The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →On PC, enabling ray tracing in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a trade-off: it can improve lighting and other visual effects, but it can also reduce performance. There is no single best setting for every system. Choose based on your output resolution and frame-rate target, then compare ray tracing on and off in the same representative scene using consistent upscaling settings.
What changes when you enable ray tracing?
The game offers ray-tracing features, including RTAO and RTGI; its higher-end all-ray-tracing configuration enables all RT features. Whether the visual difference is worth the performance cost depends on the scene and on what you notice while playing. The available official requirements establish hardware reference tiers, not a measured ranking of individual effects or a promise of particular frame rates.
Ray tracing is most useful to treat as a visual-quality option, rather than a setting that should always be on or always be off. Compare it in places you actually play, not only in a brief stationary view.
How much performance does ray tracing cost?
There is no universal FPS penalty to quote. CD PROJEKT RED warns that performance can vary with the scene and gameplay, system configuration, graphics settings, and output resolution. Its Technical Support page states, “Higher resolution will significantly affect FPS.” The publisher’s current requirements page also explains that its RT minimum, RT recommended, and path-tracing performance targets use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS set to Auto; path-tracing targets additionally use frame generation. These conditions matter when comparing a listed target with your own setup. CD PROJEKT RED’s performance and requirements notes.
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Do not read a requirements tier as a guaranteed frame rate. The publisher’s 2024 table lists these RT / Ultra reference configurations:
| Configuration | GPU examples listed | Rendering assumptions |
|---|---|---|
| 1440p RT / Ultra | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070; AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT | DLSS or FSR; RTAO and RTGI |
| 4K RT / Ultra | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080; AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | DLSS or FSR; all RT features enabled |
These are reference system requirements, not a guarantee that two PCs with a listed GPU will perform alike. They are also not a reason to buy one of these older models without considering your current hardware, resolution, and performance goal. The official configurations are in CD PROJEKT RED’s next-gen update notes.
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How to decide: ray tracing on or off
- Start with output resolution. Higher resolutions place more demand on the system, so establish the resolution you actually intend to play at before judging the result.
- Set a performance target. Decide what frame rate and smoothness you want during gameplay. A high peak in one view is less useful if frame pacing feels uneven as you move through a demanding scene.
- Check the visual difference in your own scenes. The value of the effects depends on whether you find them noticeable while playing; there is no official feature-by-feature visual-benefit ranking established here.
- Account for upscaling and frame generation. Keep the mode consistent while comparing results. Publisher performance targets may assume upscaling, and path-tracing targets also assume frame generation.
- Match the decision to your GPU and settings. Official GPU tiers are guideposts for particular resolutions and feature sets, not a universal performance prediction.
A practical way to compare settings on your PC
- Choose your target resolution and performance goal. Use the output resolution you plan to play at and decide what level of smoothness you want to maintain.
- Establish a baseline with ray tracing off. Play through a representative scene and note whether performance feels stable. Keep other graphics settings and the upscaler mode fixed.
- Enable the available ray-tracing features. Return to the same scene without changing resolution or upscaling. Compare both image quality and frame pacing during movement and gameplay.
- If performance misses your target, reduce the rendering burden first. Try a supported upscaler or a lower output resolution, then reassess the image and performance together. Avoid changing several settings at once, so you can tell what made the difference.
- Keep the configuration that suits your play. If the visual improvement matters to you and performance remains comfortable, keep RT enabled. If it does not, or performance becomes unstable, turn it off or use a less demanding feature configuration if available.
This one-change-at-a-time comparison is a practical way to control for the factors CD PROJEKT RED identifies as affecting performance; it is not a publisher-tested benchmark procedure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the official requirements can—and cannot—tell you
The 1440p and 4K tiers show which example GPUs CD PROJEKT RED associates with particular RT configurations and upscaling assumptions. They do not provide a controlled, current FPS comparison for every ray-tracing toggle, GPU, or game scene. The requirements page’s RT performance targets use upscaling on Auto, and the path-tracing figures also use frame generation; do not apply those assumptions to a different configuration as if the results were directly comparable.
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For a fair personal decision, compare the same game scene at the same output resolution, with the same upscaler and performance target. Your own frame pacing and whether the visual change is worthwhile are more useful than treating a reference GPU tier as a guarantee.
Quick Recap
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