‘The Witcher 3’ Next-Gen Launch-Time, Patch Notes, And Everything New And Improved In The Game

The big day has finally arrived. The Witcher 3’s massive next-gen update, which brings the 2015 fantasy RPG into the modern console and PC generation, goes live on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC today.

The update goes live at different times depending on where you live and what version you’re playing on. It’s free for anyone who already owns a copy of the game on that platform.

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update Launch Time

The big update goes live on Tuesday, December 13th at 4pm PT / 7pm ET if you’re on PC or Xbox Series X|S. If you’re on PlayStation 5 the update goes live at midnight local time on December 14th.

A Graphics Comparison

The upgraded graphics don’t come through quite as much as I’d hoped in the below video, but there’s a definite improvement and for owners of the game it’s a major free improvement (unlike Rockstar or Bethesda endlessly nickel-and-diming gamers for slight enhancements to GTAV and Skyrim!) so I’m happy with that. Some areas in this video show off the graphical upgrade more than others. We won’t have a real sense of how much of a difference it all makes until we can play it ourselves.

What’s New In The Next-Gen Update?

The next-gen update improves the game’s graphics in truly impressive ways, but the update isn’t limited to graphics. It also adds new side-quests and a host of other options to CD Projekt RED’s masterpiece.

There are also tie-ins to the Netflix series—you can change Dandelion’s appearance to match Jaskier’s from the show, for instance, or make the Nilfgaardian armor look like the series’ version (though I’m not sure why you’d want to). The In The Eternal Fire’s Shadow quest, which takes place in Velen, is also inspired by the TV show.

Quality of Life improvements include a Quick Sign Casting option, an improved map filter that allows you to hide stuff like the ubiquitous question marks and an adjustment to fall damage that makes it blessedly less lethal. Thank the gods.

Many of the changes are actually plucked from popular mods, including the Full Combat Rebalance 3 mod by Flash_in_the_flesh that makes combat much more satisfying. Upgraded 4K textures, high-resolution character models, better cut-scenes and much more—including secret upgrades and changes that the community will have to find out on their own—all come in the massive update. Read the full patch notes below for more.

Full Patch Notes

PC and Next-Gen Exclusives

• Added ray traced global illumination and ambient occlusion.
• Additionally, PC players with compatible hardware have an additional option to turn on ray traced reflections and shadows.
• Added various mods and mod-inspired content to the game to improve visuals and overall game quality. We’ve included some community-made favorites in addition to our own modifications in areas such as environment and cutscene improvements, realistic pavements, and many decoration upgrades.
• Community-made and community-inspired mods include:

• The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project by HalkHogan

• HD Monsters Reworked by Denroth

• Immersive Real-time Cutscenes by teiji25

• Nitpicker’s Patch by chuckcash

• World Map Fixes by Terg500

• Upscaled texture to 4K for various characters, including Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, Ciri, Eredin and more.
• All main characters, including Geralt, now cast high-resolution self-shadowing even outside cutscenes. Additionally, hair clipping through armor as well as some other armor-clipping issues have been fixed.
• Environmental improvements:

• Added a new weather type – “Gray Sky”

• Updated sky textures

• Vegetation and water improvements

• Various mesh improvements

• Improved some select VFX

• Updated global environmental lighting

• Added AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR) 2.1
• Added photo mode, allowing players to take stunning pictures within the world of The Witcher 3.
• Added the option to pause the game during cutscenes.
• Added an alternative camera option that’s closer to the player’s character and that reacts more dynamically to combat and movement. You can find this new setting in Options → Gameplay under Exploration, Combat, and Horseback Camera Distance.

PC-Specific

• Added “ULTRA+” graphical settings on PC, which significantly increases the visual fidelity of the game. The graphical settings available on ULTRA+ affect:

• Number of background characters

• Shadow quality

• Grass density

• Texture quality

• Foliage visibility range

• Terrain quality

• Water quality

• Detail level

• Added DLSS 3 support. Available only on compatible hardware.

