It’s hard to say that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered felt unlikely. Many of us didn’t even know we wanted it until that shocking Gamescom Opening Night Live reveal. But here we are, and while much of the attention will be on the gameplay changes, including the new finishers, adaptive camera, revamped skill system, and whatnot, the visuals are another thing entirely.
After all, The Witcher 3 launched in 2015, and still holds up pretty well by today’s standards. But CD Projekt RED is aiming higher with the remaster, essentially making it so that you won’t want to go back to the original. How much of that will apply to the visuals, especially after the Next-Gen Update from 2022 brought the game up to a pretty strong standard? Let’s find out, but first, it’s important to ask…
How Much Further Can It Go?
Four years ago, the Next-Gen Update was all the rage for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and not just because it brought native Xbox Series X/S and PS5 support. It introduced ray-traced global illumination and ambient occlusion, and the PC version pushed it further with optional ray-traced reflections and shadows. Improvements abounded for vegetation, water and meshes; sky textures were updated and looked far more vibrant (barring the new “Grey Sky” weather type that lent a more fitting overcast atmosphere at times); and several character textures were upscaled to 4K, besides receiving high-resolution self-shadowing (albeit only in cutscenes). And that’s not even getting into the new Ultra+ setting on PC, which offered significant upgrades for details, terrain quality, foliage density – even the number of background characters.
However, a lot can change in four years. The Next-Gen Update leveraged FSR 2.1 and DLSS 3 at launch – by comparison, the remaster features DLSS 4.5, FSR 4, and XeSS 2.0 support alongside Ray Reconstruction. There’s also Path Tracing, a rework to global lighting, subsurface scattering – the list goes on. So while the Next-Gen Update is certainly a high bar, the remaster proves that there’s room to grow.
Lighting and Atmosphere
And that’s immediately noticeable through the lighting, especially in the flashback sequence in Kaer Morhen. It’s warmer than the Next-Gen Update, with softer shadows, and more natural-feeling illumination. GTAO shines spectacularly here, especially given the different types of objects and light sources in this scene. Of course, even if it’s a single light source in relative darkness, that warmth is all the more pronounced, illuminating Geralt’s model and the surrounding environment. I can see some preferring the harsher shadows in places with the Next-Gen Update, but the remaster is a notable step up without dramatically altering the mood of various scenes.
Ray-Traced Shadows and Reflections
Then there’s Path Tracing, perhaps the most stunning new addition. The Next-Gen Update’s implementation of ray tracing is pretty well-handled, but the remaster takes things to a whole new level. The clarity is more pronounced, even on surfaces which aren’t fully reflective, striking a balance between natural and more detailed. One particularly impressive detail is in Kaer Morhen, when Geralt steps out on the balcony, and it’s seamlessly reflected in the floor tiles. Let’s not forget about the shadows either, which appear to more naturally encompass objects, even in broad daylight.
Vegetation and World Density
That Kaer Morhen vista is more than just gorgeous skies and mountains, however – it’s also an exemplary showcase of vegetation in the world. As such, the amount of forestation is pretty significant in the Next-Gen Update, and while you’d need to compare them side by side to really grasp the remaster’s improvements, it certainly offers denser, richer landscapes. The comparison becomes starker when getting ready to venture through White Orchard after slaying the Necrophages. Distant foliage looks denser, but even the thinner trees and shrubbery nearby are fuller and more detailed, doubtless due to the rework to foliage shading.
Textures and Environmental Detail
While the texture work hasn’t massively changed (though several updates are noticeable), the lighting changes do a great job highlighting the details on armor, particularly the cracks and creases on Geralt’s chestplate and the worn-out leather. Even smaller objects like bread and cups reveal startling new details, though this can vary at times depending on the angle and shadows.
Draw Distance and Busy Scenes
With all this environmental detail in the remaster, you’d figure something has to give. The Witcher 3’s environments are dense, whether you’re gazing out at the landscape and seeing birds scatter over a treeline or traveling the Path and passing through fields and ruins. From that perspective, the draw distance certainly holds up, though there is some occasional pop-in when racing through at high speed. It’s noticeable at times, especially at longer ranges, but does little to disturb the overall composition, especially when admiring the picturesque landscape at a slower pace.
Character Models and Hair
All of the improvements certainly make characters stand out more, showing that the Next-Gen Update’s high-resolution textures still hold up. But the most notable new feature is Path Traced Hair. Have you ever wanted to see Geralt’s locks naturally shift around, or bounce realistically as he ventures through the land on horseback? Now’s your chance. It may sound like a joke, but the difference is palpable from the Next-Gen Update without feeling completely overdone, especially during regular conversations.
Weather, Water and Volumetric Effects
It’s readily apparent when viewing the mist at Kaer Morhen, but it feels more natural and alive, seamlessly sweeping over the landscape in the remaster, and looks superior to the Next-Gen Update. Of course, there are other things to consider, like the water and how it looks more realistic, especially with Path Tracing reflecting the nearby environment in staggering detail, even if its surface movement can appear more subtle at times. The weather can be as foreboding as ever, especially during thunderstorms, though once again, it may not be as shrouded in darkness due to the lighting changes.
Image Quality in Motion
It feels odd to say that this is the crispest that The Witcher 3 has ever looked, especially since the Next-Gen Update wasn’t particularly lacking in this regard. But it’s true. The combination of Path Tracing, lighting changes, subsurface scattering, and so on, alongside the previous high-resolution textures makes for gorgeous visuals that feel clean throughout, whether you’re stopping and admiring characters’ faces mid-conversation or engaged in combat and tumbling around, as Geralt is wont to do.
Visual Gains vs PC Performance
Our testing rig consists of an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, an Nvidia RTX 5080, and 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and even at 4K on RT Ultra with everything set to Ultra+ – not including Path Tracing and Ray Reconstruction – we managed between 70 and 100 FPS. This is with Dynamic Frame Generation and DLAA enabled, though there is sometimes a slight hitch when opening menus. Obviously, these are very heavy settings, but the performance cost feels worth it considering the fidelity.
Does It Feel Like a True Remaster?
Based on everything that CD Projekt RED has put together, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered feels like a proper remaster. Even with the Next-Gen Update putting in so much work when it comes to the textures on characters and environments, the addition of Path Tracing, the lighting overhaul, and much more makes it a clear leap. And with the low, low cost of “free,” at least for current owners, you can’t go wrong.
