Relive the “perfect opening” in “The Witcher 3: Remastered,” now more beautiful, engaging, and accessible. White Orchard has never looked better! [Gameplay Report]

In 2015, *The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt*, a masterpiece RPG, swept the Game of the Year award, beating out a host of other great titles released that year.

With its wide-ranging story branches, dramatic yet easy-to-follow cutscenes, compelling characters, and monster battles that require meticulous preparation to win, this title—a true blueprint for RPGs—captivated countless gamers.

And now, 11 years later, the remaster has finally arrived.

In addition to revamped graphics and lighting, the remaster is packed with updates that fans will love, including improved animations for Geralt and monsters, a simplified UI, and the addition of new finishing moves.

So, I decided to fire up the game for the first time in a while. In this article, I’ll share my playthrough report of the remastered version. (For this article, I received a Steam key from CD PROJEKT RED.)

First, I looked out over the world from Kaer Morhen. It’s so beautiful it made me involuntarily exclaim, “Whoa!” I was already impressed when I played it on PS4 back then, but this remaster has made it incredibly stunning.

For reference, I’ve included images of the game before and after the remaster, taken on my PC without adjusting any settings.

Comparing them like this, it seems that the ray tracing improvements have given the scene a softer, more atmospheric feel overall, and the shadows don’t appear quite as harsh.

Geralt wakes from his nap and returns to his quest to find Yennefer.

Together with Uncle Vesemir, he gazes at the sunset over White Orchard. It’s mesmerizing to watch the clouds drifting across the sky.

When he heads to the tavern in pursuit of Yennefer, he finds a man named Gunter Audim there. His cocky attitude makes him seem untrustworthy, but it appears he knows Yennefer. For those who’ve already beaten the game, this is a moment to chuckle to yourself every time you replay it.

While the outdoor scenery is beautiful, the interior has very little lighting—you’re relying solely on the light streaming through the windows and the flickering of candlelight. Shadows fall across Geralt and his companions’ faces, making the dialogue scenes feel even more somber.

The movement of horses and other characters has improved significantly. While they don’t move quite as fluidly as in the latest action games, it feels more intuitive than before. For those who preferred the previous system, there’s an option to revert to the old settings.

The combat camera has also been revamped. Previously, the camera stayed fairly far back during any battle, but now it dynamically adjusts based on your distance from enemies.

Battles against ghouls also feel more intense. When enemies are positioned on opposite sides of Geralt, the camera might suddenly swing all the way to the other side, so this might be a matter of personal preference.

Above all, the realism of the distant scenery and lighting is in a league of its own. This has always been a game where you spend a lot of time wandering through the great outdoors, and while I’ve often been enchanted by the moonlight and the morning glow, this remaster has taken those elements to a whole new level.

The presence of the moon peeking through the clouds and the indescribably perfect sheen of the ground reflecting its light… If you have a good graphics card, you should definitely try out features like ray tracing.

So, on to the battle against the White Orchard boss, the Royal Griffin.

What really stood out to me with this upgrade was the realism of the enemies’ movements. In previous versions of *The Witcher 3*, it was hard to gauge enemy attack ranges and tell when an attack was coming, so I’d end up taking hits from claw attacks that I should have been able to dodge.

This time, the enemies’ movements are more exaggerated, bringing the combat system closer to the “Souls-like” style and making the game feel more satisfying as an action title.

That said, since it’s still *The Witcher 3*’s combat system at its core, it’s not as though everything has been completely revamped to the point of being mind-blowing.

Just as I’d gathered information on Yennefer and was about to set off for Vizima, I got into a pointless fight and ended up in a brawl with the locals. It was a full-blown brawl in the tavern.

In White Orchard, you’ll experience plenty of tragic and bitter stories through local side quests, heroically defeat monsters to earn a pittance from Nilfgaard, and finally commit a spectacular murder that makes the locals take a dim view of you… It’s the perfect early game that lets you experience the life of a Witcher to the fullest.

Just playing through the White Orchard chapter alone was more than enough to fully appreciate the true value of this remaster.

From here on out, I’ll be venturing through Novigrad, Skellige, and Toussaint—and I’m sure I’ll be taking a mountain of screenshots. Maybe I’ll go for the bold choices this time…?

Even 11 years later, there are still new discoveries to be made—it’s undeniably a masterpiece. If you haven’t played it yet, why not take this opportunity to give it a try?

"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered" is now available on PC (Steam/GOG.com/Battle.net),PS5,XBOX Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.