Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteFor most PCs, start with a high-quality rasterized preset and keep ray tracing and path tracing off; then add visual features only if your target frame rate holds. For a showcase setup, try Ultra+ with path tracing and a compatible upscaler or frame-generation option. These are starting points, not universal presets: the right balance depends on your GPU, resolution, and desired frame rate.
This guide covers The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered for PC, released September 29, 2026. The current Remastered build uses DirectX 12 only, so older advice to switch between DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 does not apply. CD PROJEKT RED’s feature notes describe the upgrade as free for existing owners within the same platform ecosystem.
Which settings should you use?
Choose a profile based on what matters most, set your resolution and frame-rate target first, and adjust from there. The profiles below are recommendations based on the documented graphics features, not independently tested presets.
| Goal | Starting point | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| More frame rate | Use a high-quality rasterized preset. Leave ray tracing and path tracing off. If native resolution is too demanding, try an upscaler supported by your GPU. | Favors performance over the most advanced lighting effects. Reduce settings you care about least until performance is stable. |
| Balanced image quality and performance | Start with path tracing off. Try ray tracing only if performance remains acceptable at your chosen resolution; keep a compatible upscaler available. | Lets you assess whether the lighting improvements are worth the performance and responsiveness trade-off on your PC. |
| Visual showcase | Try Ultra+ with path tracing on capable hardware, plus a compatible upscaler and frame-generation option if available. | Prioritizes lighting fidelity and can be hardware-intensive. Generated frames are not the same as frames rendered natively. |
There is no established universal best preset or neutral, repeatable performance ranking for each setting in the Remastered build. For tighter advice, you need at least your GPU, resolution, and target frame rate.
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What changed in the Remastered PC version?
CD PROJEKT RED says Remastered adds an improved shading model, updated textures and models, better grass and foliage lighting, updated tone mapping, improved HDR calibration, and updated screen-space reflections and shadows. Ambient occlusion choices include GTAO, a screen-space option. The PC feature list also includes ray-traced local shadows, path tracing, and ray-traced HairWorks. See the publisher’s Remastered feature notes for the feature and compatibility details.
The current build is DirectX 12 only. NVIDIA distinguishes it from the 2022 Next-Gen Update, which used a hybrid DirectX 11/DirectX 12 renderer; that older architecture is historical context, not a current graphics-menu choice. NVIDIA’s Remastered feature article describes the distinction.
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Ray tracing and path tracing: what is the difference?
Ray tracing
Ray tracing adds selected effects rather than replacing every part of the rendering pipeline. Remastered’s PC features include ray-traced local shadows and ray-traced HairWorks; the game also offers updated screen-space effects. The visual gain and performance cost depend on which option you enable and the hardware and resolution you use.
Path tracing
Path tracing applies ray tracing more broadly to lighting. NVIDIA describes it as unifying lighting and rendering in one system, rather than combining rasterized rendering with selected ray-traced effects. It uses more rays and multiple light bounces, making it the more demanding option. If performance is your priority, leave path tracing off; if visual fidelity is your priority and your GPU can handle it, compare it in a familiar scene.
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Do not assume that enabling one ray-traced option is equivalent to turning on path tracing: they represent different scopes of lighting treatment.
Upscaling and frame generation
Remastered lists DLSS 4.5 with Ray Reconstruction, FSR 4 with frame generation and Anti-Lag 2, and XeSS 2.0 with frame generation and low latency. Availability depends on hardware support. CD PROJEKT RED specifies that FSR 4 supports Radeon RX 7000 Series and newer; unsupported GPUs use FSR 2. Consult the publisher’s feature notes for the listed options and compatibility information.
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Upscaling renders internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs the image for output, which can help when native resolution is too costly. Frame generation creates additional displayed frames; it should not be treated as a direct measure of native rendering speed or responsiveness. Compare image quality and input feel on your own system rather than assuming a feature will improve every experience.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to tune settings for your PC
- Set your display resolution and target. Decide whether you are optimizing for image quality, a stable frame rate, or a visual showcase before changing graphics options.
- Start with path tracing and ray tracing off. Establish a rasterized baseline before adding demanding lighting features.
- Choose a compatible upscaler if needed. If native resolution does not meet your target, test the option supported by your GPU. Add frame generation only if available and evaluate responsiveness separately from the displayed frame rate.
- Change one setting at a time. Use the same scene for each comparison and assess image quality, frame rate, and responsiveness. This makes it easier to identify which trade-off matters on your PC.
- Add ray tracing or path tracing selectively. Keep an option only if the visual improvement is worth its cost at your target resolution and performance level.
The 2022 Next-Gen notes identify settings families in the Ultra+ category: background-character count, shadow quality, grass density, texture quality, foliage visibility range, terrain quality, water quality, and detail level. Those notes do not quantify their individual frame-rate costs in the current Remastered build, so they do not establish a reliable order for lowering them. CD PROJEKT RED’s Next-Gen Update notes are useful for the setting names, but they describe the earlier update.
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- Enhanced Functionality: Packed with handy features, including a 5x9" precision tracking mouse pad and a built-in phone slot for seamless work or video calls. Plus, enjoy laptop support with the integrated device ledge.
- Cool Comfort: Enjoy a stable surface with our lap desk's dual bolster cushion, designed for comfort and airflow, keeping your lap cool during extended use.
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What do published frame-rate claims tell you?
NVIDIA reports up to 385 FPS at 4K on an RTX 5090, and up to 245 FPS on an RTX 5080, in gameplay with Ultra+ path tracing, DLSS 4.5 6X Multi Frame Generation, and Ray Reconstruction. These are NVIDIA’s 2026 company claims for that feature and hardware context—not independent results or guarantees of native frame rate on typical PCs. The cited setup uses multi-frame generation, so the figures should not be read as the GPU rendering that many frames natively. Details are in NVIDIA’s Remastered feature article.
NVIDIA’s separate 2022 claim of up to a 2.3X performance increase applied to DLSS 3 in the 2022 Next-Gen Update. It is not a general performance expectation for the 2026 Remastered build, other GPUs, or other DLSS versions. NVIDIA’s 2022 article gives that older claim in its original context.
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