Portal 2 RTX Remix Mod: Stunning Path Tracing Comes at a Massive Performance Cost

Valve's beloved Portal 2 has received an incredible visual overhaul thanks to the RTX Remix Path Tracing mod, but the cutting-edge technology significantly impacts performance, even on high-end GPUs like the NVIDIA RTX 4080.

A detailed comparison by MxBenchmarkPC shows the extent of the performance drop caused by enabling path tracing. On an RTX 4080, the framerate plummets from 200–300 FPS at native 4K resolution to 20–30 FPS, depending on the in-game scenario. This highlights how demanding path tracing can be, even for GPUs designed to handle intense workloads.

For those wanting playable framerates, DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and Frame Generation are absolutely necessary. At lower resolutions like 1440p and 1080p, these NVIDIA technologies help push framerates beyond 60 FPS in some scenarios, making the game more enjoyable despite the heavy performance tax.

This mod wasn't officially designed for Portal 2, and as such, there may be other quirks or issues, including shader-related rendering problems. However, the path-traced visuals offer a transformative experience for those willing to tackle the performance challenges.

Portal 2, originally released in 2011, introduced a rich single-player campaign and a separate two-player co-op mode, significantly building on its predecessor. For those wanting to experience the revamped visuals, the RTX Remix mod can be downloaded here.

Are you ready to sacrifice performance for stunning visuals in Portal 2 RTX Remix? Or do you think the trade-off is too steep? Let us know how you feel about this visual transformation in the comments!