CD Projekt Red has spent the past couple of days chasing its own release of The Witcher 3 Remastered, and the company is finally catching up. Three hotfixes have landed in quick succession, each one addressing a different set of bugs, while players continue to complain about lighting, sound, and performance issues. The Polish studio is promising more updates, including a fix for the game’s bloom setting, but for now, the game is a work in progress.
First Hotfix Arrives
The first hotfix arrived earlier today, and it was a busy one. It fixed a bug that prevented DLSS from being accessible in the Xbox Play Anywhere version of the game on PC. It also made interiors less dark and tweaked lighting overall to “ensure parity with the PC version” for console versions.
The announcement was posted on the official @thewitcher account, with the headline “Witchers!” The update covered the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the PC Xbox Play Anywhere version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered. The message noted what had changed:
- Fixed an issue where DLSS was unavailable in the Xbox Play Anywhere version of the game
- Adjusted interior lighting to make rooms less dark
- Ensured parity with the PC version for console versions
Second Hotfix Targets PC
Just a few hours later, a second hotfix arrived, specifically for PC. The patch was roughly 5GB and dealt with a number of bugs, including a voiceover issue and a save file error. The tweet announcing it was titled “Busy killing monsters, Witchers?” and encouraged players to take a moment to check out the changes.
Hotfix 5.00c is now available for download for the Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and Xbox Play Anywhere (PC) versions of the game. The announcement closed with a cheerful “Hooray!”
Marcin Momot Confirms More Fixes
Community director Marcin Momot confirmed that new hotfixes are already in the pipeline. One of those will deal with the game’s bloom setting, which players have been universally turning off to make the new version of the game look less washed out. A fix for a sound issue on consoles is also in works.
“We’re hoping to have the changes ready for the next update but no details yet,” Momot wrote on X. “We’ll share more as soon as we can.”
Complaints Pour In From Players
The comments sections are full of complaints, mostly minor but still annoying. One player, Ro, pointed to specific issues on PS5:
- Stuttering and screen tearing on PS5
- Performance mode areas looking bad due to lighting or shadows, especially in Toussaint
Ro added: “I hope you can fix this soon.”
The Graphics Overhaul
One of the most divisive things about the remaster has been its overhauled graphics, which include new path tracing. Players have been turning off bloom en masse to make the game look less washed out, and CD Projekt Red is now working on a fix for that specific setting. The company has not said when that update will arrive.
It’s unclear how much of the visual divide is a matter of personal taste and how much is a technical problem with the current implementations of the features.
Timeline So Far
| Date | Update | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Today | First hotfix | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X |
| Today | Second hotfix | Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Xbox Play Anywhere (PC) |
| In development | Bloom fix | Pending |
| In development | Sound fix | Pending |
Key Facts
- Three hotfixes have landed so far
- Second hotfix was roughly 5GB
- Bloom fix and sound fix in development
- First hotfix addressed DLSS accessibility and lighting parity
- Ro’s complaint includes stuttering, screen tearing, and poor lighting in Toussaint
The sheer pace of the updates is amusing on its own terms. CD Projekt Red has released three patches in a matter of days, each targeting a different problem. The company has promised more updates, and it has already delivered on some of its promises. The bloom fix and sound fix are both in development.
The question now is whether the fixes arrive quickly enough to satisfy players who are already frustrated.
For now, the takeaway is simple: The Witcher 3 Remastered is still finding its feet, and the developers are working fast to smooth out the rough edges. Whether the game reaches a stable state before players lose patience remains to be seen.
Source material: “Witcher 3 Remastered Makes ‘Various Lighting Adjustments’ With A Fix For Bloom On The Way,” Kotaku.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.