Painkiller RTX Remix v0.1.6 Drops — Flashlight, Lighting Upgrades, and Sweet, Sweet Nostalgia

Let’s rip and tear into this one, because Painkiller just got a whole lot shinier.

Modder Binq_Adams dropped Painkiller RTX Remix v0.1.6, and even though it’s still technically a work-in-progress, it’s already transforming the old-school shooter into something wild.

This latest version of the RTX mod brings a bunch of key updates — think massively upgraded lighting for multiple levels (Asylum, Palace, Military Base, Babel), higher quality textures all around, and tweaks to the tonemapper and materials. It also finally adds a much-requested flashlight! Hit "F" in-game and feel like you're stalking demons in the most haunted rave ever.

There’s also an optional occlusion culling feature now, which can help performance but might tank your FPS if your rig's feeling tired. Toggle it with the "O" key if needed.

"Painkiller RTX Remix v0.1.6 adds new lights to the flamethrower gas canister, the heater gun cluster grenades, and kamyk pebbles."

Small touches like that? They make a huge difference when you’re trying to fully melt into the vibe of Daniel Garner’s endless, demonic bloodbath.

There’s even early RTX skin testing happening for the Alastor boss fight on the Tower level — it’s not perfect yet, but it’s a taste of things to come.

Downside? No new levels supported yet. The RTX Remix still only works for Chapters 1-6. But hey, it’s called a v0.1.6 build for a reason. We’re here for the journey.

Painkiller: A Game Grown From Doom’s Gnarly Tree

If you’re new here, you might be asking: what’s Painkiller, and why do people still talk about it like it's holy scripture?

Painkiller (2004) didn’t come from nowhere. It’s a direct descendant of one of gaming’s most important bloodlines — the First-Person Shooter Evolution Tree:

• Doom (1993) kicked it all off. Pure speed. Guns first, questions never.
• Quake (1996) took that formula and added verticality and online deathmatch.
• Serious Sam (2001) said, "What if we made Doom but put 1000 enemies on screen?"
• And then, Painkiller came charging in with massive Gothic arenas, endless enemies, heavy metal, and giant bosses.

If Doom was pure adrenaline, Painkiller was the bad acid trip at a metal festival. And it was glorious.

All Painkiller Games Ranked (With Metacritic Scores)

Here’s a look at every Painkiller title, with their release years and Metacritic scores:

The truth? The first Painkiller and its first expansion, Battle Out of Hell, were absolute bangers.

After that… well, things got messy. (Still worth a blast if you love chaotic old-school FPS, though.)

RTX Remix: The Modding Revolution That’s Only Getting Started

Painkiller isn’t alone in getting the RTX Remix glow-up. The whole modding community is in an RTX Remix gold rush right now, and it’s awesome to watch.

• GTA: Vice City RTX Remix — Still WIP, but already sporting gorgeous new lighting and realistic shadows.

• Tomb Raider RTX Remix — Lara’s OG adventure reimagined with path-traced lighting? Yes, please.
• Max Payne RTX Remix — Early demo looks absolutely killer. Bullet time has never looked more cinematic.
• Manhunt RTX Remix — Brutal stealth kills in hyper-realistic lighting. Maybe too realistic for some.

And then there’s the work happening on Doom II, Quake, Half-Life, Serious Sam, and even Call of Duty 4. Not every mod is perfect — some suffer from janky assets or lighting glitches — but these projects are fan-driven love letters to PC gaming history.

As one player put it perfectly:

"Understand that these are free mods. So, if you don’t like them, you can simply skip them."

No microtransactions, no battle passes — just passion projects making old games look new again.

You Need to Taste It

Painkiller RTX Remix v0.1.6 might not be a full remake, but it’s exactly the kind of thing the modding scene does best: breathing new life into a classic, while letting players experience it in a whole new light (literally).

If you’ve never played Painkiller, now's the time to grab a stake gun, dive into a sea of screaming demons, and remember why the old-school shooter roots still run so deep.

And if you’re a veteran? Fire up that RTX flashlight, blast through Babel, and smile. The soul of Painkiller — fast, brutal, beautiful — lives on.

Want me to whip up a "Best RTX Remix Mods You Should Watch in 2025" guide next? There's a lot more crazy stuff cooking