The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update Arrives December 14

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will receive a next-gen (now current-gen) upgrade next month. CD Projekt Red revealed in a tweet that the long-awaited improved edition of the game will be released on December 14 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. Support for ray tracing, shorter console load times, and a variety of mods “integrated into the experience” are among the notable additions. The Polish publisher has a dedicated REDstreams event scheduled on Twitch next week, which will feature the aforementioned advancements as well as some new content based on Netflix’s The Witcher series.

CD Projekt Red has kept its commitment to provide The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s free next-gen update in the fourth quarter, which will only be available digitally. A physical edition is planned for after the initial distribution phase, though no launch date has been set. The new version includes both The Witcher 3 expansion packs, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, as well as all previously published content and a new set of in-game objects inspired by Henry Cavill’s The Witcher trilogy. The show was recently renewed for a fourth season, but Cavill has stepped down, allowing Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games films) to take over.

The Witcher 3 next-generation versions were originally scheduled to release in 2021, but were delayed twice, with third-party company Saber Interactive in control of production in 2021. CD Projekt Red took over the effort midway, early this year, after evaluating the scope of the new edition, with reports guaranteeing that it was not locked in development hell.

As previously announced, the next-gen update will be available as a free download to current users of the game on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X, and will include “dozens” of performance and aesthetic improvements across the board. Those who are still playing on last-gen devices — PS4 and Xbox One — as well as the Nintendo Switch will receive an update with “many enhancements and improvements.”

Last month, CD Projekt Red also confirmed a remake of their first The Witcher game, which was released in 2007, and is being developed from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5 – the product of a long-term relationship with Epic Games. The title was first revealed in October as “Canis Majoris” at the company’s Group Strategy Update Stream, alongside three new entries to the franchise. The remake is being developed by the Polish studio Fool’s Theory, which includes veteran The Witcher series crew. As the dark fantasy realm expands over the next few years, CD Projekt Red will provide full creative oversight.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X on December 14. More information on the features will be disclosed next week during a live CD Projekt Red Twitch show.