It will allow players to make “completely new” in-game experiences or edit “existing quests and content.” The plan is to release it in 2024 for free, with more details coming next year. Unfortunately, it’s for PC only and won’t launch on consoles.

Regardless, it sounds like a dream come true for fans, with potential new quests, new characters and even new bosses (if not stronger versions of the current ones). Changing the base game beyond what current mods can do may also be possible. Time will tell, though, so stay tuned for further details in 2024.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. Check out our review of the Complete Edition on PS5, which adds 4K support, a new quest based on Netflix’s The Witcher and much more.

We're thrilled to announce that we're working on a mod editor for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt! ⚔️

It will allow you to create your own experiences in the game by making something completely new or editing existing quests and content. We’re planning on releasing it for free in 2024.… pic.twitter.com/e2kvXRqegZ

— The Witcher (@witchergame) November 15, 2023

PC only.

— The Witcher (@witchergame) November 15, 2023

However, more importantly, it adds all the new features to the Switch version, bringing it up to par with the others. These include cross-progression, which replaces the old save file system, and a new side quest based on Netflix’s The Witcher. Players can also change Geralt’s Niflgaardian Armor and Dandelion’s appearance to match the TV show.

Quality of life features like Quick Sign Casting, an alternative sprinting mode, font size scaling for subtitles and dialogue, and more have also been added. Check out the patch notes below for more details. You can also read our review for the PS5 version to learn about all the new features and improvements.

Patch 4.04

PC-SPECIFIC

• Fixed an issue where GOG achievements for the Complete Edition would unlock for the base version instead.
• Frames allowed by the “Maximum Frames Per Second” setting will now be counted properly when DLSS Frame Generation is enabled.
• Fixed some instances where characters’ hair could look too bright when Ray Tracing was enabled.
• Bald Mountain – Fixed a crash that occurred when Ray Tracing was enabled and all the other Ray Tracing options were off.
• The Beast of White Orchard – Fixed an issue where loading a certain checkpoint save could cause the game to freeze if Ray Tracing was enabled.
• Fixed an issue where the game would start without REDlauncher and open a browser tab request for permission to “Use Cyberpunk 2077 with your Epic Games Account”.
• Fixed an issue where input from a gamepad could still work while having the game in a suspended state.
• Fixed an issue where a second cursor with high sensitivity would appear in the Main Menu when “Hardware Cursor” was set to “Off”.

CONSOLE-SPECIFIC

• Fixed an issue where certain hairstyles from the “Beard and Hairstyle Set” DLC would clip through the Nilfgaardian helmet on previous-gen consoles.
• Fixed an issue with flickering textures that occurred during Gwent matches on next-gen consoles.
• A Towerful of Mice – Fixed an issue on previous-gen consoles where the conversation with Keira would sometimes not trigger after the fight with the pesta.
• Cabaret – Fixed some visual issues with Dandelion’s model before and during the staged fight on previous-gen consoles.
• The Last Wish and Wandering in the Dark – Fixed an issue where the game could crash on PlayStation 5 during these quests.
• Improved stability during or after loading a save file after playing in Ray Tracing mode for prolonged periods of time.
• Fixed an issue where the Cross Progression setting does not update the interface of the Cloud Saves status correctly on Xbox Series X.

VISUAL – PC and Next-Gen Exclusive

• Fixed an issue where fog could look as if it were 2D in some places.
• Fixed an issue where the sky’s reflection on the water with Ray Tracing enabled was partially missing at specific locations in White Orchard, Velen and Toussaint.
• Grass collision now works properly.
• Added an HDR calibration option.
• Fixed an issue where the mountains in Kaer Morhen could disappear when changing the camera angle while Geralt is under water.
• Get Junior – Removed an unnecessary body of water from Oxenfurt sewers.
• Fixed an issue where the loading screen would stutter while having Ray Tracing enabled.

QUESTS & GAMEPLAY

• Added an option to switch potions and apply oils from the radial menu.
• Fixed an issue where Geralt’s health rapidly depleted when diving.
• The Final Trial – Fixed an issue where leaving the area and coming back could cause Lambert to stand in the water instead of sitting in the boat, blocking progress.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Addressed some issues with loading saves when using the Cross Progression feature on multiple machines with the same GOG account.

ONLINE FEATURES — NINTENDO SWITCH

Added a cross-progression feature between platforms which replaces the previous save file integration introduced in patch 3.6 for the Nintendo Switch. 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. Please note that it requires a GOG account regardless of your platform.

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

ADDITIONAL CONTENT — NINTENDO SWITCH

• 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-overs. Availability varies by region and version.

QUALITY OF LIFE CHANGES — NINTENDO SWITCH

• 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.
• 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.
• Added an option to switch potions and apply oils from the radial menu.
• Added an option to auto-apply oils in combat.
• New default map filter. The new default filter hides some icons such as “?” and boat icons in order to reduce the icon flood. These icons can be turned back on with the “All” map mode toggle.

