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The Witcher 3 PC Graphics Settings: What to Lower for Smoother Performance

A careful starting order for improving Witcher 3 PC performance: test ray tracing or path tracing, HairWorks, foliage range and shadows, then resolution or upscaling.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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For smoother performance in The Witcher 3 on PC, first turn off ray tracing or path tracing if enabled, then disable HairWorks. If performance still falls short, lower foliage visibility range and shadow quality; reduce output resolution or try a supported upscaler after that. Change one option at a time and compare in the same scene: there is no verified setting-by-setting performance ranking for the 2026 Remastered release.

Start by identifying which version you are tuning

CD PROJEKT RED announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered in September 2026. Its PC additions include path tracing, NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 with Ray Reconstruction, AMD FSR 4 with Frame Generation and Anti-Lag 2 on Radeon RX 7000 Series and newer (FSR 2 is available on unsupported GPUs), Intel XeSS 2.0 with Frame Generation and Low Latency, and ray-traced HairWorks. The update also changes system requirements. If you are following an older guide, check that it applies to your game version and graphics options. CD PROJEKT RED’s Remastered announcement

These technologies and their availability depend on your hardware and selected mode. A recommendation for the older release should not be treated as a measured result for version 5.0.

Which settings should you lower first?

Use this order as a practical troubleshooting sequence, not a guaranteed ranking of frame-rate gains. Current official materials describe features and system-level targets but do not publish controlled, per-setting FPS differences for Remastered.

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  1. Turn off ray tracing or path tracing

    If either is active and your priority is frame rate, test with it off. Path tracing is a new Remastered feature, and the studio’s path-tracing QA target uses upscaling set to Auto and Frame Generation; those conditions matter when comparing performance. The available official information does not quantify how many frames disabling either option will recover on your PC. Remastered feature details; CD PROJEKT RED performance-target notes

  2. Disable HairWorks

    HairWorks adds detailed animated hair and fur. NVIDIA’s 2015 guide reported that action sequences in its historical test could lose 15–20 frames per second with HairWorks-enhanced actors. That is useful context for why the option is worth testing, but it is not a benchmark for Remastered version 5.0 and should not be read as a prediction for your system. NVIDIA GeForce’s historical HairWorks guide

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  3. Reduce foliage visibility range, then shadow quality

    Lower these if frame delivery remains uneven. Both are among the PC Ultra+ controls identified by CD PROJEKT RED. The current sources do not establish the individual FPS cost of either setting, so compare them separately rather than assuming one always matters more. CD PROJEKT RED’s next-gen graphics settings description

  4. Try a lower output resolution or supported upscaling mode

    Resolution has a documented effect on performance: CD PROJEKT RED warns that higher output resolution significantly affects FPS. If the earlier changes are not enough, test a lower output resolution or a supported upscaler and quality mode. Available upscalers and features vary by GPU and mode, and upscaling trades some image characteristics for performance; compare the result at your normal viewing distance. The studio’s RT and path-tracing QA targets use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS set to Auto, while other listed configurations use native resolution, so those targets are not directly comparable as if they shared the same rendering conditions. Remastered feature and compatibility details; Performance-target test conditions; Updated requirements and resolution note

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  5. Test other Ultra+ controls one at a time

    If you still need more headroom, try background characters, grass density, texture quality, terrain quality, water quality, or detail level. These controls appear in the official settings description, but current per-option costs are not established. Choose the visual compromise you notice least and keep the rest unchanged during each comparison. CD PROJEKT RED’s next-gen graphics settings description

How to compare changes without guessing

  1. Pick a repeatable scene

    Use the same location and activity for each comparison. Performance can change with the scene and gameplay, so a different area may make a setting change look more or less effective than it is. CD PROJEKT RED performance caveats

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  2. Record your starting conditions

    Note output resolution, graphics preset or individual settings, and whether ray tracing, an upscaler, or Frame Generation is active. Keep those conditions consistent except for the single option you are testing.

  3. Change one setting, then assess the result

    Check whether frame delivery improves enough to matter and whether the visual change is acceptable. If it does not help, restore the setting before testing another. This makes it easier to identify the compromise that works for your hardware.

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What the published performance figures can—and cannot—tell you

CD PROJEKT RED describes its expected FPS targets as QA-based and cautions that results vary with scene, system configuration, settings, and output resolution. Its RT Minimum, RT Recommended, and Path Tracing targets use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS set to Auto; the path-tracing configuration also enables Frame Generation. Other listed configurations use native resolution. These are system-level targets under different rendering conditions, not controlled measurements of the FPS saved by lowering a single option. CD PROJEKT RED’s target and testing-condition notes; Updated PC requirements

The only specific HairWorks figure cited here—15–20 FPS in action sequences—comes from NVIDIA’s 2015 testing of the earlier game, not the 2026 Remastered release. No current setting-by-setting Remastered benchmark is established by the cited material. NVIDIA GeForce’s historical guide

Keep system requirements separate from graphics tuning

CD PROJEKT RED says an SSD is required for Remastered’s latest technical enhancements, citing faster load times, smoother asset streaming, and improved overall performance. That is a stated system requirement, not a graphics option to lower or proof that storage is the right targeted fix for an individual frame-rate problem. Check the official updated PC requirements for the game’s requirements rather than treating this settings sequence as a substitute.

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