The Witcher 3 next-gen update has been long awaited, but it finally got its long-awaited release date. Best of all? You will be able to play it soon.
The Witcher 3 next-gen update, tailored for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, was initially confirmed to arrive in Q4 2022, after the port was indefinitely delayed much earlier this year. Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait long to see Geralt of Rivia in the glory of a 4K console.
The Witcher 3 next-gen update will arrive on December 14, just in time for the holiday season. The standalone version titled The Witcher 3 – Complete Edition will launch on all modern platforms (except Nintendo Switch). What’s more, the update will be free for anyone who owns the game on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
The next-gen update will include visual improvements such as ray tracing and fast loading thanks to the console’s fast internal SSDs. New content inspired by the adaptation of The Witcher for Netflix is now available, as well as all previously released DLC, including both expansions.
Don’t have a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S? Fear not, because the owners of the previous generation are not left behind. CD Projekt RED has confirmed that the base versions of the game as well as the Nintendo Switch port will receive “numerous additions and improvements”.
Worth the wait?
The next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will arrive on December 14, free for anyone who already owns the game. For more info and gameplay reveals tune in to REDstreams next week at pic.twitter.com/fg3yfGeNihNovember 14, 2022
The Witcher 3 remains an excellent game seven years after its release, but so far console gamers haven’t had the most optimal experience. On PS4 and Xbox One, capping the frame rate to 30fps prevented the game from being as smooth as on PC.
The game’s huge open world also didn’t work well with last-gen systems. I remember doing everything in my power to keep fast travel to an absolute minimum, knowing it could result in painfully slow loading times.
That’s partly why I’m grateful for the improvements current-gen consoles have brought to the table. Let’s hope long loading times and nice frame rates should be a thing of the past.
But I’d especially like to see The Witcher 3’s approach to ray tracing. CD Projekt RED has experience with the technology, implementing it in Cyberpunk 2077. However, it’s certainly not perfect there, relegated to local light shadows to keep framerates relatively stable. The Witcher 3 is an older game, which means we’re hoping ray tracing won’t put too much of a strain on its performance when it arrives on current-gen systems.
