Around September 23, 2026 (local time), CD PROJEKT RED posted an official comparison video on its channels, placing the original and remastered versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt side by side. With the free update just days away on September 29, the clip instead triggered a wave of fan backlash arguing that "the original actually looks better."
The trouble started with the format itself: the video showed the same scene from the original and the remaster placed next to each other. Rather than showcasing improvements as intended, many viewers said the remastered side looked worse, and the criticism snowballed from there. The video carried an on-screen disclaimer — "Work in progress. Does not represent the final look of the game." — but that did little to calm the reaction.
Most of the criticism focused on lighting, color, and atmosphere. Viewers pointed out that the drowners (the game's aquatic monsters) now look unnaturally shiny, almost metallic, and that firelight no longer casts its old reddish reflection across the water. Others said the overall fog had thinned out and the color had been drained, leaving what one commenter called a "sterilized" look.
According to GameY's reporting, top comments on the official post included reactions like "why does it look worse," "did you accidentally swap the original and remastered footage," and "why did you strip out the color and fog." One user wrote that "the lighting and clarity in the new footage are good, but the reddish tone and filter of the old version were better." At the same time, opinion wasn't unanimous — on the Witcher 3 subreddit, some users said they preferred the new fire effects, so reactions were mixed rather than one-sided. Even so, a good number of comments singled out the choice of comparison scene itself as a poor pick.
Timing made the backlash sting more. Per GameY's reporting, the remaster will be a free upgrade for anyone who already owns The Witcher 3 on the relevant platform, arriving September 29 alongside the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions. With only four days to go before release, the studio's own promotional comparison video ended up working against it.
The remaster was first announced on August 25, targeting PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Battle.net), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. At the same event, CD Projekt Red also gave the first details on a new expansion, Songs of the Past, planned for 2027.
Since the clip is explicitly labeled work-in-progress, there's still room for the final build to look different. How it actually holds up will only become clear once the September 29 update goes live.
Source: GameY (게임와이), published 2026.09.26 12:45 (updated 12:52)
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