One of the greatest masterpieces in video game history is getting a makeover. The Witcher 3 next-gen version is available on PS5, Xbox Series and PC, we explain how to play it.
[Mis à jour le 14 décembre 2022 à 13h53] The 1000 reward game is back! The Witcher 3, arguably one of the most successful open-world RPGs of all time, gets a massive shake-up with a next-gen update. This update, completely free for players who already own the game, has been available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S for a few hours. This 4.0 patch specific to next-gen consoles and PC includes various graphical improvements, including the addition of light effects and ray-traced ambient occlusion, and some of the most uploaded mods by the community. The game also includes some new features related to The Witcher series. We will explain everything to you.
Changes specific to PC and next-gen consoles:
- Added global illumination and ambient occlusion in ray tracing.
- Additionally, PC gamers with compatible hardware have an additional option to enable ray-traced reflections and shadows.
- Added various mods and mod-inspired content to the game to improve the graphics and overall quality of the game.
- We’ve included some of the community’s favorite mods, as well as our own tweaks to improve environments and cutscenes, make cobblestones look more realistic, and improve many backgrounds. Among the mods created or inspired by the community, you will find:
The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project by HalkHogan
HD Monsters Reworked by Denroth
Immersive Real time Cutscenes by teiji25
Nitpicker’s Chuckcash Patch
Terg500 World Map Fixes
- Upscaled textures to 4K for various characters including Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, Ciri and Eredin.
- All main characters, including Geralt, now cast a high resolution shadow even outside of cutscenes. Additionally, hair clipping through armor and other clipping bugs affecting armor have been fixed.
Environment improvements:
- Added new weather type “Grey Sky”
- Updated sky textures
- Vegetation and water improvements
- Miscellaneous mesh improvements
- Improved some visual effects
- Updated global environment lighting
- Added AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR) 2.1
- Added Photo Mode, which allows players to take stunning screenshots in the world of The Witcher 3.
- Added an option to pause the game during cutscenes.
- Added an optional alternate camera closer to the player character that reacts more dynamically in combat and when moving. You’ll find this new setting in Options → Game under Exploration, Combat, and Mounted Camera Distance.
Beyond the graphic updates brought by The Witcher 3 patch 4.0, the game also offers you a new quest. No, it’s not the excellent Blood and Wine and Heart of Stone DLCs, but a new little adventure, including various previously unknown rewards. This quest is inspired by Netflix’s The Witcher series and will allow you to obtain weapons, items and outfits specific to certain sequences in the series. This quest is available at the Devil’s Well, not far from Velen.
To help you in a more specific way during your installation of The Witcher 3 on PC, we will explain how and where to download the next-gen patch 4.0 of the game. First of all, know that you will need to own The Witcher 3 in one of its three editions, namely the Standard Edition, the Game of the Year Edition, or the Complete Edition. The game is available on Steam and on GOG Galaxy 2.0, where you will find it at the best price (10 €). To download it, nothing could be simpler, go to your GOG or Steam games library, click on download the update, and your installation of the next-gen version will begin automatically.
The update is fully free for all players who already own the game on the Playstation Store. It downloads automatically to your game platform, provided you already own The Witcher 3. If, on the other hand, you have never had the opportunity to embark on the great adventure of CD Projekt Red, you have the option to buy the game on your console or computer, and enjoy this graphical upgrade directly. Just remember that this 4.0 patch is exclusive to next-gen consoles and PC.
Just like for Playstation 5 players, The Witcher 3 next-gen update is available completely free on the Xbox Store. If you already own the game, you have the opportunity to download this massive patch directly from your Xbox library. If you don’t own the game, go to the Xbox Store to buy one of its three versions, the GOTY version and the full version include all the game’s DLC (Blood and Wine, Hearts of Stone).