by CD Projekt Red has confirmed that it has acknowledged the issues reported by PC players.
Updated: Dec 15, 2022 12:44pm
The Witcher 3 next-gen update has been out since December 14, but PC gamers are already experiencing some issues. PC gamers are already reporting significant drops in frame rates and bizarre rendering of textures and models in The Witcher 3.
With a pretty significant file size, it’s not like these issues are insignificant. They are game-changing bugs and issues that require maintenance.
The Witcher 3: Best Mods (Visuals, Characters, Loot & Weapons)
Problems with the Witcher 3 Next Generation PC update
It’s possible that a new game has bugs, but this is a next-gen update of an almost 8-year-old game. PC gamers have reported issues that have been discussed on both the subreddit and the troubleshooting megathread.
The update was supposed to advance the visual and gameplay specs to better align with next-gen platforms like PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, however, the PC-supported version has faltered. Some frame rate complaints include dips below 60fps on NVIDIA’s 30-series cards, as reported by a Reddit user. Here, the performance of the pre-update surpassed the latest version of The Witcher 3.
Other PC hurdles include reports that save files won’t even load, and other players who manage to launch the game deem it “unplayable” even on lower settings. Others have also complained that objects like grass and other environmental models look old, tacky, and out of place.
The Witcher 3 Console Commands – Cheat Codes and more in 2022
How do I troubleshoot the Witcher 3 Next Generation PC update?
For those looking to fix what they can down to a patch from CD Projekt Red, common suggestions for performance issues include:
- Removal of mods
- Turn off ray tracing
- Booting into DirectX 11
- Double check for GPU driver updates.
Learn how to install the next generation update here.
You can also go back to the old version of The Witcher 3 to play even without the next-gen updates. Both the Steam and GOG copies have a properties window available via a right click. In this setting, you should be able to restore the previous copy.
Some degree of modification may be a common expectation among PC gamers. The studio’s launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was extremely underperforming and buggy.
On the bright side, it’s not like the next-gen refresh was a complete failure. Consoles seem to be doing just fine, despite the issues facing PC gamers right now. So that’s a positive to take from that. Rest assured, CD Projekt Red is looking into this issue and a patch is pending.
