diff --git a/source/isaaclab_rl/changelog.d/default-newton-classic.skip b/source/isaaclab_rl/changelog.d/default-newton-classic.skip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e69de29bb2d1
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_rl/test/test_entrypoints_common.py b/source/isaaclab_rl/test/test_entrypoints_common.py
index 6b3932b30501..c3594644bc98 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_rl/test/test_entrypoints_common.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_rl/test/test_entrypoints_common.py
@@ -376,9 +376,9 @@ def summary(self, title: str, fields: dict[str, str]) -> None:
         # ``physx`` reaches the physics backend the same way ``rtx`` reaches the renderer
         (["physics=physx", "renderer=rtx"], "physx (ovphysx)", "rtx (ovrtx)", "none"),
         # a run that names no backend reports the ones the task pinned as defaults
-        ([], "default (isaacsim_physx)", "default (isaacsim_rtx)", "none"),
+        ([], "default (newton_mjwarp)", "default (newton_renderer)", "none"),
         # a domain preset has no row of its own
-        (["physics=physx", "presets=depth"], "physx (isaacsim_physx)", "default (isaacsim_rtx)", "depth"),
+        (["physics=physx", "presets=depth"], "physx (ovphysx)", "default (newton_renderer)", "depth"),
     ],
 )
 def test_run_summary_reports_the_backends_the_run_resolves_to(
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/changelog.d/default-newton-classic.minor.rst b/source/isaaclab_tasks/changelog.d/default-newton-classic.minor.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b0bf84b1aae3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/changelog.d/default-newton-classic.minor.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+Changed
+^^^^^^^
+
+* **Breaking:** Changed the Cartpole task family to use Newton MJWarp and the Newton renderer by default.
+  Pass explicit physics and renderer presets to retain an Isaac Sim PhysX configuration.
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_camera_env_cfg.py b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_camera_env_cfg.py
index 3f3ed473d55f..45a0d84cf3fc 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_camera_env_cfg.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_camera_env_cfg.py
@@ -34,7 +34,9 @@ class BaseCartpoleTiledCameraCfg(CameraCfg):
         )
         width: int = 96
         height: int = 96
-        renderer_cfg: MultiBackendRendererCfg = MultiBackendRendererCfg(newton_renderer=NewtonWarpRendererCfg())
+        renderer_cfg: MultiBackendRendererCfg = MultiBackendRendererCfg(
+            default=NewtonWarpRendererCfg(), newton_renderer=NewtonWarpRendererCfg()
+        )
 
     default = BaseCartpoleTiledCameraCfg(data_types=["rgb"])
     depth = BaseCartpoleTiledCameraCfg(data_types=["depth"])
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_env_cfg.py b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_env_cfg.py
index 8206bb303958..855d27439175 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_env_cfg.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_direct_env_cfg.py
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ class CartpolePhysicsCfg(PresetCfg):
     isaacsim_physx: PhysxCfg = PhysxCfg()
     ovphysx: OvPhysxCfg = OvPhysxCfg()
     physx: PhysxAutoCfg = PhysxAutoCfg(isaacsim_physx=isaacsim_physx, ovphysx=ovphysx)
-    default = isaacsim_physx
     newton_mjwarp: NewtonCfg = NewtonCfg(
         solver_cfg=MJWarpSolverCfg(
             njmax=5,
@@ -51,6 +50,7 @@ class CartpolePhysicsCfg(PresetCfg):
         debug_mode=False,
         use_cuda_graph=True,
     )
+    default = newton_mjwarp
 
 
 @configclass
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_camera_env_cfg.py b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_camera_env_cfg.py
index fddcefc69c0d..825bd2570634 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_camera_env_cfg.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_camera_env_cfg.py
@@ -46,7 +46,9 @@ class BaseCartpoleTiledCameraCfg(CameraCfg):
         )
         width: int = 96
         height: int = 96
-        renderer_cfg: MultiBackendRendererCfg = MultiBackendRendererCfg(newton_renderer=NewtonWarpRendererCfg())
+        renderer_cfg: MultiBackendRendererCfg = MultiBackendRendererCfg(
+            default=NewtonWarpRendererCfg(), newton_renderer=NewtonWarpRendererCfg()
+        )
 
