The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered has only been out for a few days, but CD Projekt Red is already busy dealing with several technical issues. One of the biggest problems involves Nvidia Hairworks, which can cause a significant performance hit on PC.
CD Projekt Red initially advised players to disable Hairworks while the studio investigated the problem. Since then, the developer has released Hotfix 5.00c, which specifically addresses changes that caused major Hairworks performance and visual issues.
The hotfix arrived on October 1, just two days after the remaster launched.
Nvidia Hairworks Causes Trouble in The Witcher 3 Remastered
Hairworks has returned as one of the graphical options available in The Witcher 3 Remastered. The Nvidia technology improves the appearance and movement of hair and fur, including Geralt’s iconic white hair.
However, enabling the feature can have a noticeable impact on performance.
CD Projekt Red acknowledged the issue shortly after launch. The developer recommended that PC players disable Hairworks if they experience performance problems.
Hairworks remains exclusive to PC and requires compatible Nvidia hardware. Players using Nvidia GPUs should also make sure they have the latest available drivers installed, especially when using newer features such as DLSS.
Fortunately, CD Projekt Red has already taken action.
Hotfix 5.00c Reverts Problematic Hairworks Changes
Hotfix 5.00c includes a direct fix for the Hairworks problem. CD Projekt Red reverted a previous change that caused significant performance and visual regressions when using the feature.
The update also tackles several other issues discovered following the September 29 launch.
One particularly annoying bug could prevent players from saving or loading their game when the Windows Documents folder path contained special characters. Hotfix 5.00c fixes that problem.
The update also restores the correct voiceover volume after navigating through the pause menu.
CD Projekt Red has made several visual adjustments as well. Players exploring Velen should notice changes to Bloom, vegetation lighting, saturation, and Path Tracing lighting.
Telemetry issues have also received fixes. In addition, the update corrects problems with GOG achievement listings and launching the Classic 1.32 version of The Witcher 3.
More Witcher 3 Remastered Fixes Could Be Coming
Hotfix 5.00c isn’t the first update released since launch.
CD Projekt Red previously deployed Hotfix 5.00b, which targeted several console-related problems. The developer continues to investigate additional reports from players.
Some PlayStation 5 users have also reported performance issues. CD Projekt Red has not finished investigating every problem yet, so additional patches and hotfixes could follow.
The quick turnaround shows that the studio is actively responding to technical problems reported since release.
The Witcher 3 Remastered Changes More Than the Graphics
The remaster isn’t simply a graphical upgrade.
CD Projekt Red has also reworked the skill tree. Players now need to acquire specific traits along progression paths before they can unlock abilities further down those paths.
Geralt still has a limited number of active skill slots. Players can swap equipped abilities and further modify their builds through mutations.
These changes add another layer to character progression while keeping the familiar build system at the heart of the game.
Existing owners received The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered as a free upgrade when it launched on September 29.
Strong Reviews Despite Early Technical Problems
The early technical issues haven’t stopped the remaster from receiving strong reviews.
The Witcher 3 Remastered opened with a Metacritic score of 94 out of 100 based on 10 critic reviews. That early reception suggests the upgraded version has made a strong first impression despite its launch problems.
CD Projekt Red has already released the larger Patch 5.00 alongside multiple hotfixes. With additional reports still under investigation, players should expect further improvements as the developer continues polishing the remaster.
For PC players currently struggling with performance, Hairworks remains one of the first settings worth checking. Hotfix 5.00c should improve the situation, but disabling Hairworks may still help players who continue to experience performance problems.
