The Witcher 3 on Switch 2 to receive a patch to sharpen the image and catch up

CD Projekt RED has confirmed that it is working on a new update for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered. As reported by Vandal, the goal is twofold: to raise image quality, with a particular focus on sharpness, and to resolve several issues the community has been pointing out since the game landed on the hybrid console on 29 September.

The timing of the announcement is no coincidence. The Polish studio made it public just as it was rolling out patch 5.01 on PS5, Xbox Series and PC, an update packed with technical and gameplay fixes that the Switch 2 version has yet to receive. It matters because, for the time being, Nintendo users have been left a step behind, and because CD Projekt RED promises not only to level the playing field but also to add improvements designed exclusively for Nintendo's hardware.

What you need to know

• A Switch 2-specific patch: CD Projekt RED is preparing a dedicated update for the Nintendo version of The Witcher 3 Remastered.
• Sharper image and fewer bugs: the update aims to improve image quality and fix issues reported by players since the 29 September launch.
• 5.01 is already out on the other platforms: PS5, Xbox Series and PC have received numerous technical and gameplay fixes that have not yet reached Switch 2.
• Bringing the versions closer together: the studio wants to bring the same general changes to Switch 2, along with console-exclusive tweaks.
• No firm date: the information published by Vandal does not mention when the patch will arrive on Switch 2.

What changes and who it affects

A version that launched with unfinished business

The remastered edition of The Witcher 3 arrived on Switch 2 at the end of September and, since then, part of the community has reported problems that CD Projekt RED is now acknowledging publicly. The fact that the studio itself talks about improving sharpness suggests that the visual presentation on Nintendo's console is one of the areas with the most room for improvement. That is not unusual on portable hardware, where balancing resolution, performance and battery life forces decisions that simply do not exist on a home console.

Anyone who owns the game on Switch 2 will have to wait, for now, to enjoy the same fixes already available on the other platforms. The good news is that the studio's commitment is real and on the table; the bad news is that there is no timeline to tell us how long that wait will last.

Patch 5.01 sets the course

The 5.01 update that has just launched on PS5, Xbox Series and PC serves as a reference for what should be coming to Switch 2. According to Vandal, it is a broad package of technical and gameplay fixes, which suggests that the game's shared foundation still had quite a few rough edges to smooth out after the remaster's launch. On top of that general block, CD Projekt RED will add improvements exclusive to Nintendo's console, with image sharpness as the headline feature.

Our take

At Underworld Lordz we see this announcement with a mix of relief and scepticism. Relief because CD Projekt RED is not abandoning the Switch 2 version, something we have seen far too often with third-party ports that arrive on Nintendo, sell, and are then forgotten. Scepticism because the message comes with no date, no concrete details about what exactly "improving sharpness" means and, above all, at a time when players on the other platforms already have patch 5.01 in their hands. Promises are cheap; what counts is when and how they are delivered.

For content creators, the details matter more than they might seem. If you record or stream from Switch 2, a blurry image hurts the final material far more than an occasional frame drop, and as things stand today that version is not the one you would choose to showcase the game. If you plan to produce content for The Witcher 3 Remastered, our recommendation is to do it on PC, PS5 or Xbox Series until the patch arrives, and to keep the handheld for playing for fun or for comparing versions once the update is available.

There is an underlying debate worth not dodging: the remaster's launch on Switch 2 came with visible problems that the studio has to fix weeks later. We welcome the fact that they acknowledge it and act on it, but we also believe the community should demand that Nintendo ports launch in proper shape from day one, rather than being patched up along the way. A Switch 2 with late patches is a Switch 2 that will keep being seen as the secondary platform for multiplatform releases, and that benefits no one.

What do you think?

We want to know how your experience with The Witcher 3 Remastered on Switch 2 has been and whether CD Projekt RED's promise feels like enough or comes too late. Would you wait for the patch before starting Geralt's adventure on the handheld, or would you rather play now on another platform? Tell us in the team chat or on our Discord.