[Update] As announced, The Witcher 3 Next-Gen new hotfix is now live on PC, addressing performance issues. Game version won't change from the current 4.01 version, as confirmed on Twitter.

　　A hotfix for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is out on PC. It primarily addresses the performance issues that appeared after Patch 4.01. The game version won’t change. pic.twitter.com/53kDB9IPP6

　　— The Witcher (@witchergame) February 14, 2023

　　[Original Story] The performance drops currently affecting the PC version of The Witcher 3 Next-Gen are going to be addressed by an upcoming hotfix, CD Projekt Red confirmed today.

　　Alongside the confirmation that the developer is continuing to look into the issues still affecting the new update to their popular game after the release of the first patch, CD Projekt Red also provided a list of the issues currently under investigation, such as CPU core utilization, performance of the DirectX 12 version, ray-traced global illumination improvements and more.

　　The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Issues Currently Under Investigation

　　CPU core utilisation.

　　We are working to improve how the game handles CPU core utilisation.Performance of the DirectX 12 version.

　　We are continuously working to improve the overall performance and stability of the DirectX 12 version of the game, and hope that you'll see improvements with the coming patches.Performance on next-gen consoles.

　　We’ve received reports from players who have noticed a decrease in frame rate while playing The Witcher 3 Next-Gen in Performance Mode on next-gen consoles. This is especially noticed in more demanding areas of the game like Novigrad and Beauclair.Ray traced global illumination improvements.

　　We’re working on reducing global illumination lighting leaks.Ray traced shadows improvements.

　　We’re investigating an issue with vegetation shadows “popping” depending on Geralt’s proximity and angle.Restoring horizon-based ambient occlusion on PC.Game crashes.

　　We are continuously investigating game crashes that are reported to us via telemetry and tech support tickets.The Witcher 3 Next-Gen is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S worldwide. The game's base version, which is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, will receive the new content and gameplay improvements included in the new release with a future update.