The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered became available on September 29, 2026. Its PC graphics options include Path Tracing and newer upscaling technologies, so older advice about the 2022 Next-Gen update may not describe the current edition. This guide explains what the options do, which platforms and GPUs the publisher identifies as supporting them, and how to choose settings without treating official FPS targets as guarantees. CD PROJEKT RED describes Remastered as a free upgrade for owners on supported platforms and says it includes Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Read the release announcement.
What changed in The Witcher 3 Remastered?
Remastered is the relevant version for current settings advice. CD PROJEKT RED highlights enhanced visuals and performance, PC Path Tracing, PS5 Pro support, and a native Nintendo Switch 2 version. Its PC feature notes also list DLSS 4.5 with Ray Reconstruction, AMD FSR 4 with Frame Generation and Anti-Lag 2, and Intel XeSS 2.0 with Frame Generation and Low Latency. The exact options exposed depend on platform, compatible hardware, and what the game detects. See the Remastered feature notes.
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Keep the 2022 Next-Gen update separate from the current release. Version 4.0 added ray-traced global illumination and ambient occlusion, with ray-traced reflections and shadows also available on compatible PC hardware. It also introduced PC Ultra+ options for several settings, including shadows, grass, textures, foliage visibility, terrain, water, and detail. Those notes explain the earlier update; they do not establish current Remastered console behavior. Read the December 12, 2022 change list.
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Ray tracing and Path Tracing: what do they change?
Ray tracing
Ray tracing is a rendering approach used for effects such as global illumination, ambient occlusion, reflections, and shadows. In the 2022 PC update, CD PROJEKT RED listed ray-traced global illumination and ambient occlusion, plus reflections and shadows on compatible hardware. These effects can make lighting and reflected scenes more realistic, but the official feature notes do not quantify their FPS cost for every GPU or scene.
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Path Tracing
Path Tracing is a newer PC option listed for Remastered. It is the more demanding visual path in the current feature set, so enabling it is a fidelity-versus-performance choice rather than a universal default. CD PROJEKT RED’s Path Tracing performance configuration included upscaling and Frame Generation; it should not be compared as though it were a native-resolution, unassisted result. The publisher does not provide a universal frame-rate penalty that applies to every system.
How to decide
- If stable frame delivery matters more than the most advanced lighting, start with ray tracing and Path Tracing off, then raise image-quality settings gradually.
- If visual fidelity is the priority, try the relevant ray-tracing option and check actual frame delivery in the scenes you play. The performance impact depends on your GPU, resolution, configuration, settings, and scene.
- Use Path Tracing only if it appears for your PC and you are willing to trade performance for its more demanding rendering path. Pair it with a supported upscaler if needed, and remember that an upscaler changes the test conditions.
Upscaling and frame generation are different tools
Upscaling renders the game at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs an image for the chosen output resolution. It can reduce the rendering load at higher output resolutions, where performance is more demanding. Frame Generation creates additional displayed frames from rendered frames; it is distinct from upscaling and does not mean the game is rendering every displayed frame in the same way. Low-latency features are intended to address responsiveness. Available technologies and modes depend on supported hardware and the game’s detected options.
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| Technology listed for Remastered PC | Features stated by CD PROJEKT RED | Compatibility note |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 | Ray Reconstruction | Requires compatible NVIDIA hardware; the specific detected options vary. |
| AMD FSR 4 | Frame Generation and Anti-Lag 2 | FSR 4 is supported on Radeon RX 7000 Series and newer. FSR 2 is the fallback on unsupported GPUs. |
| Intel XeSS 2.0 | Frame Generation and Low Latency | Availability depends on compatible hardware and the options detected by the game. |
CD PROJEKT RED tested its RT Minimum, RT Recommended, and Path Tracing configurations with DLSS, FSR, or XeSS set to Auto. Its Path Tracing configuration also used Frame Generation. Other listed configurations used native resolution with upscaling off. Those assumptions matter when interpreting the publisher’s figures: the RT and Path Tracing results are not direct comparisons with native-resolution results that have no upscaling or frame generation. Check CD PROJEKT RED’s current PC requirements and test notes.
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Resolution is a major factor: CD PROJEKT RED says higher output resolution significantly affects FPS. Scene complexity, hardware, graphics settings, and system configuration also affect results, so a demanding area may perform differently from a less complex one. The publisher describes its FPS targets as QA results that can fluctuate by scene and gameplay, not a promise for every PC.
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For a practical tuning pass, change one category at a time so you can identify what improves the image and what costs performance:
- Choose an output resolution and frame-rate priority. Test at the resolution you actually plan to use; a result at a lower resolution does not establish performance at a higher one.
- Set a baseline without ray tracing or Path Tracing. This gives you a point of comparison before enabling the more demanding lighting options.
- Try an upscaler if performance is short of your target. Use an option the game exposes for your hardware, and note whether it is set to Auto or a specific mode.
- Enable ray tracing or Path Tracing only after the baseline is stable. Check the same scene again; do not assume a single FPS estimate applies everywhere.
- Adjust other graphics options if necessary. The earlier PC Ultra+ list includes shadows, grass, textures, foliage visibility, terrain, water, and detail, but the official notes do not establish a universal FPS cost for each setting.
Can your PC run it?
Use CD PROJEKT RED’s current requirements page for the complete configuration-specific information. The publisher names the GeForce GTX 1660 as its selected minimum NVIDIA GPU and says it can reach 60 FPS or higher at Minimum settings. That is a minimum-settings reference, not a recommendation for ray tracing or Path Tracing. It is also not a guarantee for every resolution, scene, or PC configuration.
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The same support page says an SSD is now required and that Windows 10 will no longer be officially supported or tested going forward, although the game may still run. These are the publisher’s current statements and may change; check the linked page before making a hardware or operating-system decision.
What the console figures do—and do not—tell you
Console targets are version- and model-specific. In its December 2022 version 4.0 notes, CD PROJEKT RED described PS5 and Xbox Series X Ray Tracing mode as targeting 30 FPS with dynamic resolution scaling, and Performance mode as targeting 60 FPS. It said Xbox Series S had no ray-tracing features at that time, with Quality mode targeting 30 FPS and Performance targeting 60 FPS. These are historical descriptions, not current Remastered specifications.
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For Remastered, the current notes say PS5 Pro supports PSSR, VRR, and uncapped frame rates. They describe its Ray Tracing mode as targeting 60 FPS and Performance mode as targeting 60 FPS, with up to 90 FPS possible on a VRR-capable display. These statements apply to PS5 Pro; they should not be generalized to standard PS5, Xbox models, or Nintendo Switch 2. The current feature notes do not establish a detailed mode-and-FPS table for those other consoles.
Quick Recap
Practical settings priorities
- For smoother play: begin without ray tracing or Path Tracing, use an exposed upscaler if needed, and prioritize the resolution and frame delivery you can sustain in demanding scenes.
- For a sharper native-resolution image: leave upscaling off if your PC can meet your target at the chosen resolution; then test additional effects individually.
- For advanced lighting: try ray tracing first, then Path Tracing if available and acceptable to your performance target. Compare results in the same scene rather than relying on a generic FPS claim.
- Before upgrading hardware: compare your GPU, output resolution, target frame rate, and desired features against the publisher’s requirements. The GTX 1660 reference covers Minimum settings, not advanced ray-tracing features.
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