The Witcher 3’s long-delayed upgrade is finally coming

By Joseph Yaden May 19, 2022

The current-gen edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which will upgrade the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, will now launch in the fourth quarter of 2022 according to a tweet from developer CD Projekt Red.

This comes on the seventh anniversary of the original game’s release in May 2015. It’s still unclear when the current-gen version will launch, but we can expect it by the end of the year — hopefully in time for the holidays.

Let's make this 7th anniversary even better, shall we?

We're delighted to share that the Next Gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is planned to release in Q4 2022.

See you on the Path, witchers! pic.twitter.com/2wQbxMP4zh

— The Witcher (@witchergame) May 19, 2022

This isn’t the first time CD Projekt Red has announced a release window for the current-gen edition of the game. Initially, The Witcher 3 was supposed to come to PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2021 but was delayed to the second quarter of 2022. This was due to “recommendations supplied by teams supervising the development” of the project.

Then, earlier this year, the developer delayed the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version yet again, “until further notice,” bringing the project in-house from developer Saber Interactive. This is the team behind the Nintendo Switch version of the acclaimed RPG. Evidently, development wasn’t going as expected, but it seems CD Projekt feels confident enough to commit to a release window later this year.

The current-gen version of the game will support ray tracing and will feature faster load times, along with other visual improvements. Anyone who already owns the previous-gen edition will gain access to the new version at no additional cost.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the most acclaimed games of all time. It also performed well commercially, reaching over 40 million copies sold since its launch in 2015. The new version of the game will bolster its sales even further, whenever it does come to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…

Gaming

One of the best games of the year is finally coming to Xbox next month

Minthara in Baldur's Gate 3.

Larian Studios confirmed that the Xbox version of Baldur's Gate 3 will still be coming out this year by announcing its December release window.

"Xbox players, we hear you’re looking for more news on Baldur’s Gate 3. The game is on track for a December release," Larian Studios stated on X (formerly Twitter). There's no specific release date yet, but Larian's tweet reveals when we'll learn more. "We’ll see you at The Game Awards for the World Premiere of the exact release date," the developer teased. Geoff Keighley's video game award show takes place every December and is always full of announcements in addition to awards. The show is shaping up to be a big one for Baldur's Gate 3, as it's nominated in nine categories -- including Game of the Year and Best RPG -- and will have its December release date revealed there.

Gaming

Is Baldur’s Gate 3 coming to Xbox?

A mage holding a flaming object.

After years in early access only on PC, Baldur's Gate 3 is finally here in its final state. This CRPG has the internet buzzing about just how long and varied the experience can be. What's even better is that it can be played in co-op, though with limited cross-platform features. Those looking at the game may notice that there is only ever mention of a PC and PlayStation 5 version, which obviously raises the question about Xbox consoles. Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't have any exclusivity deal with PlayStation, so why isn't it on Xbox, and will it ever be?
Will Baldur's Gate 3 come to Xbox?
https://twitter.com/Cromwelp/status/1685821620756021249?s=20

The latest update from Larian states that it will be able to release Baldur's Gate 3 on Series X and S sometime before the end of 2023, but with the S version not having split-screen coop.

Gaming

Baldur’s Gate 3 drops Series S splitscreen support to release on Xbox in 2023

Jaheira in Baldur's Gate 3.

Larian Studios promises to release Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series X/S later this year after pushing the game back because of performance problems on Xbox Series S.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC and will come out for PS5 on September 6, but an Xbox Series X/S version won't be available for a little bit longer. In a July 2023 community update, developer Larian Studios explained that this is because it needed "to ensure that the game is performing without compromise across the entire Xbox X/S ecosystem, in multiplayer and with split-screen. The Xbox Series X version was running fine, but the Xbox Series S version of the game was struggling a lot more. The Xbox versions of Baldur's Gate 3 didn't have a release window until now, when Larian Studios co-founder Swen Vincke took to X to confirm it'd come to Xbox platforms before the end of the year. That said, it will exclude one notable feature.
"Super happy to confirm that after meeting [Phil Spencer] yesterday, we’ve found a solution that allows us to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox players this year still, something we’ve been working towards for quite some time," Vincke wrote. "All improvements will be there, with split-screen coop on Series X. Series S will not feature split-screen co-op, but will also include cross-save progression between Steam and Xbox Series."
Thankfully, it looks like Xbox players won't have to wait too much longer to play this excellent game, but it will be one of the first games to notably drop a major feature between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions. This follows comments by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer where he said he doesn't believe Microsoft will drop support for Xbox Series S in the foreseeable future. "I want to make sure games are available on both, that's our job as a platform holder and we're committed to that with our partners," Spencer told Eurogamer. "And I think we're gonna get there with Larian. So I'm not overly worried about that, but we've learned some stuff through it. Having an entry-level price point for console, sub-$300, is a good thing for the industry."

Baldur's Gate 3 is available now for PC, launches for PS5 on September 6, and will finally come out for Xbox Series X/S before the end of 2023.