     default = BaseCartpoleTiledCameraCfg(data_types=["rgb"])
     depth = BaseCartpoleTiledCameraCfg(data_types=["depth"])
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_env_cfg.py b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_env_cfg.py
index c9570664c09d..17ea5e0f5ac6 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_env_cfg.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/isaaclab_tasks/core/cartpole/cartpole_manager_env_cfg.py
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ class CartpolePhysicsCfg(PresetCfg):
     isaacsim_physx: PhysxCfg = PhysxCfg()
     ovphysx: OvPhysxCfg = OvPhysxCfg()
     physx: PhysxAutoCfg = PhysxAutoCfg(isaacsim_physx=isaacsim_physx, ovphysx=ovphysx)
-    default: PhysxCfg = isaacsim_physx
     newton_mjwarp: NewtonCfg = NewtonCfg(
         solver_cfg=MJWarpSolverCfg(
             njmax=5,
@@ -56,6 +55,7 @@ class CartpolePhysicsCfg(PresetCfg):
         debug_mode=False,
         use_cuda_graph=True,
     )
+    default: NewtonCfg = newton_mjwarp
     newton_kamino: NewtonCfg = NewtonCfg(
         solver_cfg=KaminoPADMMSolverCfg(sparse_jacobian=True),
         debug_mode=False,
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_rendering_registered_tasks.py b/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_rendering_registered_tasks.py
index 9e32e8b57c1b..c8e3697ebbef 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_rendering_registered_tasks.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_rendering_registered_tasks.py
@@ -63,8 +63,8 @@ def _collect_camera_outputs(env: object) -> dict[str, dict[str, torch.Tensor]]:
 
 # Task IDs that expose camera/tiled_camera image observations; each is validated for non-blank
 # rendering. The max different pixels percentage is set based on the screen space taken up by the
-# env. The ``presets`` column selects a data-type variant on the consolidated cartpole camera task;
-# ``None`` uses the default.
+# env. These golden baselines validate Isaac Sim PhysX with Isaac RTX. The ``presets`` column
+# selects a data-type variant on the consolidated cartpole camera task; ``None`` uses its default.
 _RENDER_CORRECTNESS_TASK_IDS = [
     ("Isaac-Cartpole-Camera-Direct", None, "cartpole"),
     ("Isaac-Cartpole-Camera-Direct", "albedo", "cartpole"),
@@ -96,7 +96,10 @@ def test_rendering_registered_tasks(task_id: str, presets: str | None, env_name:
         from isaaclab_tasks.utils.parse_cfg import load_cfg_from_registry
 
         env_cfg = load_cfg_from_registry(task_id, "env_cfg_entry_point")
-        env_cfg = resolve_presets(env_cfg, {presets} if presets else frozenset())
+        selected_presets = {"isaacsim_physx", "isaacsim_rtx"}
+        if presets:
+            selected_presets.add(presets)
+        env_cfg = resolve_presets(env_cfg, selected_presets)
         env_cfg.sim.device = "cuda:0"
         env_cfg.scene.num_envs = 4
 
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_runtime_compatibility.py b/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_runtime_compatibility.py
index 902b9e1c3106..fce37d4d4c01 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_runtime_compatibility.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_runtime_compatibility.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 import sys
 
 import pytest
+from isaaclab_newton.physics import NewtonCfg
 from isaaclab_ov.physics import OvPhysxCfg
 from isaaclab_ov.renderers import OVRTXRendererCfg
 from isaaclab_physx.physics import PhysxCfg
@@ -199,13 +200,15 @@ def test_newton_plus_ovrtx_is_valid():
     validate_runtime_compatibility(env_cfg)
 
 
-def test_default_isaacsim_physx_plus_ovrtx_raises():
-    """The concrete default Isaac Sim PhysX backend is incompatible with OVRTX."""
+def test_default_newton_plus_ovrtx_is_valid():
+    """The default Newton backend supports the default OVRTX renderer."""
     env_cfg = _resolve_with_presets("ovrtx")
 
