CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is largely considered one of the best fantasy RPGs of all time, delivering on the promise of the series and the source material with a vast adventure that transcended a litany of bugs and glitches to emerge as the pinnacle of the genre for many gamers. To call it generation-defining is fair, as it landed toward the early years of the PS4 / Xbox One life cycles to really show off what those new consoles could do. Now, eleven years later, the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered brings the game bang up to date with a handful of quality of life improvements and mechanical tweaks, but retains the feel and flow of the original release.
Despite owning The Witcher 3 on at least three other platforms, I wanted to review it on Switch 2 to see how much better it runs here compared to the original Switch port, which struggled under the sheer weight of the world and its systems. It suffered from muddy, indistinct textures, framerate drops, and the general feeling that it was simply too big for the platform.
On Switch 2, The Witcher 3 Remastered fares much better. It runs consistently well either docked or undocked, and while concessions have been made to this effect such as a reduction in textures and overall framerate, it looks and moves well enough that, if this is your first time experiencing it, you won’t be disappointed. Sure there’s an unnatural smoothness to some of the faces now, but it’s better than the muddy, indistinct textures that we saw on the original Switch. I would recommend turning off Blur and Motion Blur in the settings though.
But besides the visual overhaul, The Witcher 3 Remastered also features a handful of improvements to enhance the experience. This is not a major reworking in any sense; the original game was already fantastic and has remained so since launch, aging better than most other games of its era. Instead, the tweaks in The Witcher 3 Remastered focus on polishing up the things gamers have complained about for over a decade.
As a result, combat feels tighter and smoother. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt already had updates close to launch to introduce improved combat animations, and the Remastered version builds on these. It still doesn’t feel perfect; Geralt can still feel a little floaty, and there’s an occasional weightlessness to it that is felt even if it’s minor enough to ignore.
Elsewhere the skill tree has been adjusted so that it’s clearer and easier to use. The previous system was a relic of its time to a degree, and locked a lot of the best skills behind progression gates that took too long to unlock. I never really felt I was able to “build” Geralt a certain way, and always just unlocked whatever I could until I was towards the final third of the game and a little overpowered anyway. Now you can get to the good stuff sooner, which means there’s something much closer to build diversity here.
One thing I didn’t even notice in the Remaster until a friend pointed it out is that you can now pick up items from horseback. Having been playing Ghost of Yotei again recently for the DLC, I had become accustomed to it and it would have driven me mad if the old system persisted in The Witcher 3 Remastered. Along with improved AI for Roach, this is a great addition.
Transmog is now a thing, too, which is great news. Some of Geralt’s late-game gear looks awesome, but you’ll settle on a favourite set to go with your build and there’s now no need to choose style over efficiency.
CD Projekt RED has learned a lot from Cyberpunk 2077, it seems. This remaster is a perfect example of how to improve on a strong foundation without changing the fundamentals. Besides the graphical improvements, many of the tweaks here feel minor, and yet elevate the game to an even higher echelon than it already occupied.
Since this version also launches with all the original launch DLC and both the Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone, there’s an absolutely huge game waiting for you. If this is your first time playing, you’re in for a genuine treat that takes hold early on and simply doesn’t let up. The writing and delivery are exceptional, and the campaign features some of the best side content ever experienced in the genre.
Believe the hype: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered on Switch 2 is absolutely worth the asking price for Nintendo gamers who missed out in the past for any reason. If you already own it elsewhere, it’s harder to argue in favour of this version, but if not, this is an essential addition to your Switch 2 collection.
