The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered will be launching tomorrow on both PC and console as an entirely free update. With around 45GB of content, it’s much more than a simple graphical update, and CD Projekt RED Executive Producer Jakub Kutrzuba even claims that it’s “hard to go back” to the original after spending time with the remaster. But is it harder to run?

In a recent interview, Kutrzuba admitted that the remaster is “also quite heavy, maybe even heavier on the technical side,” so there may be concerns over its performance – especially on lower-end systems such as Valve’s popular Steam Deck. However, Steam Deck HQ has had early access to the remaster and says it’s “still a blast” on the handheld system.

The Witcher 3 Remastered tested early on Steam Deck

Thanks to CDPR, I was given the chance to try this new update out early to not only check out all of the changes, but to see how Steam Deck performance has changed. With the updated visuals, I expected it would be harder to run, so I wanted to see just how much harder it gets. Now, I’ve had the chance to check it out and go back and forth, and I’m pleased that my worry was a little unwarranted.

Noah Kupetsky, Steam Deck HQ

We recommend checking out SDHQ’s full review if you want more comparison screenshots, but the game looks miles better on the new remastered version, with fewer compromises being made on the default Steam Deck preset, resulting in a stark contrast between the two versions, especially as far as lighting goes. According to the review, the remaster defaults to FSR turned on, Screen Space Ambient Occlusion on GTAO/High, and Screen Space Shadows on, with most other settings low and ray tracing off.

Based on comparisons shared in SDHQ’s review, we can see that performance has dropped with the new default preset, but “I would definitely still consider it playable,” says reviewer Noah Kupetsky, with a consistent 40+ FPS. We’re curious to see what further optimizations could be made at the expense of the improved visuals; below, we’ve compared the FPS drops in each screenshot shared.

• Cutscene with dialogue options: 56 -> 50 FPS
• Forest scene: 58 – > 49 FPS
• Outdoor scene by river: 55 -> 51 FPS
• Village setting with NPCs: 57 -> 46 FPS

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.