The Witcher 3: The Wild Huntmay have stunned Nintendo fans when it arrived on the original Switch in 2019, butplayers shouldn’t expect the sprawling RPG to land on the Switch 2 any time soon. Despite surprising viewers of the Switch 2 Direct with confirmation that the demandingCyberpunk 2077would be playable on the plucky hybrid console, CDPR has yet to address whetherThe Witcher 3will also leap onto new hardware. The game ran surprisingly well on the first iteration of the device, so it stands to reason that it would work on the follow-up console.
Over on Reddit, userbloemhoffphotographyshared Senior Community Manager Amelia “Lilayah” Kołat’s response to whether or notCD Projekt Red intends to portThe Witcher 3to the Switch 2: The developer “has no plans” of doing so.Kołat didn’t explain the decision, but it’s safe to say that, at least for the Switch 2’s launch, the only version ofThe Witcher 3that will work on the device is the first port. It will likely run better thanks to the beefier hardware, but without seeing it in action, this remains pure speculation.
It Was A Wonder That It Worked On The Switch
It’s worth noting that CDPR didn’t produce theSwitch version ofThe Witcher 3: Saber Interactive handled the port.It could be the case that something similar happens with the Switch 2, but because CDPR is handling theCyberpunk 2077port itself, this seems somewhat unlikely at this stage. SinceThe Wild Huntalready worked surprisingly wellon the Switch, it stands to reason that bringing it to the new console isn’t out of the question, and the community is hopeful that CDPR will eventually get around to improving it.
A full port ofThe Witcher 3may not even be necessary: An update would likely work just as well. Takinga page out of Nintendo’s book,CDPR could charge a small amount for users who already ownThe Witcher 3to upgrade it to a version that takes advantage of the Nintendo Switch 2’s hardware. CDPR has a track record of offering free next-gen upgrades for its games on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, so it’s not impossible to imagine something similar happening for the Switch 2.
Switch 2 Vs. Steam Deck Hardware Comparison
Of all handhelds, the Switch 2’s hardware is probably most comparable with the Steam Deck’s. Here’s how the two consoles compare spec by spec.
Side-quests galore!
Fans ofThe Witcher 3: The Wild Huntmay not be able to look forward to an upgraded Switch 2 version, butat the very least, they’ll haveCyberpunk 2077. I’m interested to see how the port handles asCyberpunk 2077is notoriously dense and was, at one point, infamously messy, so bringing it to Switch 2 could be a risk. Still, if CDPR is handling the development, I’m a little more confident that the experience will be whatusers are looking for.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Set some time after the events of The Witcher 2, The Witcher 3 centers once again on the monster-slaying Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher on the hunt for his adopted daughter. The Wild Hunt is a group of ominous elves seen as an omen of war - their purpose is to find and capture individuals to serve them. Unfortunately for Geralt, his daughter, Ciri, is their new target due to her Elder Blood. When Geralt receives a letter from his former lover, Yennefer, they reconvene to meet with the Emperor of Vizima, who reveals the truth about Ciri. With new information at his fingertips, Geralt sets off in search of her to reach her before the Wild Hunt does.
