The Witcher 3 Remastered: what's new, and why it scored 94
The Witcher 3 Remastered is free for owners and scored 94 on Metacritic, above the original's 92. The full list of changes, what critics said, and the caveat.
Stated by the maker, publisher, or platform holder.
An eleven-year-old game is now the best-reviewed release of 2026. The Witcher 3 Remastered landed on 29 September as a free update, and it's scored 94 on Metacritic. The original scored 92 in 2015.
There's one caveat worth knowing before quoting that number, and we'll get to it.
What's confirmed
What's new
There's also a new accessibility preset, "Bard's Ballad," with infinite durability, unlimited breath, and a toggle for Witcher Senses, plus a Ukrainian localisation.
The caveat
The 94 on PC came from only nine reviews when GamesRadar+ reported it. The original game's PC score was built on 79. Metacritic scores built on a handful of reviews can move as more come in, so treat "best of the year" as where it stands today, not a final result.
What critics praised
The consensus is that it's now the definitive version. GamingBolt gave it a 9 and called it "the definitive way to play The Witcher 3." Push Square gave it a 10, calling it "still an RPG masterpiece," and singled out movement: Geralt is "far more responsive when it comes to turning, sprinting, and stopping." Press Start called the Switch 2 version "a fantastic achievement."
What didn't change
Push Square, for all its praise, said the remaster doesn't bring "truly game-changing additions," and listed the old problems that remain: combat is still clunky in fights against several enemies, the new transmog feature unlocks late, and autosaves still cause brief hitches. On a base PS5, ray tracing runs at 30fps, which Push Square called a "questionable trade off."
Should you play it
Yes, if you've never played The Witcher 3. This is now the version to start with, and it costs the same as the game did before.
Worth a return, if you finished it years ago. The reworked skill tree and better movement change how it plays, but the story and quests are the same, so it's a replay, not a new game.
With Grand Theft Auto VI seven weeks away, be realistic about the time. Our autumn release rundown has the rest of the calendar.