As for patch 4.03’s changes, it fixes the popping of ray-traced shadows on vegetation. The black shadows appearing on object edges when continually enabling and disabling ray-traced reflections and shadows are also gone. Support for Intel Xe Super Sampling is available, and ray-traced reflections and global illumination have improved performance.

Sergeanur’s Next Gen Script Fixes mod is also added for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5, and there’s a new option to auto-apply oils. Also, no more eating or drinking underwater unless consuming potions and decoctions. Check out the full patch notes below and stay tuned for more updates.

Patch 4.03 — list of changes

PC-SPECIFIC

• Fixed an issue with ray-traced vegetation shadows “popping”, depending on Geralt’s proximity and angle.
• Fixed an issue where repeatedly disabling and enabling ray-traced reflections and shadows could cause black shadows to appear at the edge of objects.
• Addressed the issue where the DirectX 11 version of the game could crash on launch or after loading a save on certain AMD GPUs.
• Added support for Intel Xe Super Sampling, an upscaling technology that uses machine learning to improve performance and image quality.
• Fixed some lighting issues with Screen Space Reflections when ray-traced global illumination is off.
• Performance improvements to ray-traced global illumination and ray-traced reflections.
• Fixed an issue where purple splashes could appear on the screen when riding Roach through puddles of water.

CONSOLE-SPECIFIC

• The Cross Progression pop-up will now properly display which account is logged in.
• Fixed an issue where dark stripes or shadows appeared on Geralt in the inventory screen when Performance Mode was enabled on PlayStation 5.
• Fixed an issue where the game could briefly freeze or stutter when autosaving on next-gen consoles.
• Addressed the issue of performance drops on next-gen consoles while using Witcher Senses in Beauclair and Novigrad.

VISUAL – PC and Next-Gen Exclusive

• Fixed an issue where a grid of light spots could appear on the ground and walls in certain weather conditions with Ray Tracing enabled.
• Spider webs will no longer change color when moving the camera with Ray Tracing enabled.
• Fixed an issue where some textures on characters during cutscenes would appear as not fully rendered.
• Through Time and Space – Fixed an issue where the mist in the Poisoned Valley was pink instead of white.

QUESTS & GAMEPLAY – PC and Next-Gen Exclusives

• Added the community-made mod Next Gen Script Fixes by Sergeanur.

QUESTS & GAMEPLAY – Available on all platforms

• In the Eternal Fire’s Shadow – The ambient music from the quest will no longer continue playing after completion. For players who have already experienced this issue, it may be necessary to enter the Novigrad or Oxenfurt sewers again to resolve it.
• Added an option to auto-apply oils in combat.
• With the exception of potions and decoctions, it’s now impossible for Geralt to eat or drink underwater. While the team agreed it might be possible to drink liquids from a corked flask, consuming pints of ale or grilled meats underwater is too much of a stretch.

Please note: these are only the most notable changes. The patch contains other minor fixes that didn’t make it into this list.

Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players should see improvements to Performance Mode. While Xbox Series X has seen a fix for memory usage in Ray Tracing Mode that caused crashes, PS5 players should no longer have characters turning blurry in the middle of dialogues and cutscenes. Xbox One and PS4 players should also have two “top-notch swords” added that were previously missing.

PC and current-gen consoles get a motion blur slider, along with refraction for screen space and ray-traced reflections to improve the water. Check out the full patch notes below for more details. You can also read our review for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS5 here.

Patch 4.02 — list of changes

PC-SPECIFIC

• Improved CPU core utilization in the DX 12 version.
• Restored horizon-based ambient occlusion. Players who had previously turned Ambient Occlusion off will need to do so again. You can find it in Options → Video → Graphics.
• Fixed an issue where the “My Rewards” section was not localized in REDlauncher.
• Fixed an issue with a flickering landscape in Toussaint that occurred when NVIDIA HairWorks was disabled.
• Fixed an issue related to particle optimization which could result in temporary stuttering.

CONSOLE-SPECIFIC

• Improved Performance Mode on next-gen consoles.
• Fixed an issue where characters could become slightly blurry during dialogues and cutscenes on PlayStation 5.
• Fixed an issue related to memory usage in Ray Tracing Mode which could result in crashes on Xbox Series X.
• Whatsoever a Man Soweth… – The game will no longer crash if Geralt runs away from Shani after starting the conversation on next-gen consoles.
• Fixed an issue where quicksaves couldn’t be loaded when using cross progression on Xbox One.
• Added two missing “Top notch swords!” on previous-gen consoles.
• Fixed an issue with overwriting manual saves where in some circumstances the oldest gamesave was deleted on PlayStation 5.
• Addressed performance issues in Beauclair and Novigrad that occurred after loading a gamesave.

VISUAL – PC and Next-Gen Exclusive

• Improved immersion of water appearance by adding refraction to SSR and ray-traced reflections.
• Fixed a visual issue with brick textures where black artifacts covered stone arches.
• Added a Motion Blur slider. It can be found in Options → Video → Graphics.

