With tech gurus Digital Foundry getting the chance to go hands-on with the new next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt dropping on December 14 (alongside a few other outlets), we've now got a good idea on what to expect when it comes to the improved visuals, ray-tracing, and 60fps performance modes.

Although locked to 4K 30fps the ray-tracing mode is definitely impressive using AMD FSR 2.1 upscaling on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Featuring both ray-traced global illumination and ray-traced ambient occlusion, there's a more realistic look to the lighting. It's subtle, but wholly cinematic and immersive. Paired with improved reflections, more foliage, and crisper textures, it has the look and feel of a definitive edition.



The 60fps performance modes available on PS5 and Xbox Series X turn off ray-tracing though still benefit from the improved textures and world detail. Although not glimpsed in the footage above we learn that the PC version will feature an additional Ultra+ mode with support for ray-traced reflections and shadows and more foliage and even a longer draw distance. No doubt you'll need a beast of a PC to crank the settings. On that front, DLSS 3 support is coming for GeForce RTX 40 Series owners.

Best of all the update is free for all owners of the game and even features several quality of life updates and a new quest inspired by the Netflix series.