CD Projekt Red released the much-awaited next-gen update for The Witcher 3 on December 14, adding a bunch of new features to the game. Witcher 3 players on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC were treated to new technical improvements, new in-game content, and new online features with this update.
Since The Witcher 3’s next-gen update was announced, CDPR delayed its release twice. It was supposed to release in late 2021 but was delayed to Q2 of 2022, and from there it was delayed again to Q4 of 2022.
#TheWitcher3NextGen Update is now available on @GOGcom, @Steam, @EpicGames and @Xbox, and is being rolled out on @PlayStation. 🥳
Have fun on the Path! 🐎 pic.twitter.com/WYxncwqOWc
— The Witcher (@witchergame) December 14, 2022
It was reported that this update will bring visual improvements on next-gen consoles and players can also expect RTX capabilities. Last year, a popular Witcher 3 modder said he was in talks with CDPR to add popular mods to the game with this update. Players now have access to different community-made mods like The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project by HalkHogan, HD Monsters Reworked by Denroth, Immersive Real-time Cutscenes by teiji25, Nitpicker’s Patch by chuckcash, and World Map Fixes by Terg500.
Here are other features added to The Witcher 3 with the next-gen update
This update has brought upscaled texture to 4K for various characters, including Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri, and more. All main characters, including Geralt, now cast high-resolution self-shadowing even outside cutscenes. Additionally, the devs have fixed hair-clipping through armor as well as some other armor-clipping issues. Environmental improvements include “Gray Sky”, Updated sky textures, Vegetation and water improvements, updated global environmental lighting, and more.
Moreover, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 2.1, a new photo mode, an option to pause the game during cutscenes, and an alternative camera option that’s closer to the player’s character have been added. New “ULTRA+” graphical settings on PC, which significantly increase the visual fidelity of the game have also been added. The graphical settings available on ULTRA+ affect the number of background characters, shadow quality, grass density, texture quality, and more. DLSS 3 support is also available on compatible hardware.
This update brings cross-progression and new rewards like Swords of the Nine-Tailed Vixen, White Tiger of the West Armor, Dol Blathanna Armor Set, and Roach Card for online players.
There are a whole bunch of quality-of-life improvements and gameplay changes made to The Witcher 3 with this update. You can read them all here.
