The Path Tracer is what Headcannon refers to as a "Movement and Collision System", and has an emphasis on accuracy. By combining movement updates directly with collision testing instead of the traditional method of applying some or all of a velocity directly to a position before performing any checks, we achieve the highest resolution possible in terms of interacting with the environment. This, along with the system's method of literally tracing along the shape of the collision path, can eliminate the need for error-prone post-movement test-and-correct behavior. It is very versatile in that it can perform both vectored and non-vectored movement and it does not enforce any physics parameters whatsoever; it only moves the object according to its current velocity or vector values.

This system benefits from decades of use, refinement, and optimization, as it has existed in some form in all engine work performed by Simon "Stealth" Thomley. It's featured in both the HCGE and Methyl engines, and has proven capable of being isolated and used in other projects. The version of Sega's "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" included in the "Sonic Origins" package makes use of the Path Tracer for object/terrain collision. It's also possible to integrate object/object collisions with the Path Tracer for greater precision, as demonstrated in its native environment, the HCGE and Methyl engines.

Although the Path Tracer was used in Sonic Origins, it is neither developed nor endorsed in any part by Sega