. The announcement does not specify a fixed particle-count limit or a guaranteed performance target, so creators should validate each effect in the actual game.
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Which classic games are in scope?
NVIDIA says the particle feature opens advanced effects to more than 165 RTX Remix-compatible games. RTX Remix broadly targets classic DirectX 8 and DirectX 9 games that use fixed-function graphics pipelines.
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What hardware creators and players need
For creating a mod
NVIDIA states that a creator needs a GeForce RTX GPU to make RTX Remix mods. The announcement does not name a minimum RTX series, recommended card model, memory target or expected frame rate, so it cannot support a specific buying recommendation.
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For playing a finished mod
NVIDIA says completed mods can run on hardware capable of Vulkan ray-traced games. That is a different requirement from the creator requirement: a player may only need suitable Vulkan ray-tracing hardware, while the person authoring the mod must use a GeForce RTX GPU. Exact performance still depends on the game, resolution, ray-tracing settings, particle workload and the rest of the mod.
Runtime tagging versus Toolkit authoring
| Approach | Best use | Iteration speed | Control and scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-game runtime tagging | Prototypes and a handful of effects | Fast; changes are tested while playing | Basic controls such as size, count and color |
| RTX Remix Toolkit | Serious or multi-effect projects | Less immediate than tagging, but organized for production work | More controlled authoring for complex and larger mods |
What the update does—and does not—prove
- Established by NVIDIA: RTX Remix 1.2 includes the particle system; particles can be GPU-driven and can use path-traced shadows, reflections and environmental collisions.
- Demonstrated by NVIDIA: fire, smoke, embers, Portal projectiles and Half-Life 2 RTX examples, including a 100,000-plus shadowed-particle scene.
- Not established: an independent benchmark, a universal frame-rate impact, a minimum RTX model, or flawless support for every one of the more than 165 compatible games.
How broad is the RTX Remix ecosystem?
At the September 2025 announcement, NVIDIA reported 237 active community projects, more than 100 released RTX Remix mods and more than 2 million downloads. Those are dated company-reported totals, not current counts. NVIDIA also cited $60,000 in cash prizes for an RTX Remix mod contest; that figure describes the historical contest, not typical creator income.
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Should you use RTX Remix particles?
Use runtime tagging if you want to test an idea quickly or add a small number of effects. Move to the Toolkit when the project needs a consistent asset pipeline, many emitters or detailed control. Before release, test the effect in the target game and on the hardware you intend to support, because NVIDIA’s compatibility and performance statements are broad and vendor-reported.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can RTX Remix add smoke and fire to old games?
Yes. NVIDIA’s particle demonstrations include smoke, fire and embers, provided the game is compatible with the RTX Remix runtime and the modder authors the effect.
Do I need an RTX graphics card to make an RTX Remix mod?
NVIDIA says creators need a GeForce RTX GPU. It does not publish a specific minimum model in the cited announcement.
Can every RTX Remix-compatible game use the new particles?
NVIDIA says more than 165 compatible games can receive the feature, but individual compatibility and quality can vary by title.
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