GTA 2 RTX Remix mod brings path tracing and modern lighting to Rockstar’s 1999 classic

Grand Theft Auto 2 isn’t the first game you’d expect to see running with modern ray-tracing technology, but a new RTX Remix mod has made it possible. The modification introduces real-time path tracing to the 1999 PC game, bringing dynamic lighting to its streets, vehicles and explosions. The project goes beyond lighting, too. A new Direct3D 9 renderer makes GTA 2 compatible with NVIDIA’s RTX Remix technology, opening the door to graphical features unavailable in the original release. There’s support for widescreen displays, adjustable lighting settings and a dynamic time-of-day system through Remix Plus. It’s a sizeable technical update for a game developed long before modern graphics cards could simulate complex lighting in real time.

GTA 2 RTX Remix brings path tracing to Anywhere City

The biggest change comes from path tracing, which calculates how light travels through an environment and interacts with surrounding objects. Rather than relying entirely on GTA 2’s original lighting system, the mod uses RTX Remix to process light sources across the city.

Explosions, burning vehicles and gunfire can now generate dynamic lighting effects, changing how nearby streets and objects appear during gameplay. The modification translates existing lighting information into a format compatible with RTX Remix and introduces new light sources for certain in-game events.

Selected textures receive emissive maps, allowing surfaces to produce light within the updated rendering system. These changes are particularly noticeable in darker areas, where explosions and other sources of illumination can have a greater effect on the surrounding environment.

The game retains its overhead camera and original visual design. The new renderer concentrates on lighting and image presentation rather than replacing the underlying game engine or introducing a different graphical style.

Dynamic time of day and widescreen improvements

Lighting isn’t the only part of GTA 2 receiving attention. The mod introduces a dynamic time-of-day system through Remix Plus, allowing the city’s lighting conditions to change during gameplay. Players can adjust the time of day and other lighting parameters through an in-game settings menu, accessible by pressing F4.

It’s a useful addition for anyone interested in experimenting with the new renderer, particularly when comparing different lighting conditions across the same area. Widescreen support receives an update, too.

GTA 2 originally targeted older display formats, and running the game at a 16:9 aspect ratio could cause problems with how vehicles and pedestrians appeared near the edges of the screen. The new renderer addresses this issue, providing a full 16:9 view with corrected object rendering across the wider display area.

A closer look at Grand Theft Auto 2

Released in October 1999, Grand Theft Auto 2 was developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It arrived two years after the original Grand Theft Auto and retained the series’ overhead camera, open-ended missions and vehicle theft. Players take control of Claude Speed in Anywhere City, a fictional urban setting divided into three districts: Downtown, Residential and Industrial.

Each district features competing criminal organisations offering missions, with a gang respect system determining how rival groups respond to the player’s actions. Working for one organisation can damage relationships with another, changing mission availability and the behaviour of rival gang members.

The game arrived before Grand Theft Auto III introduced the fully 3D format in 2001, retaining the top-down presentation and vehicle-focused gameplay established by its predecessor. The RTX Remix modification leaves these systems intact. Missions, gang relationships and the original camera perspective remain unchanged.

GTA 2 RTX Remix installation and PC requirements

The mod requires a copy of Grand Theft Auto 2, a compatible RTX Remix runtime and a 64-bit installation of Windows 10 or Windows 11. Development and testing have used the freely available GTA 2 version 9.6 release.

Installation involves extracting the modification files into the game’s directory, running the included registry installation file and launching GTA 2 through its standard executable. The renderer supports frame generation, with 60fps gameplay possible on suitable hardware. Actual performance will vary according to the graphics card, rendering configuration and selected settings.

For players interested in trying the modification, the release package contains the required files and installation instructions. The RTX Remix mod adds modern lighting technology, adjustable visual settings and widescreen improvements to GTA 2’s original PC gameplay, without changing its missions or core mechanics.

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