The Witcher 3 Remastered Is Still An Unfinished Masterpiece

Published Sep 28, 2026, 9:48 AM EDT The Witcher 3 is still an unfinished masterpiece, even with its revamped edition The Witcher 3 Remastered doesn’t fix the game’s flaws, and that’s a blessing Image: CD Projekt Red In 1550, the Italian artist and biographer Giorgio Vasari used the expression “non finito” (unfinished) to describe some of the works of Michelangelo Buonarroti that presented elements of incompleteness. Over the centuries that followed, many fellow artists and critics came to appreciate that quirk as a fundamental component of Michelangelo’s genius: For example, French painter Eugène Delacroix wrote in 1853 that the unfinished parts made the finished ones more relevant. Playing The Witcher 3 feels a lot like watching a Michelangelo statue. The game isn't perfect or refined by any measure, but 11 years after its release, we still celebrate the sum of its “unfinished” parts as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. And rightfully so. The remastered edition, out Sept. 29 for all platforms, aims to smooth out some of the roughness that has become synonymous with the game, just as much as its vivid world, epic story, and unforgettable characters. The Witcher 3 Remastered still feels unfinished — and that's good Image: CD Projekt Red After around six hours of playtime on PlayStation 5, I’m glad to report that The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered is still The Witcher 3. The long list of fixes and improvements that developer CD Projekt Red implemented are certainly welcome, but they don’t miraculously turn The Witcher 3 into a smooth, modern example of spotless gameplay. The Witcher 3 remains a flawed 2015 game, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The first thing I did after installing the free (if you have the base game) Remastered update was to check out a small side quest that has stuck with me for over a decade: “Little Red.” No one could blame you for skipping this easily missable piece of The Witcher 3 content, but if you ever wandered through the hamlet of Yantra (notable for being the spot you have to meet Gaunter O’Dimm at the start of the Hearts of Stone DLC), chances are you got involved in this dispute between the local peasant and a band of scoundrels led by Little Red. A local man called Berthram has ratted out the bandits to the witch hunters (because Little Red allegedly consorts with wolves), and now revenge is coming. Geralt can either side with the villagers and fight the bandit group, including Little Red in her werewolf form, or let her kill Berthram, a choice I was happy to make after learning he’s not as innocent as he claims to be. However, the game doesn’t reward you with a cutscene showing Berthram meeting his end, but just skips to Little Red giving you some coin for staying out of her business. Berthram doesn’t have any dialogue either, before the quest or after (if he’s still alive). I am aware that CD Projekt Red never stated that the remastered would affect quests in any way, but I was still hoping for a new cutscene here and there, filling in the little blank spots like these. This is a classic example of The Witcher 3’s design: many elements feel, if not unfinished, at least sketched. Sometimes, the sin feels more egregious: such is the case of the infamously buggy “Gangs of Novigrad” quest. Other times, it’s just about expectations not paying off, as for “Brothers in Arms.” The Remastered update doesn’t change anything about these quests, focusing instead on the mechanical aspects of the game, including graphics, animations, combat, movement, mount handling, user interface, enemy behavior, and more. The Witcher 3 Remastered overhauls abilities and fixes combat (kinda) Image: CD Projekt Red Combat and character progression have never been The Witcher 3’s strongest selling points. The update fixes some elements of both, marking a notable improvement from the original game, but overall it’s not enough to provide a truly novel experience. If you hated combat in The Witcher 3, the remaster won’t change your mind. Still, it feels great to finally have the camera following Geralt properly as he rolls around the battlefield — an action that unfortunately remains the basis of combat in the game. Geralt’s abilities now follow a proper tree structure, and it did not take a lot to improve The Witcher 3’s terrible horizontal progression. This was a big overhaul, as many abilities are gone, replaced with new ones that are faster to unlock. I won’t go into the details, but players will have fun experimenting with the new system. However, I feel it still doesn't fully fix the rigidity that was the biggest issue in the original. Being almost entirely related to combat, the abilities are ultimately pigeonholed by how repetitive combat itself is. Of course, graphics are probably the most important part of this remastered edition. CD Projekt Red built on the game’s 2022 Ray Tracing update, giving The Witcher 3 a completely new look that shines especially if you turn on the 60 fps Ray Tracing mode. Even on a regular PS5, the upgraded visuals are a pleasure to watch, often showing up in subtle but important details like shadows and environmental effects, and in flashier instances like the new animations for Witcher signs, parries, and finishers. But I know what the question on everyone’s mind must be: Does Geralt still move like a neurotic ragdoll when he’s not pirouetting in combat? The answer is yes, kind of. The smoothness and responsiveness of the controls have been greatly improved, but sometimes Geralt still moves like he has way too much pent-up energy (I guess those Witcher brews must be potent). On the other hand, Roach got a lot more love from the developers, and horse-riding now doesn’t feel like a nightmare. I managed not to crash into anything or anyone while following Anna Henrietta at breakneck speed through the streets of Beauclair, which should be an official achievement, if you ask me. The Witcher 3 is still a 2015 game If The Witcher 3 were to come out today, even with modern graphics and all the updates of the remastered, I’m convinced it wouldn’t pass the scrutiny of today’s hyper-critical community of players (Just look at the reactions to the first gameplay footage.) It’s a sign of the times and of the negativity running rampant on social media. People seem to spend more time thrashing games online than actually playing them — and I understand why. In 2015, I could leisurely dive for hours every day into the worlds of The Witcher 3, Skyrim, or Fallout 4. Now, I have to somersault like Geralt does to find enough time to play and write these impressions. And it’s not just a matter of age: I’m pretty sure that people in their 30s today have it much worse than I did back then. Image: CD Projekt Red Unfortunately, the digital environment surrounding the gaming industry means that we will rarely, if ever, get to experience the beauty of Michelangelo’s “unfinished” in a game as we did with The Witcher 3 back in 2015. The remastered edition brings many improvements, but not enough to change the fundamental nature of the game, and that’s good. The Witcher 3’s many faults allow its qualities to shine so much brighter. They’re signs of the very human limitations that make every piece of art unique and ultimately memorable. If you didn’t like this game when it came out, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered won’t change your mind. For everybody else, sharpen your swords and brew your potions: the Path is calling. Free sign-up Get Polygon’s Wishlister newsletter A weekly cheat sheet to what you’ll eventually love to play. No buying, no commitment — just saving for later. Sign up free Free. Unsubscribe anytime.