What patch 5.01 covers

CD Projekt Red released patch 5.01 for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered on October 8, 2026. The notes concentrate on repairs, with added console graphics options and Ukrainian localization in all regions. Patch 5.01 covers PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; the Nintendo Switch 2 version is not part of it.

The studio says it is still working on an update for the Switch 2 version that would bring the platforms closer to parity, including the same global changes, plus improvements to image clarity and sharpness on that console.

The save data fix and the Vizima chest

The line that matters most for anyone returning to an old playthrough sits in the "Other" section. The patch fixes an issue that could affect save file data, and it adds measures to address saves that may already have been affected. CD Projekt Red does not say which saves were at risk or what the symptoms looked like, so backing up an existing save before updating is the cautious move.

Two smaller backend items sit in the same section. The policy consent screen will appear again because of backend issues, and players have to confirm their preferences once more. Items from My Rewards and Twitch or Bilibili Drops that never appeared in the chest in Vizima, in cases where the chest had already been opened, now arrive, and the studio notes that some items may be duplicated as a result.

Settings that stopped resetting

Most of the settings fixes are PC-specific. GTAO Quality holds its value after a restart. Dynamic Resolution Scaling no longer displays the wrong setting once the anti-aliasing mode changes. Graphics presets no longer apply DLSS or XeSS on GPUs that do not support them, the game no longer allows a graphics setting to be enabled on hardware that cannot run it, and it no longer picks the wrong GPU on a multi-GPU system.

The PlayStation 5 build had a worse version of the same problem, because its settings reset every time the game launched. That is fixed. So are incorrect frame rate limits in the different graphics modes on the base PlayStation 5. The voiceover repair, where audio became significantly quieter than other in-game audio after navigating the pause menu tabs, now reaches consoles as well.

A new default and new console options

Dynamic Resolution Scaling now defaults to OFF. Anyone who left it enabled should take note, because the same patch fixes cases where it caused visual artifacts in certain configurations.

Consoles gain Bloom, Light Shafts and Depth of Field options in the graphics settings, and the update brings various optimizations to improve performance. Ukrainian text localization is now available in all regions.

Boats, bombs and the rest of the gameplay repairs

Player-controlled boats no longer start moving uncontrollably and ignore terrain collisions. The same section of the notes fixes Geralt colliding with dead enemies after an Aard finisher, a dodge response that arrived later than intended, and the ability to throw a bomb while that option is disabled.

Other gameplay repairs are smaller. "Automatically Apply Blade Oils" now works when it was enabled in an earlier session rather than only in the current one. Geralt's stamina no longer drains completely when sprinting and dodging at the same time. Ladder interaction animations are improved, Vesemir no longer repeats the same line if Quen is cast more than once, the Synergy skill shows correct values, and the Exploding Shield skill gained damage reflection.

The ability point pop-up can no longer get stuck on screen, the Potions tutorial appears after the Consumables tab is opened, input hints no longer flash briefly on the meditation screen, and misaligned progress bars are fixed.

The upgrade is free and the old version still launches

Patch 5.01 follows two October 1 updates: patch 5.00b for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Play Anywhere on PC, and the PC-only hotfix 5.00c. The hotfix is worth reading before deciding what to install, because it fixed an issue that stopped the Classic (1.32) version of the game from launching. That version is the pre-remaster build, so the choice between the two is now available rather than blocked.

The remaster costs nothing for existing owners. Anyone who bought any version of the game in the past, physical or digital, can move to the Remastered version inside the same platform ecosystem at no cost.

The launch notes list what that version adds on PC: native DirectX 12 rendering with multithreading, Path Tracing, DLSS 4.5 with Ray Reconstruction, FSR 4 with Frame Generation and Anti-Lag 2, XeSS 2.0 with Frame Generation and Low Latency, and Ray-Traced HairWorks. FSR 4 needs an AMD Radeon RX 7000 series card or newer, and the game falls back to FSR 2 on anything older. Mismatches of that kind between a preset and the hardware are what patch 5.01 was cleaning up. The studio also says the system requirements changed and published an updated table.

On PlayStation 5 the remaster added multithreaded rendering, PS5 Pro support with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, variable refresh rate and uncapped frame rates. Ray Tracing Mode targets 60 frames per second with enhanced lighting, and Performance Mode targets 60 frames per second at a higher resolution with up to 90 on a VRR display.

Why returning players should expect a respec

The launch changed far more than the patches since, and one of those changes still applies to anyone loading an old save. The remaster reorganized the skill system into a skill tree, gave each skill three ranks, and made unlocking depend on prerequisite skills instead of spending a set number of points. Because of that, skill points were reset. Patch 5.01 does not reverse it, so a player returning to a finished save should expect to rebuild the build before continuing.

Equipment reforging is another launch addition with the same audience. It changes an item's appearance without changing its stats, and only the master craftsmen Yoana and Hattori offer that service. Cross Platform Mod Support arrived as an in-game tool powered by mod.io, reached from the Mods entry in the main menu after connecting a CD Projekt Red account.

A generic branching skill tree with open nodes and a reset arrow appears beside the words SKILL POINTS and RESET AT LAUNCH.
Concept diagram of the skill-point reset that accompanied the remaster's launch skill-tree redesign. Patch 5.01 does not reverse that change; this is not a screen from the game.

What 5.01 does not fix

The October 8 notes gave no Switch 2 release date, only a promise of more information in the following days. CD Projekt Red also does not explain what the save data issue was, so a player cannot tell from the notes whether their own save was already affected. Two earlier updates landed on October 1, before patch 5.01 on October 8; the notes give no date for another general release.