Haven’t revisited The Witcher 3 since its upgrade? The ‘NextGen Edition’ mod enhances visuals on the latest version

Towards the end of 2022, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt rolled out a substantial upgrade for the latest generation of consoles, and it came at no extra charge for those who already owned the game on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. While PC users saw the most significant visual enhancements, this didn’t deter modders. Armed now with comprehensive modding tools, they’ve pushed the game’s textures and graphical elements beyond the initial upgrade. Enter Halk Hogan’s ‘The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition,’ which ups the ante even further.

Halk Hogan, the mastermind behind this project, has been laboring over this mod for quite a while. As per his description, it “enhances and overhauls a vast number of game assets, including textures, models, materials, and more,” chalking up changes in the thousands. The download tips the scales at nearly 12GB, so there’s no embellishment there. And just in case you’re wondering about the legitimacy, it’s got CD Projekt Red’s nod of approval.

While quirky mods like Geralt the Centaur have their charm, most players are keen on experiencing the ultimate version of such a modern open-world gem. Given that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim from 2011 is still thriving with outstanding mods rolling out every day, you can certainly anticipate that CD Projekt Red’s RPG gem will continue to inspire impressive mods, whether they stick to the lore or not, for many years.

Before diving into the mod page to check if your PC is ready for the task, it’s well worth your time to watch at least part of the extensive 15-minute video Halk Hogan released a few days ago. It dives into various updates to models, textures, and a variety of game assets:

[Watch on YouTube – Image from YouTube thumbnail]

As demonstrated, this mod doesn’t just enhance object clarity. The overall geometry of the scenery is more intricate, with noticeable improvements even in the LOD details. Although The Witcher 3’s official next-gen update introduced ray tracing along with a slew of high-tech graphical boosts, it was always puzzling how some of the more straightforward presentation elements weren’t refreshed.

Thanks to Halk Hogan’s mod, the game now looks more uniformly polished. Since it functions as a straightforward ‘replacement’ mod, it’s expected to be compatible with mods tweaking other game areas. Interestingly, it works with the older game version and impacts FPS minimally, provided you have extra video memory available. It’s not like one of those super intense ENB presets.

Even if you’re playing the console version, revisiting the game for its upcoming tenth anniversary next year sounds like a great idea—especially since the next installment in the Witcher series has just moved into full-scale production, setting it still a few years off.