Prepare yourself before returning to the Path of the Witcher!
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition launches on September 29 for PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Battle.net), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. Whether you previously purchased the physical or digital version, you can upgrade to the Complete Edition for free on the corresponding platform upon release.
While waiting for the launch, CDPR has compiled a list of key changes brought by this remastered edition. See below for details:
Graphics and Rendering
Integrated optimized shading models.
Updated numerous textures and models based on assets from The Witcher 3 HD Remaster Project.
Optimized lighting and shading for grass and vegetation.
Updated the visual effects of Signs, including their upgraded versions.
Added new visual effects for skills.
The game now supports native DirectX 12 rendering with multithreading technology, delivering enhanced performance and visuals.
Updated tone mapping to optimize color, lighting, contrast, and detail.
Added GTAO (Ground Truth Ambient Occlusion) as a new optional screen space ambient occlusion solution.
Updated the HDR calibration panel with new options and other optimizations.
Added ray-traced local shadows.
Updated screen space reflections.
Updated screen space shadows.
Improved motion blur for better results and a more cinematic feel.
Updated subsurface scattering effects for more natural-looking character skin.
Improved terrain and material rendering for more natural lighting, shadows, reflections, and highlights.
Introduced a new Image-Based Lighting (IBL) system to improve ambient lighting and reflections in various environments.
Remastered Bloom effects to further enhance lighting performance in various environments.
Gameplay
Optimized the skill system. Skills are now consolidated into a skill tree, with each skill having three levels. Unlocking new skills no longer consumes a fixed number of skill points but requires unlocking prerequisite skills. Important Note: Due to these changes, your skill points have been reset.
Balanced the skill tree, optimizing skill bonus values, effects, and synergy bonuses.
Renamed some skills to better reflect their effects.
You can now reforge equipment to change its appearance without affecting its stats. Only master craftsmen (Yunna and Hattori) offer this service. Add new equipment and crafting diagrams to your inventory to unlock appearances. Dye effects from Blood and Wine are preserved on reforged equipment.
Optimized combat behavior for non-boss monsters, including attack patterns, counters, movement, reactions, fleeing, and effect application.
Added a "Horse Control Input Sensitivity" slider in Settings → Controls.
Optimized Roach and Geralt's movement, player controls, and animations:
Optimized Geralt's jump animation for smoother movement. Note: This optimization does not affect jump distance or height.
Added new finishing move animations for Geralt.
Added new idle animations for Geralt.
Optimized Geralt's climbing, ladder, and vaulting animations, adjusting their speed for better responsiveness and fluidity.
Optimized Geralt's close-quarters engagement animations in combat for a more natural feel.
Added an exploration camera and expanded the field of view (FOV).
Added a dynamic combat camera for a wider field of view during engagements with enemies.
Optimized target switching when moving the camera during combat.
Updated collision avoidance mechanics while riding Roach.
Optimized Roach's mounting and dismounting animations, as well as jogging and galloping movements.
User Interface and Interaction
Meditation now uses a more immersive time-lapse animation, replacing the original UI.
The skills interface is now consolidated into a more intuitive skill tree.
Updated the map interface for easier switching of tracked quests. Untracked quests now have dedicated markers that can be selected to track them.
Increased the maximum number of markers displayable on the map.
Added map markers.
You can now choose to hide herbs, boats, and corpses on the minimap in Settings → Video → Interface. This reduces visual clutter for a cleaner interface.
Optimized quest notifications by consolidating multiple quest updates into a single HUD prompt.
Nearby loot is now displayed in a single window, eliminating the need to switch between multiple loot screens. This feature can be enabled in Settings → Gameplay.
Added loot notifications, displaying recently picked-up items on the left side of the screen. This feature can be disabled in Settings → Gameplay.
Added item tooltips to the loot window, allowing you to preview item details before picking them up.
Renamed "HUD Configuration" in settings to "Interface".
Updated the CD PROJEKT RED account connection, My Rewards, and data collection consent menus.
Photo Mode
Updated the Photo Mode user interface with numerous new features and options:
You can now select multiple different characters to join the photo.
Added various poses and expressions for Geralt and placeable characters.
Added a confirmation prompt before exiting Photo Mode to prevent accidental exits.
You can now lock the camera position in Photo Mode to capture great shots.
Added options to apply various environmental presets to scenes.
Added the ability to save camera presets, allowing you to save and reuse camera positions and angles.
You can now modify the aspect ratio of screenshots.
Added a toggle for first-person camera mode, allowing you to view the world through Geralt's eyes.
You can now enable or disable camera collisions with objects and walls.
Adjust weather and time to create your desired scene.
Adjust the intensity of weather effects like rain or storms.
Added an option to enable rule-of-thirds guides in various aspect ratios, with the option to add cinematic black bars.
Camera coordinates are now displayed in the user interface.
Added an option to hide nearby NPCs.
