Best The Witcher 3 Settings for FPS (Next-Gen Update)
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The fastest way to boost FPS in The Witcher 3 is to turn Ray Tracing off, set Hairworks to off or Geralt-only, enable DLSS or FSR Quality, and cap your frame rate. In the next-gen update (4.0+), ray tracing is the single biggest FPS cost — turning it off can nearly double your frame rate in dense Novigrad. This guide covers the best graphics, ray tracing, and Windows settings for any PC, and when to just run the classic DirectX 11 version instead.
The goal is a steady frame rate riding through a crowded Novigrad market — not maxed ray tracing your GPU can’t hold.
Why the next-gen update runs slower
The Witcher 3 next-gen update (4.0+) added ray-traced global illumination, ambient occlusion, and reflections on top of a DirectX 12 renderer. Those features look great but are expensive: ray tracing alone can cut FPS by 40–50% in Novigrad, and DX12 carries more CPU overhead plus shader-compilation stutter. The original DirectX 11 version has none of that and runs far faster. You choose the renderer in the GOG/Steam launcher — that choice matters more than any single graphics slider.
Best The Witcher 3 settings
Set these in Options → Video / Graphics (next-gen, DX12):
| Setting | Recommended value |
|---|---|
| Renderer | DX11 for FPS, DX12 for ray tracing |
| Frame Rate Cap | 60 or your refresh, locked |
| V-Sync | Off (cap instead) |
| Upscaling (DLSS/FSR) | Quality |
| Ray Tracing | Off (or RTAO only) |
| Hairworks | Off or Geralt Only |
| Shadow Quality | High |
| Grass Density | High |
| Foliage Visibility Range | Medium/High |
| Texture Quality | Match VRAM (Ultra 8GB+, High 6GB) |
| Ambient Occlusion | SSAO (not RTAO) |
| Detail Level | High |
The two biggest costs are Ray Tracing and Hairworks. Turning ray tracing off is the largest single FPS win in the next-gen version; setting Hairworks to off or Geralt-only reclaims more, especially in fights with many enemies.
Ray tracing: off, or claw it back with upscaling
Ray tracing transforms the lighting but is brutal on frames:
- On mid-range GPUs, turn Ray Tracing off entirely — the game still looks excellent with standard lighting and runs far smoother.
- On a strong RTX / RX 7000 card, enable RT but pair it with DLSS/FSR Quality to recover the lost frames.
- If you want just a taste, enable Ray-Traced Ambient Occlusion alone — it is the cheapest of the RT options.
Frame pacing and upscaling
- Set DLSS to Quality on RTX cards or FSR to Quality otherwise at 1440p and 4K for a solid boost with minimal clarity loss. See DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS for Gaming.
- Cap your FPS to a rate your PC holds in Novigrad and keep it locked so frame times stay flat between the wilds and the city. See How to Cap Your FPS Correctly.
- Use DLAA if you already hit your cap and want maximum sharpness.
Free up CPU headroom (DX12 stutter)
The DX12 renderer can stutter while it compiles shaders and in crowded areas:
- Enable XMP/EXPO so RAM runs at rated speed. See How to Enable XMP or EXPO for Gaming.
- Install the game on an NVMe SSD so streaming into Novigrad doesn’t hitch.
- Disable VBS for extra CPU headroom.
- Let the game sit at the main menu for a minute on first launch after a driver update so shaders precompile.
- Close background apps that steal CPU threads.
Best settings by goal
Maximum FPS (competitive-feeling smoothness)
- DirectX 11 renderer, Ray Tracing off, Hairworks off
- DLSS/FSR Quality, Shadows and Grass High
- capped and locked to your refresh
Best-looking with playable frames
- DirectX 12, Ray Tracing on with DLSS/FSR Quality
- Hairworks Geralt-only, Textures Ultra if 8GB+ VRAM
- cap to the rate your GPU holds in the city
Windows-side checks worth doing
- Install The Witcher 3 on an NVMe SSD with 15–20% free space.
- Use the correct discrete GPU on laptops and a high-performance power mode.
- Update GPU drivers — ray-tracing performance and shader stutter both improve with current drivers.
- Test both renderers — DX11 vs DX12 perform very differently per PC.
For deeper system tuning, use How to Minimize Input Delay for Competitive Gaming and The Ultimate Guide to Timer Resolution for Gaming + Tier1Suite.
Build your Witcher 3 cluster
Related guides
- How to Cap Your FPS Correctly
- How to Enable XMP or EXPO for Gaming
- DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS for Gaming
- How to Disable VBS to Fix Low FPS in Games
The best The Witcher 3 settings in the next-gen update come down to one decision: turn ray tracing off (or run DX11) for a big, smooth FPS jump, or keep it on with DLSS/FSR Quality if your GPU can hold it. Set Hairworks to off or Geralt-only, cap your frame rate, enable XMP/EXPO, and run from an SSD. Steady frame times beat maxed ray tracing that collapses in Novigrad — no new GPU required.
Frequently asked questions
What settings give the most FPS in The Witcher 3 next-gen update?
Turn Ray Tracing off, set Hairworks to off or Geralt only, drop Shadow Quality and Grass Density to High, and enable DLSS or FSR on Quality. Ray tracing is by far the biggest FPS cost in the next-gen (4.0+) version — turning it off can nearly double your frame rate. If you play the classic DirectX 11 version instead, you already skip the ray-tracing hit and can run much higher settings.
Why does The Witcher 3 next-gen update run worse than the old version?
The Witcher 3 next-gen update (4.0+) added ray-traced global illumination, ambient occlusion, and reflections, plus a DirectX 12 renderer that carries more CPU overhead and can stutter while shaders compile. Those features look better but cost a large amount of FPS, especially in dense Novigrad. The original DirectX 11 version has none of that overhead, so it runs far faster — you can switch to it in the launcher if you prefer frames over ray tracing.
Should I turn on ray tracing in The Witcher 3?
Only if you have a strong RTX or RX 7000-series card and use DLSS/FSR to claw the frames back. Ray tracing is the single most expensive setting in the next-gen Witcher 3 and can cut your FPS by 40-50% in Novigrad. On mid-range hardware, turn it off entirely for a big, smooth improvement — the game still looks excellent with the standard lighting. If you want just a taste, enable Ray-Traced Ambient Occlusion alone, which is the cheapest of the RT options.
DirectX 11 or DirectX 12 for The Witcher 3?
Use DirectX 11 for the most stable frame rate and no ray tracing, or DirectX 12 if you specifically want ray tracing. DX11 has lower CPU overhead, avoids the shader-compilation stutter DX12 can cause, and runs faster on most PCs. DX12 is required for the ray-tracing features but costs FPS and can hitch. Pick DX11 for competitive-feeling smoothness, DX12 only when you want the ray-traced visuals and have the GPU headroom.
What is a good FPS cap for The Witcher 3?
Cap to a rate your PC holds in Novigrad, usually 60 FPS on most systems or your monitor's refresh if you have the headroom. A steady 60 with flat frame times feels far smoother than an FPS that swings from 100 in the wilds to 45 in the city. Capping removes the sharp dips that read as stutter. Use the in-game frame limiter, RTSS, or your GPU driver to lock it.