On November 23, 2022, CD Projekt Red hosted The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next-Gen Update “REDstream” on the developer’s Twitch Channel, providing a first look into gameplay for the free remaster of the 2015 game of the year winning RPG, which will arrive for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on December 14, 2022. Here is everything we learned from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next-Gen Update Walkthrough stream from senior community manager Amelia Kolat, community manager Alicja Kozera, acting narrative director Philipp Weber, and engineering director Charles Tremblay.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Photo Mode
Photo mode is officially coming to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The next-gen update will allow players to pause combat encounters or exploration to snap some pics of Geralt during his adventures through the Northern Realms. Kolat also discussed a potential future photo mode contest, so videogame photographers – keep your ears to the ground for some opportunities to show off your skills on CD Projekt Red and The Witcher’s various social media platforms.
Graphical Improvements in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next-Gen Remaster
The main improvement highlighted throughout the Twitch stream were the major graphical updates to The Witcher 3’s next- gen remaster. Tremblay described that the PC version will include ray tracing, screen space reflection (SSR), Fidelity FX – Super Resolution 2 (FSR 2), Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), and dynamic resolution scaling, which were on display throughout the stream. While a number of these improvements will also appear on the console versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s next-gen upgrade, they will be slightly varied from their PC counterpart. According to the stream, console gamers on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S will have the option to choose between “quality” and “performance modes,” with quality providing ray tracing and the overall best resolution available at 30 frames-per-second, while performance will allow for 60 frames-per-second gameplay.
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New Camera Modes in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update stream provided a host of new features for gamers to enjoy, including new camera angles for “Exploration, Combat and Horseback,” which can create a varied experience, allowing for tight shot, over the shoulder combat and horseback riding. However, it was unclear if this camera update would also arrive for consoles.
Haptic Feedback in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next-Gen Upgrade
Exclusively for PlayStation 5, the developers explained that the game’s next-gen upgrade will utilize the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback, allowing players to feel the clanking of swords, the burst of magical signs, roars of monsters, etc. providing a tactile experience not available in the previous iterations of The Witcher 3.
Quick Casting in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
While The Witcher 3’s original (or “vanilla version” as the developers called it) used a casting wheel for Geralt’s signs, which allowed gamers to sort through their magical arsenal and conjure spells while slowing down time, the next-gen update will allow players to switch and cast signs in real time through the new “quick casting” mechanic that will be introduced on December 14, 2022. However, once again it was unclear if this will also be available for console players, as quick casting was only shown on the PC version of the game.
New Map Filters in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next-Gen Update
For those who have previously played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, you probably remember the world map being strewn with question marks scattered across the screen, highlighting the various points of interest for players to explore. However, some detractors argued that this hurt the game’s immersion, which led CD Projekt Red to remedy this in the next-gen update.
According to Weber, “We added this new filter that essentially hides those question marks from your map and also hides the boat icons from your map, which means the map is much cleaner now, and you can play the game essentially finding those things naturally, not feeling forced to do all of them.” However, Weber assured fans that completionists who desire to see all of the points of interest will still be able to use the game’s original map filter if they so choose.
Quality of Life & Accessibility in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The REDstream highlighted some accessibility and quality of life features that improve on the overall experience of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. For instance, there are options to toggle larger font size for text, as well as settings for Geralt to run by simply holding “down on the stick” instead of needing other button presses or commands, and the ability to pause during cutscenes, among a variety of other minor improvements.
Chinese Voice Dubbing
In an appeal to international gamers and inclusivity, Kozera confirmed that the next-gen upgrade will introduce new language settings, including the fact that the game is now also dubbed in “simplified Chinese.”
New HUD settings in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
For hardcore gamers who want to really immerse themselves in Geralt’s story, the next-gen update provides new options for the game’s heads-up display (HUD). These include hiding objectives during exploration or eliminating the minimap itself, forcing players to navigate like a real Witcher on The Path.
Netflix Downloadable Content in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The penultimate element of the stream was a discussion of how the developers have incorporated the popular Netflix show The Witcher into the next-gen upgrade. In order to obtain new weapons and armor schematics inspired by the first two seasons of the television show, there is a new playable quest that will be included as DLC. Furthermore, there was a new Dandelion character skin on display, as well as Nilfgaardian armor that was discussed in minor detail. Lastly, the original Geralt of Rivia voice actors of various languages reportedly returned to reprise their roles for the DLC, surely an exciting development for fans of The Game Awards’ Best Performance Nominee, Doug Cockle.
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Cross Saves
The final news was that there will be cross saving featured in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s next-gen update, allowing players to transfer their save files from previous iterations of the game to the next-gen PC and console versions.
For more news and guides on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next gen upgrade, Prima Games has everything you need, just a click away.