Next-Gen Console-Specific

• Improved the overall quality of graphics on next-gen consoles. Including enhanced textures, improved fidelity, shadow quality, greater draw distances and crowd density.
• Ray Tracing Mode — provides ray-traced global illumination and ambient occlusion with dynamic resolution scaling targeting 30 FPS for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
• Performance Mode — ensures smoother gameplay targeting 60 FPS with dynamic resolution scaling for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
• The Xbox Series S version has no ray-tracing features. Quality Mode provides increased resolution and better image fidelity targeting 30 FPS, whereas Performance Mode targets 60 FPS and prioritizes smoother gameplay over visual quality.
• Implemented the use of adaptive triggers and haptic feedback on PS5 DualSense controllers.
• Added Activity Cards for PS5.

Online Features

• Added a cross-progression feature between platforms. Your latest saves will be automatically uploaded to the cloud so you can easily pick up where you left off on other platforms. Cross-progression provides the latest save for every save type. This feature becomes available after you log into your account.
• By signing up to MY REWARDS in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, players can receive:

• Swords of the Nine-Tailed Vixen

• White Tiger of the West Armor

• Dol Blathanna Armor Set

• Roach Card

Detailed information on how to redeem the rewards will be available from Dec 14th, 1 AM CET at thewitcher.com/my-rewards.

Additional Content

• Added a new side quest, In The Eternal Fire’s Shadow, in Velen. Rewards are inspired by Neftlix’s The Witcher series.
• Added an alternative appearance for Dandelion inspired by Netflix’s The Witcher series. You can enable it in Options → Gameplay.
• Added an alternative Nilfgaardian Armor set inspired by Netflix’s The Witcher series. You can enable it in Options → Gameplay.
• Added Chinese and Korean voice-over. Availability on consoles varies by region.
• Various improvements and changes to Russian voice-over, including fixes for accelerated / slowed lines in the vast majority of scenes.

Quality of Life Changes

• Added a Quick Sign Casting option. It allows signs to be switched and cast without opening the radial menu. You can find it in Options → Gameplay.
• Added a new default map filter. The new filter hides some icons such as “?” and boat icons in order to reduce icon clutter on the map. These icons can be turned back on with the “All” map mode toggle.
• Adjusted the minimum height for fall damage, allowing the player to survive falls from higher heights.
• Herbs can now be instantly looted with a single interaction – without the additional loot window.
• Added options that dynamically hide the minimap and quest objectives when not in combat or using Witcher senses. You can find it in Options → Video → HUD Configuration → Hide minimap during Exploration and Hide objectives during Exploration.
• Added the option to slow walk when playing with a controller. You can now slow walk by lightly pushing the left stick forward.
• Added an alternative sprint mode option when playing with a controller. It’s activated by tapping the left stick. You can find it in Options → Control Settings.
• Added an option to make target-lock unnaffected by camera inversion. You can find it in Options → Control Settings.
• Improved the radial menu so bombs, bolts and pocket items can now be switched dynamically without opening the inventory.
• Added the option to scale the font size for subtitles, NPC chatter and dialogue choices. You can find it in Options → Video → HUD Configuration.
• Added various other small fixes, tweaks, and quality of life changes, including a few secrets to be discovered by players.

Gameplay

• Added the mod Full Combat Rebalance 3 by Flash_in_the_flesh which includes balance changes and various fixes to gameplay. We took a curated approach to this mod, with some elements further tweaked from what you’ll find in the mod by default, while other elements were omitted.
• Scavenger Hunt: Wolf School Gear – Fixed an issue where the chest at the Signal Tower couldn’t be opened.
• From Ofier’s Distant Shores – Fixed an issue where the diagram in the chest at the bandit’s hideout could be missing.
• Hard Times – Fixed an issue where Geralt couldn’t talk or give the letter to the blacksmith.
• Swift as the Western Winds – Fixed an issue where the quest could sometimes fail despite winning the horse race.
• Echoes of the Past – Fixed an issue where, after defeating the Foglets, the quest could get stuck and it wouldn’t be possible to talk to Yennefer.
• Wine Wars – Fixed an issue where the quest couldn’t be completed if the player destroyed one of the required monster nests during exploration.
• Fixed an issue where clearing the Ruined Inn Abandoned Site situated on the southern shore of Ard Skellig was not possible in certain scenarios.
• Fixed an issue where the Grandmaster Wolven Set wouldn’t require Mastercrafted items.
• Various small fixes to quests and cutscenes.

Remember – these are just the highlights! There are lots of changes in this update, so check them out for yourself in the game!

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