The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Edition Physical Release Set for January 26: Details

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's new-gen edition is getting a physical copy release later this week. Starting January 26, stores around the world — including India — will house box editions of the critically-acclaimed RPG, for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The announcement comes shortly after CD Projekt Red launched the much-delayed next-gen version (now, current-gen) of the game as a digital upgrade across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X in December. Key highlights entailed improved visuals with ray-tracing support, a photo mode, faster load times on console, and a variety of mods being integrated into the package.

India is among the first group of countries to receive physical copies of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's new-gen versions, alongside the US, the UK, France, and the majority of Europe. Pre-orders in India are now live over on GamesTheShop, at Rs. 2,999 for either platform. Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, however, will only be getting a PS5 release on January 26. Australia and New Zealand get their share on January 27, whilst South American countries get theirs on January 31. Japan is scheduled to get only a PS5 version release much later, on February 9, while the Brazil release date is still to be decided. You can read more information on availability on the official CD Projekt Red website.

The Witcher 3's latest version brings a ton of visual flair and quality-of-life changes to appeal to a new generation of gamers. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X versions come with graphics settings that let players pick between 60fps performance and 30fps quality modes, with the latter prioritising visual fidelity over smoother frames. (Ray tracing is off the table for the Series S version.) The edition also includes CD Projekt Red's long-overdue Netflix's The Witcher series-inspired content, which adds a unique questline into the mix. Completing the same grants players gear inspired by Henry Cavill's portrayal in the show, in addition to optional costumes for other lead characters and the Nilfgaardian soldiers. A highly-tweakable photo mode, in the vein of their much-recent Cyberpunk 2077, is also included.

Character models are heavily improved across the game, and it adds a new optional over-the-shoulder camera for Geralt, akin to God of War (2018) and Batman: Arkham Knight. Then there are map filters that help get rid of any pesky question marks or icons cluttering the map, drawing heavily from open-world titles such as Elden Ring and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Reduced map markers add a new sense of wonder and curiosity when exploring The Continent. The update also lets you pause the game during cutscenes now, a feature that was unavailable in the original release.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update is out now across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. Physical (CD) editions will be available starting January 26, for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.