If you’re playing on Xbox Series X, then I highly recommend using the traditional “Performance” graphics mode, and not “Performance RT”, as raytracing support has several problems in the game currently.
Firstly, the RT mode runs at a lower resolution. With Forza Motorsport using TAA (temporal anti-aliasing), the image quality is already unsharp, but in the RT mode it’s borderline blurry. Using the traditional Performance mode bumps the resolution to dynamic 4K, which results in a visibly sharper image, with more detail and better overall quality.
RT currently produces various graphical bugs during races. Flashing reflections on car bodies, or huge shadowy areas around cars, blinking in and out of the asphalt, etc. You can see it captured in this video. Funnily enough the YouTuber didn’t seem to notice it.
In RT mode, the menu screens also “flash” sometimes, possibly because of the car in the home space.
Raytracing doesn’t add much (if anything) to the experience. Most of the reflections on the cars are handled by cube maps anyway, and it’s only the car-to-car reflections and some of the track-to-car reflections that are handled by RT, which you barely notice during gameplay, if at all.
Overall, the traditional Performance mode, without RT, gives a much better image, sharper cars, more visible detail, no graphical bugs, and basically almost the same reflections. It’s just a better experience currently, I recommend trying it out if you haven’t yet.
Dynamic resolution is always in place, but it probably doesn’t have to compromise much in Performance mode. I guess it’s full 4K most of the time but the possibility is there to lower it just in case.
RT is nice but I don’t think consoles are ready for it yet. Even on PC you need such a beefy system to use RT with high or especially ultra settings. So why even bother? Why not use all the resources the current gen consoles have for other areas instead of just 1 RT gimmick?
I would say the Xbox consoles are not fit for raytracing. PlayStation studios do amazing things with it on PS5, especially Insomniac Games, in titles like Spider-Man and Ratchet. That’s spectacular raytracing even in 60 fps modes. But they have a much lower level access to the hardware. Xbox is just a generic DX12 machine and raytracing is probably too heavy for such a setup, hence why we barely see it utilized in Xbox games. Given AMD’s disadvantage in this field compared to Nvidia, and that Xbox will probably remain a generic DX12 platform, I doubt the next-gen console(s) in 2028 will be competitive in this regard either. Certainly not with PCs already doing full path-tracing in AAA games with advanced features like DLSS 3.5 and ray reconstruction. Xbox is just lightyears behind all this.
The Performance mode is indeed the recommended and default mode on Forza.
That said, I’m really enjoying the Performance RT mode on Series X, since it applies not only RT relfections, but also RT Ambient Occlusion, and in some circumstances, for example in the cockpit view (interior view), it makes a big difference and a gives back really nice effects. Since the gameplay in Perfomance RT is 60fps rock solid, and you can change the settings any time you want, I’ll suggest to give it a try.
To be honest, I do not notice difference when using 3rd person camera. In cockpit view it seems materials look a bit better with RT, but it’s just an impression, I haven’t done deep analysis (and not planning to).
I consider RT on consoles to be a marketing gimmick and don’t really care for it. I would much prefer having non-RT, FH5 level of visuals (but not FH5 yellowish art style, in that regard new FM seems to look more realistic).
Asus TUFF Gaming X570 Plus Motherboard
Ryzen 7 5700G 3.8GHz
32gb Ram
Gigabyte Aorus RTX 3070
EVGA 850w
1TB M.2
I finally got my benchmark to hit 50-60fps for 4k. With Raytracing off and with it on for car reflections.
All I have to say is that I am extremely disappointed that I can not run this game at its fullest the way I can with every single game I play or race on. Racing and non-racing. My Series X should not be able to outperform my PC. I sold my Fanatec McLaren GT3 wheel because I barely ever used it. I did not think I was going to run into this issue at all. It’s too choppy. Yeah, I could pop a controller in my hands and play on my Series X but where is the fun in that.? Especially, when I have Fanatec DD1 on a Trak Racer TR8 PRO. Yeah…uhm…I’ll pass on the controller. Such a disappointment!
Beat advice. Started playing on Performance RT on séries X and the cockpit was way too blurry compared to GT7. Switched to Performance,now the game hás much,much smoother resolution. It’s a shame,tough. GT7 handle RT very well,Band the Xbox X has a good hardware compared to ps5
The biggest downside for no RT is in cockpit view at night or overcast races, the cabin is way to bright. Other forza games didn’t have this issue.
I think turn 10 got lazy and wanted RT to do the heavy lifting for shadows but forgot their target hardware. They need to have cockpit lighting like the other games because it was never this bad.
This is the biggest reason to turn it off. Whether you are on console or a super beefy PC. Ray tracing is completely overrated for racing games. If you’re doing your job and looking for apexes and avoiding hitting other cars, a couple reflections off the body of a car are never going to register with your brain anyway.
Ray tracing is great in RPGs where you can walk around and see the environment but in a fast-paced racing game it’s nothing more than a marketing gimmick. And this is coming from someone that has a motion racing rig with a 49-in ultra wide screen and a monster PC. Turning it on barely does anything except lower my frame rate and add a small reflection or two that I’ll never see in first person view anyway.
Xbox here. Turned off RT and the game looks much better now. I even like the darkness/shadows in the interior at night that some were complaining about.