QUESTS & GAMEPLAY – Available on all platforms

• Battle Preparations – Fixed the lack of a dialogue option that would progress the quest during the objective “Let Avallac’h know everything’s ready.”
• Reason of State – Fixed an issue where the door to the warehouse could become permanently locked if the player knocked, entered and then immediately left the building.
• Scavenger Hunt: Cat School Gear Upgrade Diagrams Part 1 – Fixed an issue where the quest could stay active even after the diagrams were looted.
• Fixed an issue where trying to start a New Game+ on an incompatible save would block the player from starting the expansions in standalone mode until the game was restarted.

LOCALIZATION – Available on all platforms

• Fixed an issue with the Korean localization of Ciri’s and Geralt’s Gwent card descriptions.
• Fixed punctuation issues in Arabic localization.
• Updated Traditional Chinese font.

Please note: these are only the most notable changes. The patch contains other minor fixes that didn’t make it onto this list.

Though the physical version will appeal to collectors, first-time players will enjoy several new features courtesy of the Next-Gen Update. It adds 4K and 60 FPS options and various improvements to the foliage, draw distance and overall detail. This is in addition to ray-traced global illumination and ambient occlusion.

Various quality-of-life changes and features have also been added, including Photo Mode, mods, Quick Cast for Signs, a dynamic mini-map, a new camera angle that makes the game resemble the initial reveal trailer, and more. There’s even a new quest and armor from Netflix’s The Witcher series. Check out the full patch notes here.

For more details on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for current-gen consoles, check out our review of the PS5 version here.

CD Projekt RED has provided a statement to Insider Gaming, confirming that the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 physical versions would release in late January.

“CD PROJEKT RED is planning a physical release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition for late January 2023. It will be available both for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The box will include a disc containing the base game and the Hearts of Stone & Blood and Wine expansions.

“All official DLCs and upgrades released during the last seven years by CD PROJEKT RED will also be part of this set – including the free next-gen update, featuring dozens of visual, performance, and technical enhancements (including ray tracing support, faster loading times on consoles, a variety of mods integrated into the experience, and much more). The box will contain only the aforementioned disc.”

As for the price, the developer noted that it would be determined by each territory’s retailers. We’ll have to wait for more details, so stay tuned in the coming weeks.

For more details on the Next-Gen Update, check out our review of the PS5 version here. The PC version has faced its share of issues since the update was released, with CD Projekt RED releasing hotfixes for stability, performance and Photo Mode issues.

The developer released a hotfix earlier this week to address these issues. However, another hotfix is available on PC and offers even more fixes. Along with improving stability further, it also fixes issues with Photo Mode, Arabic language support, and a bug that caused toxicity to remain at max level. There have also been improvements to Steam Deck performance.

Expect more updates in the future, most likely after the holidays. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available for Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Check out our review of the PS5 version here.

We’ve released another hotfix for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PC. It further improves the overall stability and introduces fixes to photo mode, Arabic language in the game, toxicity bug, Steam Deck and more. The game version won’t change. pic.twitter.com/Cz8NHE9jfs

— The Witcher (@witchergame) December 22, 2022

CD Projekt RED has been investigating the same and launched a hotfix for the game on PC, which should improve stability and performance. The overlays for GOG and Steam should also be fixed. An issue preventing Origin users from downloading the update has also been resolved, and it should now be available.

The developer is working on “further improving” the experience for all platforms, so stay tuned for more updates. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s update is available for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It’s launching for Nintendo Switch later. For more details on how the acclaimed RPG fares on current-gen consoles, check out our review.

We’ve just released a hotfix for The Witcher 3 on PC, which should improve the overall stability and performance, and fix GOG & Steam overlays. The game version won’t change.

Our teams are working on further improving the experience on all platforms. pic.twitter.com/YHEjbfpgvG

— The Witcher (@witchergame) December 19, 2022

At the same time, the next-gen update has been released for the Origin version of the game.

— The Witcher (@witchergame) December 19, 2022

The developer has responded to the issues on Twitter. “We are aware of the issues PC players have been reporting since last night’s release of the update. We are actively investigating all of the reports and will be providing an update on particular issues as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!”

One Reddit user said Cyberpunk 2077, a more recent title from CD Projekt RED, is running much better than The Witcher 3’s Next-Gen Update on PC while also looking better. It also doesn’t seem that DLSS is helping with performance at all. While updates have been made to the lighting, textures, foliage, skyboxes and much more, some bugs may be causing performance issues.

Stay tuned for more details in the meantime. On the bright side, the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions seem to be running fine without many issues.

We are aware of the issues PC players have been reporting since last night's release of the update. We are actively investigating all of the reports and will be providing an update on particular issues as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!

— The Witcher (@witchergame) December 14, 2022

Almost all of Update 4.0’s features are also available for PC, while Xbox One and PS4 gain access to improvements and the new quest. The QoL improvements include an alternate camera angle that resembles the initial gameplay reveal trailer, a dynamic mini-map, Quick Cast for Signs, various mods, and much more. New armor based on Netflix’s The Witcher and an alternate appearance for Dandelion has also been added.

For more details on the Next-Gen Update, check the patch notes here. You can also read about other features and improvements here. Nintendo Switch players will receive the update later, so stay tuned for more details.