Added placeable props for more options in building your ideal scene. Don't ask where they came from.
When using a mouse on PC, the cursor will be displayed in Photo Mode.
Accessibility
Added a new Accessibility interface to the settings menu. Existing accessibility options have been moved to this interface.
Added the Bard's Ballad preset.
Can be enabled in the Accessibility interface when starting a new game on "Just the Story!" difficulty or during gameplay. This preset aims to reduce cognitive load, suitable for players who get mentally fatigued or have trouble concentrating. It simplifies certain mechanics, disables some features, and streamlines gameplay for a smoother, more focused adventure. Learn more here. You can enable this preset in the Accessibility interface and customize it by toggling the following options:
Enhanced Vitality Regeneration – Adjustable trigger threshold (activates when vitality is below %) and vitality increase rate (recovery strength).
Infinite Breath – Geralt's oxygen no longer depletes while swimming and diving.
Infinite Item Durability – Equipment no longer degrades, eliminating the need for repairs by craftsmen.
Infinite Boat Durability – Boats no longer take damage, removing the threat of reefs and sirens.
Ignore Item Weight – No longer limited by the number of items carried on the Path of the Witcher.
Boat Acceleration – Sail faster across the seas; the oceans around Skellige no longer feel so vast.
Witcher Senses Toggle – One-click on/off, no need to hold the button.
Experience Improvements
Simplified the tutorial to focus on core game mechanics with more concise content. Vesemir would surely approve.
Added a quick combat exit option. Hold the dodge button (Alt/〇/B) to unlock the target, then press the run button (L Shift/X/A) to exit combat.
You can now pick up loot without dismounting or leaving your boat.
Mods
Added cross-platform mod support. This in-game tool, provided by mod.io, allows you to easily browse and install player-created mods to customize your game. You can find this tool in the Mods section of the main menu. Log in to your CD PROJEKT RED account and link it to mod.io to start browsing mods. Learn more about the mod manager here.
Optimized REDkit's engine, user interface, and other aspects to facilitate mod creation, management, and customization.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where right joystick sensitivity could not be adjusted when entering settings directly from the main menu.
Joystick sensitivity can now be set to 0.69.
Fixed an issue where HDR settings were sometimes not displayed on console platforms.
Eternal Fire's Light – Fixed an issue where the "Abandoned Wolf School Gear Diagrams" reward did not appear in the user interface after being obtained.
Wine is Sacred – Fixed an issue where fast traveling outside of Toussaint during the objective "Search the wine cellar with Anna Henrietta" would block quest progress. This fix is not retroactive; affected players need to load a save from before the issue occurred.
Other
Added Ukrainian language localization.
Added support for Xbox Play Anywhere.
PC Exclusive
Please ensure you have the latest graphics drivers installed. Get them from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel.
Added support for Path Tracing.
Added support for NVIDIA DLSS 4.5, featuring Ray Reconstruction.
Added support for AMD FSR 4, including Frame Generation and Anti-Lag 2. FSR 4 is available for AMD Radeon RX 7000 Series GPUs and newer. GPUs that do not support this feature will use FSR 2.
Added support for Intel XeSS 2.0, featuring Frame Generation and low latency capabilities.
Added ray-traced hair rendering to improve hair lighting and shading.
Added support for haptic feedback on the DualSense controller.
Important Note: With the various improvements in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, the system requirements have been adjusted. Please see the image below for the latest system requirements:
Console Exclusive
PS5 now implements multithreaded rendering for improved performance.
Added support for PlayStation 5 Pro.
Added support for PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) to further enhance visuals without sacrificing performance.
Added support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and uncapped frame rates.
Updated Graphics Modes: Ray Tracing Mode now offers improved lighting effects while targeting 60 FPS.
Performance Mode now offers higher resolution while targeting 60 FPS; on displays supporting VRR, frame rates can reach up to 90 FPS.
Nintendo Switch Exclusive
Added support for Nintendo Switch 2, including the following Switch 2 exclusive features:
Four play styles: Handheld, Pro Controller, Dual Grip (using motion controls), and Mouse Sensor.
Motion control presets come in two modes (Always On / Horseback Only) and can be used for the following actions: using primary and secondary consumables, calling Roach, casting Signs, using the crossbow, throwing bombs, and commanding Roach to gallop or stop.
Mouse sensor comes in two modes: Always On / Dynamic, supporting three control schemes: Comfort, Dynamic, and Default.
Gyro aiming is supported for Handheld, Pro Controller, and Dual Grip play styles, with two modes: Always Enabled / Ranged Weapons Only.
Touch controls are now supported in menus, dialogues, the world map, Gwent, and Photo Mode.
Joy-Con 2 HD Rumble feature provides richer, more immersive haptic feedback.
Supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and HDR (High Dynamic Range).
Exclusive motion control tutorials, accessible for replay from the main menu and pause menu at any time.