In 2015; The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, after the successful Nintendo release in the past years; It will appear with the next generation version, which will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
CD Projekt, which entered a very intense process with Cyberpunk 2077, seems to be able to turn its attention back to the Witcher universe. Besides some innovations; Saying that there will be free DLC packs, the company is determined to carry Geralt’s epic adventure to the next generation.
All we know about the Witcher 3 next-gen update:
A little summary: What is the next-gen update?
Towards the end of 2020, with the introduction of new generation consoles into our lives, ‘Next generation update’, a word we started to hear frequently, is a term mostly used for previously released games. The best example of this cycle we mentioned will be from Rockstar Games, which has managed to adapt a single game for three generations.
Of course, GTA V itself! The game, which first appeared with PlayStation 3; It was later optimized for PlayStation 4 and later for PlayStation 5. Well; The performance of the game has been specially optimized according to the power of the current console and the technologies it supports.
What kind of innovations await us?
One of CD Projekt Red’s most ambitious issues is the visual improvements that will come to Witcher 3. The company, which has announced that the ‘Ray Tracing’ technology will also be included in the game, seems to be determined to make the evenings of Novigrad illuminated by the flames of the Eternal Fire Church even more beautiful. In addition, the company, which is thought to be working closely with the mod community, which is an important part of The Witcher 3, may be trying to officially adapt one of the most popular visual improvement mods. Thus, we will be able to encounter much more advanced textures.
While the game is thought to be 4K 30 FPS with ‘Ray Tracing’ on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, it is also mentioned that there may be a 4K 60 FPS performance mode with the option without ray tracing. In addition, with the transition to the SSD side with the new generation consoles, we will be able to see much faster load times. The Cyberpunk 2077 new generation update, which was released in the past months, also brought DualSense support. This strengthens the rumors that the next generation version of Witcher 3 may also have DualSense support.
What kind of DLC pack will we see?
Announcing its collaboration with Netflix’s Witcher series in the past months, CD Projekt announced that the Witcher 3 next generation update will also include new free DLCs. Announcing that these free DLCs will be released not only to the new generation, but also to all platforms that the game currently supports, the company gave the good news to Witcher fans.
Although these DLCs will not be a story expansion like “Hearts of Stone”, the cosmetics for the Netflix series; that is, it may appear as content in the style of armor set. Who knows, maybe we can even play as Henry Cavill.
Which platforms will the update be released on?
The next generation update of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, under the name ‘Complete Edition’; Announced for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Well; It is worth noting that the visual improvements we mentioned, ray tracing, higher performance and much faster loading times will only be available on these platforms.
It is possible to say the opposite for the new free DLCs being developed in collaboration with Netflix’s The Witcher series. The mentioned free DLC contents are all platforms that the game supports; It will also be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck.
Will there be an upgrade fee?
When it comes to the next generation update, we see that some companies come up with a separate price tag from time to time. While you are just getting used to the DLC policies in the games, it sounds a bit strange to pay extra for high performance.
Fortunately, CD Projekt is not one of those companies. CD Projekt Red will release the next generation version of Witcher 3 for free, stating that this upcoming update will not be ‘paid’ in any way and that anyone who has The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and on supporting platforms can upgrade it for free.
What is the update’s release date?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which was first announced to be released towards the end of 2021, was postponed to the second quarter of 2022 with a later statement, and the company’s Cyberpunk 2077 It was announced that it would give priority to . With the official statement made the other day, it was announced that the next generation version of the game was delayed ‘indefinitely’ again. Making this statement shortly before the release of the update, CD Projekt stated that they will continue to develop the next generation version of The Witcher 3.
The update, which was being developed by Saber Interactive until now, will now be continued by CD Projekt. Saber Interactive, a Russia-based studio, also developed the successful Nintendo version of Witcher 3. While it is not yet officially known why CD Projekt bought the project from Saber Interactive, there is no information about when the update will be released.