Cyberpunk 2077's Overdrive Mode can be used in photo mode if path tracing is too much for your PC

Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunner screenshot — (Image credit: CDPR)

Cyberpunk 2077's Overdrive Mode, or path tracing, can be enabled in the game's photo mode if your PC can't run the mode in full.

Earlier today, April 11, saw the launch of Cyberpunk 2077's "full ray tracing" update for PC players, with its Overdrive Mode heralded as the "future of ray tracing." The update adds the super high-detailed "path tracing" mode for players, but if your rig can't handle that, you can toggle on the path tracing features in Cyberpunk 2077's photo mode. That is, as long as you've got 8GB of VRAM going spare.

Patch 1.62 for Cyberpunk 2077 is being rolled out on PC. This update brings the technology preview of Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode. Please note that this cutting-edge feature is only available on the highest-performing hardware. Read more: https://t.co/xoH99JyW7g pic.twitter.com/SVMBw9YgFbApril 11, 2023

Path tracing is currently only supported on the truly elite NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series (4070 Ti and up) graphics cards, but if your rig isn't up to those wild standards, you could still get the benefits of the path tracing mode while using photo mode.

This is a neat touch from CD Projekt Red, as it lets PC players sample the benefits of path tracing themselves without breaking the bank over an RTX 40 Series graphics card. Cyberpunk 2077's lighting should look better than ever before, even up to film and TV quality, with path tracing features enabled.

This might be the "future of ray tracing," as NVIDIA called it previously, but path tracing is still just a "vision of the future" from CD Projekt, and something the developer is committed to improving and working on in the future. Perhaps we can expect updates to the path tracing mode from CD Projekt in the near future.

Considering the developer is still forging forward in this intense graphics department while developing Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and working towards the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, they've got a lot on their hands in this particular genre.

We'll hear more of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty later this year in June, as the expansion enters the final stretch of development.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.