-    assert isinstance(env_cfg.sim.physics, PhysxCfg)
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="PhysxCfg"):
-        validate_runtime_compatibility(env_cfg)
+    assert isinstance(env_cfg.sim.physics, NewtonCfg)
+    config_scan = validate_runtime_compatibility(env_cfg)
+
+    assert isinstance(env_cfg.tiled_camera.renderer_cfg, OVRTXRendererCfg)
+    assert config_scan.needs_kit is False
 
 
 def test_explicit_auto_physx_plus_ovrtx_resolves_to_ovphysx():
@@ -270,19 +273,19 @@ def test_auto_physx_explicit_experience_resolves_to_isaac_sim_backends():
 
 
 def test_default_preset_is_valid():
-    """The default preset (PhysX + Isaac RTX) is supported."""
+    """The default preset (Newton + Newton renderer) is supported."""
     env_cfg = _resolve_with_presets("default")
     validate_runtime_compatibility(env_cfg)
 
 
-def test_rtx_with_default_physx_is_valid_and_resolves_to_isaac_sim_backends():
-    """The RTX selector follows the default concrete Isaac Sim PhysX backend."""
+def test_rtx_with_default_newton_is_valid_and_resolves_to_ovrtx():
+    """The RTX selector resolves to OVRTX with the default Newton backend."""
     env_cfg = _resolve_with_presets("rtx")
     config_scan = validate_runtime_compatibility(env_cfg)
 
-    assert isinstance(env_cfg.sim.physics, PhysxCfg)
-    assert isinstance(env_cfg.tiled_camera.renderer_cfg, IsaacRtxRendererCfg)
-    assert config_scan.needs_kit is True
+    assert isinstance(env_cfg.sim.physics, NewtonCfg)
+    assert isinstance(env_cfg.tiled_camera.renderer_cfg, OVRTXRendererCfg)
+    assert config_scan.needs_kit is False
 
 
 def test_renderer_selector_physx_rtx_is_valid_and_resolves_to_ovphysx_and_ovrtx():
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_video_recording.py b/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_video_recording.py
index e0a12d953a1c..c8ba164ffa6d 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_video_recording.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_tasks/test/core/test_video_recording.py
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ def _cartpole_cfg_newton(*, num_envs: int = 1):
 
 def _cartpole_camera_cfg_physx(*, num_envs: int = 1):
     from isaaclab_physx.physics import PhysxCfg
+    from isaaclab_physx.renderers import IsaacRtxRendererCfg
 
     from isaaclab_tasks.core.cartpole.cartpole_direct_camera_env_cfg import CartpoleCameraEnvCfg
 
@@ -107,6 +108,7 @@ def _cartpole_camera_cfg_physx(*, num_envs: int = 1):
     cfg = cfg.default
     cfg.scene.num_envs = num_envs
     cfg.sim.physics = PhysxCfg()
+    cfg.tiled_camera.renderer_cfg = IsaacRtxRendererCfg()
     return cfg
 
 
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_visualizers/changelog.d/default-newton-classic.skip b/source/isaaclab_visualizers/changelog.d/default-newton-classic.skip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e69de29bb2d1
diff --git a/source/isaaclab_visualizers/test/visualizer_integration_utils.py b/source/isaaclab_visualizers/test/visualizer_integration_utils.py
index 2b4a46c6c587..8a2dbc23e7da 100644
--- a/source/isaaclab_visualizers/test/visualizer_integration_utils.py
+++ b/source/isaaclab_visualizers/test/visualizer_integration_utils.py
@@ -1860,6 +1860,7 @@ def _make_cartpole_camera_env(
         env_cfg.observation_space = [th, tw, env_cfg.observation_space[2]]
     env_cfg.seed = None
     env_cfg.sim.physics, _ = _get_physics_cfg(backend_kind)
+    env_cfg.tiled_camera.default.renderer_cfg = env_cfg.tiled_camera.default.renderer_cfg.isaacsim_rtx
     visualizer_kinds = (visualizer_kind,) if isinstance(visualizer_kind, str) else tuple(visualizer_kind)
     visualizer_cfgs = [_get_visualizer_cfg(kind, tiled_camera=tiled_camera)[0] for kind in visualizer_kinds]
     env_cfg.sim.visualizer_cfgs = visualizer_cfgs[0] if len(visualizer_cfgs) == 1 else visualizer_cfgs