Haven’t Revisited The Witcher 3 Post-Upgrade? Enhance the Visuals with the ‘NextGen Edition’ Mod on the Latest Version

Towards the end of 2022, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt got a hefty update for next-gen consoles—well, these days, they’re actually current-gen. And the best part? It was free for anyone who already owned the game on PS4, Xbox One, or PC. While the PC version naturally saw the most striking visual enhancements, this hasn’t deterred the ever-creative modding community. Now equipped with advanced modding tools, modders are enhancing the game’s visuals even further. Leading the charge is Halk Hogan’s ‘The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition,’ which pushes the graphics to stunning new heights.

The creator of the mod has put in a lot of hard work over the years, aiming to "improve and rework a massive amount of game assets," including textures, models, materials, and much more. We’re talking about changes that are too numerous to count! Weighing in at nearly 12GB, the download is no small feat, and it’s certainly living up to its ambitious claims. And if you’re wondering whether CD Projekt Red is on board, they are indeed supportive of this project.

While quirky mods like turning Geralt into a centaur are fun to tinker with, most gamers are eager for the most refined version of this open-world classic. Much like Skyrim from 2011, which continues to receive astonishing mods even today, CD Projekt Red’s RPG powerhouse is destined for a similar future of captivating, lore-friendly, and sometimes wildly imaginative mods.

Before you dive into the mod’s dedicated page and check if your PC can handle it, it’s worth spending a few minutes watching the comprehensive 15-minute video Halk Hogan shared recently. This video gives a thorough rundown of all the different changes made to models, textures, and other assets:

Watch on YouTube

As demonstrated, this mod doesn’t merely sharpen up the visuals. The landscape’s geometry is significantly refined, with even the Level of Detail (LOD) enhancements being quite evident. Although the official current-gen update of The Witcher 3 introduced ray tracing and numerous high-end graphical updates, some of the more fundamental visual elements were left unaltered, which felt a bit unusual.

With Halk Hogan’s mod, the whole aesthetic feels much more unified. It’s a straightforward ‘replacement’ mod, meaning it should work smoothly alongside other mods that tweak different aspects of the game. Impressively, it also functions with the game’s older iteration, impacting frame rates minimally as long as there’s enough video memory available. So, don’t expect it to be as taxing as some ENB presets out there.

Even if your gaming platform is a console, revisiting The Witcher 3 in honor of its upcoming tenth anniversary might be just what you need, especially with the next installment in the series now moving into full-scale production. Of course, it’s still going to be a while before that’s ready for our eager hands.