The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — PS5 & PS5 Pro performance
Technical analysis last updated
The Witcher 3 Complete Edition on PS5 provides a major generational leap over PS4 Pro, reducing save load times from 95 seconds to 13 seconds. On PS5, Performance mode is the recommended option, providing mostly smooth 60fps gameplay at dynamic resolutions up to 4K along with enhanced foliage and shadow draw distance. PS5's Ray Tracing mode introduces high-quality RTAO and RTXGI lighting, but suffers from severe frame-rate drops down to 23fps and high input latency. The legacy PS4 Pro release holds its 30fps target reliably, but lacks 60fps support, ray tracing, and next-gen visual upgrades.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 5
PS5 offers a recommended 60fps Performance mode and a 30fps Ray Tracing mode featuring RTAO and RTXGI. Performance mode mostly holds 60fps with superior foliage draw distance, though heavy areas like Novigrad drop frame rates. Ray Tracing mode struggles with unstable frame rates dropping into the low 20s, high input latency, and occasional crashes.
Performance Mode
PS5UnverifiedDynamic resolution scaling targeting native 4K with a 1080p floor (around 1440p in heavy areas). Features enhanced foliage density and shadow draw distance over Series X, but uses older screen-space reflections.
Ray Tracing Mode
PS5UnverifiedFeatures ray-traced ambient occlusion (RTAO) and RTXGI global illumination, along with upgraded screen-space reflections (SSR) on water and armor. Reconstructs from dynamic 1080p-1440p to 4K via FSR 2.1.
PS5 vs PS5 Pro
Side-by-side comparison of graphics modes, resolution and technical features.
A side-by-side comparison requires verified graphics-mode data on both PS5 and PS5 Pro. It appears here as soon as both versions are analysed.
Known issues
Stability issues including crashes to the console system dashboard and freeze lock-ups when loading save files.
Ray Tracing mode adds 65ms of extra input latency compared to Performance mode, resulting in 157ms total response time.
Ray Tracing Mode drops below the 30fps target, reaching as low as 26fps in Heirarch Square.
Ray Tracing Mode suffers from high input lag measured at 140ms compared to 74ms in Performance Mode.
Noticeable frame drops below 60fps occur in Novigrad city centre when playing in Performance mode.
Ray Tracing mode on PS5 experiences uneven frame pacing, frequent dips below the 30 FPS target, and significantly increased input lag.
Video analysis
Independent technical videos referenced in our analysis.
The best part of the Pro tends to be the performance mode because it upscales and does all the stuff behind the scenes.
Finally The Next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is Released. In this Video we are compare Next-Gen Update PS5 Ray tracing On vs PS4 PRO ...
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - PS5 Pro - Your Mom Made Me. Renfail•955 ... Digital Foundry•207K views · 3:40:48. Go to channel The Side Quest ...
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt: Gameplay on PS5 Pro & Ray Tracing [4K30fps] ... The Witcher 3 Next-Gen - PS5 vs Xbox Series X - DF Tech Review - RT and ...
... The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt performs on the PS5 Pro in its Ray Tracing Mode, compared to the PC version running at absolute maximum settings ...
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt gameplay on PS5 Pro comparing Ray Tracing mode vs Performance mode. This video shows side-by-side visuals, ...
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Sources and verification
Every technical claim on this page is attributed. Nothing is estimated.
PSFoundry is primarily a source-based database. A game is only marked as personally tested when PSFoundry has directly tested it. All other technical information is attributed to its original source.
- UnverifiedDigital Foundry analyzes patch 4.02 for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS5. The patch restores 60fps stability in Performance Mode across most areas, while the 30fps Ray Tracing Mode continues to suffer Digital Foundry2023-04-05
Digital Foundry analyzes patch 4.02 for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS5. The patch restores 60fps stability in Performance Mode across most areas, while the 30fps Ray Tracing Mode continues to suffer from drops down to 26fps in Novigrad along with noticeable input lag.
Open source - UnverifiedOfficial PlayStation listing details for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS5, confirming a 30 FPS Raytracing Mode at 4K resolution and a 60 FPS Performance Mode, alongside DualSense features and high-speePlayStation Blog
Official PlayStation listing details for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS5, confirming a 30 FPS Raytracing Mode at 4K resolution and a 60 FPS Performance Mode, alongside DualSense features and high-speed loading.
Open source - UnverifiedHands-on preview of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's next-gen update on PS5, detailing the 60fps Performance mode and 30fps Ray Tracing mode with FSR 2.1 dynamic resolution scaling.Digital Foundry2022-12-05
Hands-on preview of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's next-gen update on PS5, detailing the 60fps Performance mode and 30fps Ray Tracing mode with FSR 2.1 dynamic resolution scaling.
Open source - UnverifiedDigital Foundry's analysis of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition (patch 4.0) on PS5 reveals major visual upgrades including reworked textures, denser foliage, and dramatically reduced load timeDigital Foundry2022-12-21
Digital Foundry's analysis of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition (patch 4.0) on PS5 reveals major visual upgrades including reworked textures, denser foliage, and dramatically reduced load times. On PS5, Performance mode targeting 60fps is strongly recommended over the 30fps Ray Tracing mode due to frame-rate drops into the 20s and significant input latency in RT mode.
Open source - UnverifiedUser reports and Digital Foundry analysis of The Witcher 3 on PS5 highlight significant frame pacing issues, framerate drops below 30 FPS, and increased input latency in Ray Tracing mode, making PerfoGameSpot
User reports and Digital Foundry analysis of The Witcher 3 on PS5 highlight significant frame pacing issues, framerate drops below 30 FPS, and increased input latency in Ray Tracing mode, making Performance mode at 60 FPS the strongly recommended choice.
Open source
Frequently asked
Answers built from the verified data on this page.
What frame rate does The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt run at on PS5?
On PS5, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offers 2 graphics modes: Performance Mode targets 60 FPS at 4K; Ray Tracing Mode targets 30 FPS at 4K.
What is the PSFoundry Score of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt scores 73/100 on PS5. The PSFoundry Score measures technical performance only — frame rate, image quality, graphics modes, visual features, responsiveness, loading and stability — not how good the game is.
Patch history
Only updates that changed graphics modes, resolution, frame rate or visual features.
We only log updates with a documented effect on graphics modes, resolution, frame rate or visual features. None have been verified for this title yet.
The players' verdict
Recent player impressions of how the game runs on PS5 and PS5 Pro.
We publish player impressions from Reddit, ResetEra and specialist forums only when they discuss how the game actually runs. They never affect the PSFoundry Score.
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Browse the full PlayStation performance database or the PS5 Pro Enhanced games list.