Seven years since its first release, the new The Witcher 3 Complete Edition aims to enhance an already iconic game with a huge suite of extras. On PS5, Xbox Series X, S and PC, it’s a free update listed as patch 4.0. Visuals are enhanced, quality of life improvements are added, plus we get extras to tie into the Netflix TV show. This much we already knew from our preview after a visit to CD Projekt RED’s offices – but now it’s time to put the console code to test across all of our established test areas. We’ll be kicking off with Series X and PS5 analysis, covering off performance and RT modes, with the non-RT Series S version to follow. First impressions? Neither mode on either console is the finished article, but right now, we’d recommend the performance mode on both flagship consoles.
The original release looked good, but the next-gen patch – the Complete Edition – does indeed benefit from enormous improvements. A bulk of the textures and models are reworked, with CDPR contracting PC modder Halk Hogan – who produced the HD Reworked Project mod – to incorporate new, updated assets into the official release. Foliage is improved too, filling out the landscape with more plant life. There are smaller touches as well, like brand-new skyboxes, weather states and lens effects, adding variety as Geralt travels the world.
Performance and RT modes on both Series X and PlayStation 5 have an established visual set-up in terms of the core artwork and engine ‘settings’, the differences coming down to native resolutions and the optional inclusion of ray tracing features. Pitting PS5 against Series X in their RT modes first, each targets a native 1440p, reconstructed to 4K using FSR 2.1, with dynamic resolution scaling taking the pixel count down to 1080p at its lowest. A bulk of pixel counts do hit that top 1440p number, however. Meanwhile, performance mode is bumped to a higher target on each, aiming for a native 4K – with 1080p remaining as the lower bounds. The net result is that both PS5 and Series X do on average look sharper in the performance modes compared to running on the RT mode.
