In a tweet today, CD Projekt Red revealed that the delayed next-generation upgrade for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be available on December 14th. As confirmed by VGC, the new, next-generation update will bring visual improvements, performance upgrades and dozens of other technical enhancements over the original 2015 release. Faster console loading times and ray-tracing support are just two of the highlighted new features arriving with the update, which will be free for existing owners of The Witcher 3.The Witcher 3 update for next-generation consoles and high-end PC's has been a long time coming. Originally, CD Projekt Red said that update would be arriving last year. Earlier this year, the developer pulled the project from Saber Interactive, the architects of the Witcher 3's Nintendo Switch port, and brought the development of the next-generation update in-house. At the time only a vague date of "2022" was given, though today, the company opened up with a surprisingly soon release date of next month.
Included with the next generation update will be new DLC items inspired by the hit Netflix series. The developer has not shared what the new DLC will be just yet, only that every version of the game will receive the new items. Also included with the next-generation update is a suite of built-in mods. CD Projekt Red worked with popular modder Halk Hogan to bring the popular The Witcher 3 HD Reworked into the new update. As part of the included mod, users can expect improved textures, improved draw distances, new shaders, and an increased level of detail to all aspects of the game.
The new updated version of The Witcher 3 will be available as a standalone purchase on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles, with a physical version arriving at a later date. All original versions of The Witcher 3, including the Nintendo Switch port, will also be receiving the Netflix DLC, though they might not be available for download on December 14th. CD Projekt Red will show off gameplay and the improved visuals coming with the next-generation update during a REDstreams live show on the studio's official Twitch channel next week. Further Witcher projects, including the remake of the original Witcher and Netflix prequel series. The Witcher: Blood Origin is still in the works, showing that the Witcher franchise is alive and better than ever before.