In the September 29, 2026 PC release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered, Path Tracing is a new graphics option, not a guaranteed visual upgrade over the earlier ray-tracing feature set. It can change lighting and reflections, but TechSpot found mixed results and generally preferred RT in the scenes it examined. Path Tracing is also demanding: in TechSpot’s launch-period 4K test with Performance upscaling, an RTX 5090 averaged 59 FPS, an RTX 5080 43 FPS, and an RTX 5070 Ti 40 FPS.
What is the difference in The Witcher 3 Remastered?
First, check the build being compared. The 2022 next-gen update offered ray-traced global illumination (RTGI) and ambient occlusion, with optional ray-traced reflections and shadows on compatible PC hardware. The 2026 Remastered PC release adds a Path Tracing option alongside its updated rendering and upscaling features. A comparison that omits the build may be comparing different sets of effects, rather than two toggles in the same version. See the 2022 next-gen feature notes and the Remastered patch notes.
The available descriptions confirm that Remastered supports Path Tracing, but do not provide a developer technical breakdown of exactly how every effect is implemented. It is safer to compare what you can see in a matched scene than to assume the label alone guarantees a particular result.
Does Path Tracing look better?
Not consistently. TechSpot’s visual review found the result mixed and generally preferred the older RT presentation in the scenes it examined. It noted that some faces looked flatter or overexposed with Path Tracing. Those observations are a reviewer judgment about particular scenes, not a universal image-quality score; preference can depend on the scene and on how the lighting suits the game’s art direction.
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For a useful comparison, capture the same location and camera position with the same weather, time of day, game build, output resolution, and image settings. Include interiors and exteriors, faces, foliage, reflective surfaces, and transitions between light and shadow. Look separately at observable details—such as reflection stability, shadow detail, indirect light, and highlight behavior—and at the subjective question of which image you prefer.
How much performance does Path Tracing cost?
TechSpot’s September 29, 2026 launch-period benchmark tested Remastered with RT Ultra plus Path Tracing at 4K output resolution and Performance upscaling. Its reported averages were:
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| GPU | Average FPS | Test context |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | 59 | TechSpot, 2026; RT Ultra plus Path Tracing, 4K, Performance upscaling |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 | 43 | TechSpot, 2026; RT Ultra plus Path Tracing, 4K, Performance upscaling |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 40 | TechSpot, 2026; RT Ultra plus Path Tracing, 4K, Performance upscaling |
These are averages from one test setup, not guaranteed results for every system or part of the game. TechSpot also reported unusual performance caps and GPU scaling behavior; its observations should not be assumed to apply to every scene, system, or later build. The figures are launch-period measurements. The official Remastered notes list October 1 hotfixes, but no post-hotfix retest is established here, so there is no basis to claim those updates changed these benchmark results.
Results at other settings are not directly interchangeable with the 4K table. In TechSpot’s 1080p test with Quality upscaling, tested GeForce cards reached a ceiling around 61–62 FPS, while the Radeon RX 9070 XT reached 43 FPS. At 1440p with Balanced upscaling, the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 reached 59 FPS and the RTX 5070 Ti reached 57 FPS. Resolution, upscaler mode, hardware, scene, and build all affect the outcome.
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What PC hardware does the 4K Path Tracing target call for?
CD PROJEKT RED’s published target, reported by PC Gamer, is 2160p at 60 FPS with frame generation and DLSS, using an RTX 5080 and either a Core i9-13900K or Ryzen 7 9800X3D. This is a target, not a guarantee or a minimum requirement for playing the game. The available report does not specify the DLSS mode or frame-generation multiplier behind it. See PC Gamer’s Remastered system-requirements report.
NVIDIA separately advertises up to 385 FPS at 4K on an RTX 5090 using DLSS 4.5 6X Multi Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction. That is NVIDIA’s vendor claim and a generated frame-rate figure; it should not be compared directly with TechSpot’s average FPS results without accounting for the different method and generation setting. NVIDIA’s announcement is at GeForce: The Witcher 3 Remastered Path Tracing and DLSS performance.
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How to make an apples-to-apples comparison
- Use the same game build, scene, camera position, weather, and time of day.
- Keep output resolution, graphics preset, and RT or Path Tracing settings consistent with the comparison you intend to make.
- Record the upscaler and its mode, plus whether frame generation is on and which setting is used.
- Use the same hardware and driver where possible; if hardware differs, identify each system clearly.
- Report average FPS and low-percentile performance when available, and distinguish rendered frames from generated frames.
Without those details, a higher FPS number may reflect a different resolution, upscaling mode, or frame-generation setting—not a more efficient rendering option.
Does the PC Path Tracing comparison apply to consoles?
No. The Remastered notes identify Path Tracing as a PC feature. The console feature list instead describes Ray Tracing Mode and Performance Mode. For PlayStation, the notes list both modes as targeting 60 FPS, with up to 90 FPS on VRR-capable displays; PS5 Pro supports PSSR and VRR. These are the Remastered notes’ targets, not measurements from TechSpot’s PC benchmark.
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The older 2022 next-gen update used different console targets: Ray Tracing Mode used RTGI and ambient occlusion with dynamic resolution targeting 30 FPS, while Performance Mode targeted 60 FPS. The notes listed no ray-tracing features for Xbox Series S. Those historical figures do not describe Remastered console performance. Patch 4.01 also illustrates that the earlier PC RTGI implementation had a performance-versus-quality trade-off: its performance mode prioritized frame rate over range and precision, while the publisher said console RTGI was optimized. See the Patch 4.01 notes.
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