Witcher 3 Next Gen Update Review

The Witcher 3 Introduction

Witcher 3 has been out and around for a very long time since its release back in 2015. And after all these years, the game still claims the number one spot for being this genre-defining RPG title developed by CD Projekt Red. But just when I thought Witcher 3 was finally reaching its tail-end, the developers released a next-gen update.

This update comes packed with some exciting new changes and upgrades to the already-epic RPG experience. It includes graphics overhaul, quality-of-life improvements, and some much-needed gameplay features. But the best part is, it’s all available for free if you happen to own the game already.

With that said, let’s start digging a little deeper into this Next-Gen Witcher 3 update and find out if it’s really worth the hype.

Graphics 

As soon as you boot up Witcher 3 on your next-gen consoles, the first thing that you will notice is the graphics, and quite rightly so. CD Projekt Red has reworked most of the visual art used inside the game, that includes higher texture resolution, more detailed foliage, improved character models, better weather details, and so on.

You can see a big difference between the original Witcher 3 and its next-gen update. These improvements have also helped eliminate some of the game’s subtle yet annoying mesh clippings. But it doesn’t stop there. Console players get an awesome “Quality Mode” that allows them to use the next-gen ray-tracing features, including ambient occlusion, global illumination, dynamic resolution upscaling, and so much more.

With everything maxed out, CD Project Red claims to achieve a consistent 30 FPS rate with ray tracing on. But suppose you are more of a performance-over-looks kind of guy like me. In that case, you could instead go with the “Performance Mode” that still lets you keep the graphics quality of your game while taking out some of the prominent features of next-gen updates such as ray-tracing for a consistent 60 frames per second rate, a decent trade-off, I’d say.

Read our original coverage of the Next Gen Upgrade

And if we talk about PC, the Next-Gen update has some platform-specific graphical improvements that PC players can play around with. You can find these all-new “Ultra+” graphics settings on your PC, which will significantly increase the visual quality of your game. This includes smoother shadows, thicker vegetation, better terrain quality, enhanced background objects, increased view distance, and much more.

However, the pc version of the game doesn’t seem to be performing as well as expected, with many players complaining about inconsistent frame rates, even with some of the best graphics cards on the market. But then again, I won’t complain too much since it’s all free and a matter of choice.

Improvements and Enhancements

While the next-gen update has paid a lot of attention to giving Witcher 3 a fresh coat of paint, it has also made some subtle yet much-needed quality-of-life improvements to the game. These changes include enhanced combat from the Full Combat Rebalance 3 mod, better cutscenes inspired by Immersive Real-time Cutscenes, and other minor world map fixes.

The developers have gone out of their way to include the fan-favorite community mods that improve the game. There’s a new Gray Sky weather type, a cool photo mode, improved visual effects, cross-progression between different platforms, and even the ability to pause the game during the cutscenes (I didn’t see that coming). 

Read our original review of The Witcher 3.

One of the minor improvements I’ve come to appreciate during my time with the update is the new Quick Sign Casting option. It’s a much-needed option that saves you the trouble of opening the radial window to change the signs. Instead, you get to access these side buttons that let you change between signs instantly without taking your focus away from the combat. 

And while we are still on the topic of combat, there’s another thing I’d like to mention here: alternate camera options. You can now choose between the standard and close-up camera perspectives for a more cinematic combat experience. However, it’s not limited to combat. You can change it for when Geralt is riding a horse or sailing on a boat. So, there are quite a lot of changes happening in the fantasy realm of Witcher 3.

Additional Content

Besides all these improvements, Witcher 3’s Next-Gen update also includes added Netflix series-inspired content for the players to enjoy. It includes a new quest called “In The Eternal Fire’s Shadow” in Velen, an alternate appearance for Dandelion to match Jaskier’s look from the series, and the ability to change Nilfgaardian Armor to look like the one in the series as well.

There are many other minor additions made to the game that includes a map filter to hide some of the less-needed icons from the map, a slow walk, and an alternative sprint mode to help get better character controls when navigating with a controller, quick loot options to save time when looting herbs and many more.  

Is Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update Worth The Hype?

The Next-Gen update for Witcher 3 comes jam-packed with a ton of exciting improvements and additions that not only gives Witcher 3 a look to adore but also make the gameplay experience much smoother for both PC and Console players alike. Unlike many other big franchises, CD Projekt Red hasn’t released this new update to milk money out of their fans but to genuinely improve the quality of the game that millions of RPG fans have grown to love so much.

And while the update does have its fair share of issues, including inconsistent framerates on some devices and frequent stutters in others when in ray-tracing mode, the pros outweigh the cons.

If you ask me if the 4.0 update is worth the hype, I’d say it is. And if you haven’t tried it yet, you should do so, as this is just a general overview of all the fantastic things that have become part of the Witcher 3.