The Witcher 3 Remastered has insane PC Path Tracing requirements
The Witcher 3 Remastered’s official PC system requirements use Frame Generation to reach 60 FPS with path tracing
CD Projekt Red has released detailed PC system requirements for The Witcher 3 Remastered. These new hardware requirements detail The Witcher 3’s expected PC performance with and without ray tracing, as well as with path tracing enabled at 4K. To achieve 4K 60 FPS with path tracing, CD Projekt Red calls for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card with DLSS and Frame Generation enabled, which has angered many PC gamers.
Simply put, PC gamers view using Frame Generation to hit a 60 FPS target negatively. It means that a game is running at a real 30 FPS, resulting in poor input latency. Furthermore, Frame Generation itself impacts input latency, making matters worse. For most PC gamers, this configuration would make games feel unresponsive, especially if they are used to gaming at higher framerates.
The Witcher 3 Remastered contains more advanced ray tracing, new graphical features, and support for modern upscalers. This includes DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR 4 and Intel XeSS 2.0. Nvidia users can also utilise DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction. With this performance target for an RTX 5080, many gamers have argued that The Witcher 3’s new path tracing mode is too demanding for current-generation hardware. Others have argued that CD Projekt Red should have recommended more suitable hardware (an Nvidia RTX 5090), or targeted 1440p 60 FPS (without frame generation) for its path tracing hardware requirements.
A huge improvement for The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 Remastered brings The Witcher series up to date with new gameplay features, improved animations, and a long list of other tweaks. Visually, the game still looks fantastic. That said, the game is from 2015, and some aspects of its visuals date it. Regardless, this Remaster is a huge upgrade for The Witcher 3, and the fact that it’s free makes it a must-download for fans of the series.
This new DLC lays the groundwork for The Witcher 3’s upcoming “Songs of the Past” DLC, which is due to release in 2027. While the game’s new path tracing requirements are high, the game runs much faster with standard ray tracing and even faster without it. You won’t need an RTX 5080 to play this game at 4K 60 FPS.
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