After a tentative announcement in 2020 about the next-gen upgrade of Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red finally delivered a date for fans, December 14. The developer did a live stream sharing many of the new features.
The upgrade will bring ray tracing to both consoles and PCs in new native versions of the game. Other pristine graphics technologies include ambient occlusion, dynamic resolution, and, on PC, support for FSR and DLSS upscaling techniques, which can improve the frame rate. Some Mods will also be integrated into the console versions, previously only available to PC.
The game will also get a “photo mode” to take better photos, which is a great addition since Witcher 3 is a gorgeous game (and will now look even better with the graphical improvements). Other quality-of-life improvements include a “quick-cast” mode for signs so you don’t have to open the radial menu every time and a map filter to remove unwanted question marks.
On consoles, there will be the now traditional performance and quality modes. Performance guarantees 60 frames per second while Quality runs at 30 fps and bears the notorious ray tracing, except on Xbox Series S.
Even in Performance mode, The Witcher 3 will look significantly better than previous PS4 and Xbox One versions, similar to Ultra settings on PC. Keyboard and mouse players must boast a beast-shaped CPU to fully enjoy the new Ultra Plus option.
Characters, monsters, and environments have all been updated, with reworked grass and foliage, more detailed models, higher resolution textures, and more. Additionally, The Witcher 3 next-gen upgrade will bring all the DLC alongside the base game and extra content inspired by the Netflix show.
CD Project RED said a detailed list of all the changes will be posted once we’re closer to the release. While we venture for hundreds more hours tackling the Wild Hunt, CD Projekt RED is also working on the remake of the first Witcher game.
You can also see the trailer for the next-gen update here:
Murillo loves three things: RPG games, fantasy books, and Henry Cavill. So it doesn’t come as a surprise why he immersed himself in the Witcher universe. After bulldozing the novels and getting a platinum trophy in the Witcher 3, he eagerly awaits the next game installment to further expand the saga.