The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: CD Projekt RED shares an accessibility update for the Remaster

CD Projekt RED is not content with simply making The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt look better. With the new Remastered edition, the Polish studio is also revisiting several aspects of the original experience that, more than eleven years later, can feel cumbersome or less accessible, introducing a range of options designed to better adapt the adventure to players’ needs.

During several deep-dive presentations held at Gamescom, the developers showcased some of the new accessibility features in greater detail, going well beyond simply increasing text size. The goal appears to be reducing the number of actions required to perform frequently repeated tasks while also reducing the amount of information displayed on screen.

One of the most interesting changes concerns the interface. The map, journal, and quest-tracking system will be connected in a much more streamlined way, allowing players, for example, to display the objectives of quests they are not actively tracking on the map and quickly access the relevant information in the journal.

The game will also be able to remember the last section of the menu used, avoiding the need to repeat the same navigation path through the various screens every time. Notifications have also been redesigned: when completing a quest, rewards, consequences, and other related information can be grouped into a single notification, rather than filling the screen with a sequence of separate messages.

Particular attention has also been given to loot. In the original The Witcher 3, information about collected items could disappear very quickly, making it difficult to read. In the Remastered edition, items will instead be placed in a sort of queue, giving each one enough time to be displayed, with the addition of icons that should make them easier to identify at a glance.

But CD Projekt RED has also decided to drastically reduce the number of inputs required. Players will be able to collect nearby items simultaneously, enable automatic looting for defeated enemies, and even gather resources while Geralt is riding Roach.

The changes will also affect combat and movement. The camera will dynamically adjust its distance during combat to help players spot nearby enemies, while Geralt will maintain a slight focus on opponents, making it easier to attack moving targets. Mounting and dismounting Roach should also feel faster and more natural.

Tutorials are being reworked as well, representing one of the areas where the original edition showed its age most clearly. CD Projekt RED wants to avoid long sequences of informational windows appearing one after another: explanations will instead be introduced at more appropriate moments, with fewer tutorials and clearer text, allowing players to absorb the information before receiving anything new.

One of the most notable additions is Bard’s Ballad, an accessibility preset primarily designed to reduce cognitive load. Activating it automatically applies several settings, including some already present in the game and others that are entirely new. Among the options showcased are enhanced vitality regeneration, with the ability to determine when it activates and at what intensity, infinite underwater breath, unlimited equipment and boat durability, as well as the ability to ignore item weight and automatically loot corpses. Automatic application of oils is also included.

A particularly important detail concerns Trophies and Achievements: using these options will not prevent players from unlocking them. The developers want to treat accessibility options as tools available to everyone, without penalizing those who choose to use them to make the adventure better suited to their needs.

The full accessibility menu has not yet been shown, and some features, such as changes to control remapping, are still being finalized. What has been revealed so far, however, points to a substantial overhaul, consistent with the philosophy behind the entire remaster: CD Projekt RED explained that it asked itself what The Witcher 3 would look like if it were being released for the first time in 2026, addressing the small points of friction that have accumulated over the years.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered will launch on September 29, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, and will be available as a free upgrade for existing owners. The new version will also pave the way for Songs of the Past, the new expansion scheduled for 2027.