NEW VISUALS
The Witcher 3 was already remastered back in 2022 for new-gen systems with a Ray Tracing update, but this version goes so much further than that update in every way. The lighting system, especially with Path Tracing turned on, gives The Witcher 3 a completely new look and feel. Playing this on my RTX 5080 has been a mind-blowing experience because I never imagined Witcher 3 could ever look THIS good.
Path Tracing here gives characters a very different, far more realistic look, especially with how their skin reacts to light. This is instantly noticeable in all cutscenes. The lighting across the board has gotten a substantial upgrade, everything just pops out more. Especially the swamps of Velen, which now have this gorgeous orange tint at the right time of day, where light sources are bouncing off each other as the path tracing elevates the game's visuals massively. If you have the choice to play this on a powerful PC, please do.
For other platforms, the visual uplift is still substantial but not as mind-blowing. On base PS5/Xbox, Witcher 3 Remastered brings in a ton of upgraded textures, better effects, and generally just looks quite a bit nicer than the 2022 next-gen update, and it's especially noticeable if you turn on the 30FPS Ray Tracing mode. However, if you're on PS5 Pro, the new visuals are instantly noticeable. The game is way sharper thanks to the implementation of PSSR, and you can finally play with Ray Tracing at 60FPS. Ray Tracing alone gives Witcher 3 a far superior look, and I do think this makes the PS5 Pro upgrade absolutely worth having the console for.
For Switch 2, the upgrade is massive over the Switch 1 version. NS1 Witcher 3 had to cut a ton of corners to get the game working, meanwhile the NS2 version just looks like The Witcher 3 on PS4, though it's definitely better than that version in a lot of areas, as it is running the updated textures and effects from the remaster. I'll be posting a separate review for that version soon.
MOVEMENT
The Witcher 3 Remastered brings in a host of gameplay changes, the first one that jumped out at me being the new movement. The movement in Witcher 3 has never felt this smooth before. Geralt now vaults things way faster, his jump feels more realistic, and in general, it is much snappier now to point Geralt towards things. There's also seemingly a host of new animations where you can, for example, jump onto ladders now while sprinting. It makes movement in The Witcher 3, for the first time, feel completely smooth and easy to control.
ROACH
Horse riding has been massively updated. Roach now automatically weaves around trees and obstacles, almost entirely eliminating the issue of Roach just getting stuck on things. Turning Roach is also way more snappy and quick. I'd say it feels like Red Dead Redemption 2 now in how responsive the horse riding is. Geralt also has a bunch of new animations where he shifts a little to dodge trees while riding. It's a great detail and absolutely the best horse riding has ever felt.
SKILL TREE
The skill tree in Witcher 3 has been entirely re-made. It is a completely new skill tree that gives the progression an entirely different feel. It's become an actual tree now, where different skills actually weave through different abilities. For example, you invest into Igni, then the next skill actually improves Aard, then the next skill below that affects Yrden. I was never the type of player to really invest their time into making custom builds, but this new skill tree is super interesting in that it encourages far more experimentation. In the original game and the previously revamped skill tree in 2022, you pretty much had to dedicate yourself to one path on a tree, but now, since all skills and lines are woven into each other, it makes character building feel like a far more flexible process. Admittedly, I do need to do a full new game playthrough with this new skill tree to really understand how big of a difference it makes.
You do get a notification once you load into the game that does let you know that you need to re-invest all your skill points again, so be sure to do that if you're continuing a previous playthrough.
COMBAT
This remaster does introduce a number of combat changes. These are mainly to how you target enemies, how Geralt himself can move in and out of combat, and how distances are closed when attacking. And there's a new camera system that feels amazing. It is much smarter about when to zoom out, when to zoom in, and genuinely feels perfect. The camera gets in quite close behind Geralt during 1v1 combat encounters, which I loved. These changes are not transformative, and I'd describe the combat changes as overall feeling great, but not exactly changing things up massively.
I've always thought Witcher 3 had a great combat system, and the changes just make it smoother in general. You have far fewer awkward moments of fiddling around because you got stuck on a rock. And they've adjusted how you can transition between normal controls and combat controls, so it's now much easier to jump a ledge mid-combat, for example. I'd generally describe the combat as feeling less rigid, but it's not a giant change as some expected. Also, there are new finishers, and they are awesome.
All the signs have new effects when used as well, and they all look a lot better than they did. They do make using them in combat far more flashy, which I really enjoy.
CAMERA
This remaster introduces a new camera for both combat and movement. The old camera system from launch and also the other one from the 2022 update can still be used from settings. I actually always preferred the original camera over the weirdly close one they had in the next-gen update, but this remastered camera is by far my favorite now. It's actually the exact angle that Red Dead 2 has, which is behind Arthur but gets further away the faster you are running. I really like this new camera, and it makes traversal feel somehow even smoother.
Witcher 3 Remastered makes a series of QoL changes, my favorite being the addition of a Transmog system. You can now finally transform any armor set to look like any other armor set. You can do this at a master forge, and it does cost money, but yes, you can now do a full playthrough wearing the Kaer Morhen armor, which is awesome.
Meditation is now actually done in-game, so when you select the time, it transitions to Geralt sitting down with a timelapse. I love this change, and it does make the world feel even more immersive.
The UI has undergone a series of changes. The menu where you get the big options for "map, inventory, glossary, etc." is completely gone. Now, pressing that button just pulls up the last of those menus that you had open, and switching between them is entirely done with the bumpers. It's a minor change, but I like it. You can also now see all your quests on the map at the same time, and you can change which quest you are tracking by just hovering an objective over the map and selecting it. It is a pretty minor change but welcome nonetheless in making the UI of this game a bit smoother.
Witcher 3 now supports mods on consoles, which is a fantastic step towards the longevity of this game. You can access this right from the main menu. There were only two minor mods available pre-release when I was playing this, but I am sure there will be many more in the near future.
PERFORMANCE
The Witcher 3 Remastered runs pretty much flawlessly on any console you play it on. I had no FPS issues on my PS5 Pro, base PS5, or Switch 2. PS5/Xbox both offer 60FPS performance modes, meanwhile the Switch 2 version is 30FPS only.
On PC, back in the previous 2022 next-gen update, Ray Tracing was extremely rough to run, and the game would stutter constantly with it on. That's all been fixed up with this remaster, and the game runs perfectly fine with RT now. With path tracing, on my 5080, DLSS at Performance, it was running at around 35 FPS at worst. With frame-gen, I didn't notice any input delay thanks to DLSS 4.5 and was playing at around 90 FPS.
FINAL VERDICT
The Witcher 3: Remastered is a fantastic update to The Witcher 3. It makes the game look as good as 2026 new releases, brings in a host of great changes both big and small, and in general, makes a game that I already thought was a masterpiece somehow even better.
This is a completely free update for literally everyone who has ever bought The Witcher 3 on any platform. If you're looking to replay The Witcher 3 before Songs of the Past, this is a no-brainer to play. If you've never played this incredible game, this is the best time to do so.
THE WITCHER 3: REMASTERED - 10/10 - MASTERPIECE