Years after its original release, The Witcher 3 remains a game defined as much by what it left undone as by what it achieved—and the newly released remastered edition does little to change that. Out now for all platforms as of September 29, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered brings visual upgrades and mechanical overhauls from developer CD Projekt Red, yet after hours of play on PlayStation 5, it still feels unmistakably like the 2015 original: a landmark role-playing game that retains its rough edges rather than smoothing them away.
The comparison to unfinished art is not merely poetic. In 1550, the Italian artist and biographer Giorgio Vasari coined the phrase “non finito” to describe elements of incompleteness in Michelangelo’s work, and over subsequent centuries critics came to see those gaps as integral to the sculptor’s genius. French painter Eugène Delacroix wrote in 1853 that the unfinished portions made the finished ones feel more resonant. Playing The Witcher 3 today evokes a similar sensation: far from polished by any modern standard, it is still celebrated over a decade later as one of the greatest RPGs ever made—and the remaster’s stated aim is to tame some of that roughness without erasing the vivid world, epic narrative, and unforgettable characters that carry it.
A Remaster That Stays True to Its Roots
After roughly six hours on PlayStation 5, the verdict is clear: The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered remains The Witcher 3. CD Projekt Red’s extensive list of fixes and improvements are welcome additions, but they do not transform the title into a spotless modern exemplar of gameplay. It persists as a flawed 2015 game, flaws that many players would argue are inseparable from its charm.
The experience is best illustrated by small moments. One early side quest, “Little Red,” has lingered with players for over a decade despite being easily overlooked. Set near the hamlet of Yantra—where players first meet Gaunter O’Dimm at the start of the Hearts of Stone expansion—it pits a local peasant against a band led by Little Red, who allegedly consorts with wolves. The witch hunter Berthram has exposed the bandits, and Geralt must choose whether to defend the villagers or let justice unfold on its own. Yet the game offers no cutscene as Berthram meets his fate; it simply skips ahead to Little Red rewarding Geralt with coin. Berthram himself carries no dialogue before or after. While CD Projekt Red never promised quest changes in the remaster, such gaps invite reflection on what a remaster should—and shouldn’t—touch.
These are hallmarks of The Witcher 3’s design: many elements feel sketched rather than finished. Some omissions cut deeper, as with the infamously buggy “Gangs of Novigrad” quest, while others simply fail to meet expectations, like “Brothers in Arms.” The Remastered update leaves these quests untouched, concentrating instead on mechanical refinements spanning graphics, animations, combat, movement, mount handling, and user interface.
An Overhaul of Abilities and Combat
Combat and character progression have never been the franchise’s strongest suits, and while the update addresses certain aspects of both—marking a genuine improvement over the original—it stops short of delivering a wholly new experience. Players who disliked the fighting system will find little reason to change their minds.
The smoothness and responsiveness of the controls have been greatly improved, but sometimes Geralt still moves like he has way too much pent-up energy—those Witcher brews must be potent. On the other hand, Roach received far more attention, and horse-riding no longer feels like a nightmare.
Polygon review
The camera now follows Geralt properly as he rolls across the battlefield, an action that remains the foundation of combat regardless. Abilities have been restructured into a proper tree, replacing the original’s notoriously horizontal progression with faster-to-unlock options. It was a substantial overhaul—many abilities were removed and replaced—but it still does not fully resolve the rigidity that plagued the launch version, largely because combat itself remains repetitive.
If graphics are the headline feature of any remaster, this one delivers. Building on the 2022 Ray Tracing update, CD Projekt Red gave The Witcher 3 a fresh appearance that shines particularly in its 60 fps Ray Tracing mode. Even on a standard PS5, the upgraded visuals register through subtle details like shadows and environmental effects as well as flashier touches such as new animations for Witcher signs, parries, and finishers.
A Game That Belongs to Its Time
If The Witcher 3 launched today—even with modernized graphics and the remaster’s updates—there is little doubt it would face harsh scrutiny from a hyper-critical community. The reactions to the first gameplay footage offer a preview of how such a release might be received, reflecting a broader trend of negativity on social media where players often spend more time criticizing games than playing them.
The era has shifted as well. In 2015, players could lose themselves for hours in worlds like those of The Witcher 3, Skyrim, and Fallout 4; today, even finding time to play—and write about—requires considerable effort. This is not merely a matter of age but of an industry whose digital landscape rarely allows games the grace period once afforded to Michelangelo’s “unfinished” masterpieces.
Looking Ahead
The remastered edition arrives with numerous improvements, yet it does not alter the fundamental nature of the game—and for many, that is precisely its appeal. The Witcher 3’s faults allow its strengths to shine more brightly, standing as reminders of the human limitations that give every work of art its uniqueness and lasting memorability.
For those who never connected with the title at launch, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered is unlikely to change their minds. For everyone else, CD Projekt Red has delivered a refined yet recognizably imperfect classic: sharpen your swords, brew your potions, and answer the call of the Path.
2 comments