Key facts at a glance
- What: Patch 5.01 for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered on Nintendo Switch 2.
- When: Rolling out from October 19, 2026, in most regions; the Japanese version follows once it passes certification.
- Visuals: new Bloom, Light Shafts and Depth of Field options, tweaks to lighting, Ray Tracing and Path Tracing, and sharper image quality on Switch 2.
- Gameplay: fixes for blade oils, boats, dodging and Stamina; the Exploding Shield skill now reflects damage.
- Other: protection for affected save files and Ukrainian text in all regions.
Gameplay changes in Patch 5.01
Patch 5.01 mostly cleans up combat and control issues, but it also changes one skill outright. CD PROJEKT RED's official patch notes include these points:
- "Automatically Apply Blade Oils" now works even if it was not enabled during the current session.
- Player-controlled boats no longer start moving uncontrollably and ignoring terrain collisions.
- Dodging no longer responds with a delay, and sprinting while dodging no longer drains all of Geralt's Stamina.
- Bombs can no longer be thrown when the option is disabled.
- Synergy now displays its bonus correctly, and Exploding Shield gains damage reflection.
- Geralt no longer collides with dead enemies after an Aard finisher, Vesemir no longer repeats a line when Quen is cast repeatedly, and ladder animations are improved.
The exact values of Synergy and Exploding Shield, and how they fit into a build, are listed on our skills page.
Visuals, performance and Switch 2 improvements
On the visual side, the patch adds new settings and a round of adjustments. The graphics menu now has separate options for Bloom, Light Shafts and Depth of Field, while Bloom, tone mapping, character lighting, Ray Tracing and Path Tracing all receive improvements alongside general performance optimizations. Visual artifacts caused by Dynamic Resolution Scaling in certain configurations are fixed.
Specifically on Nintendo Switch 2, image sharpening and resolution were adjusted for clarity, a rare crash when moving between regions was fixed, and cache handling for Cross-Platform Mod Support was optimized. HD Rumble now reaches both Joy-Con 2 controllers when climbing ladders, and map pins can no longer be placed on the black bars around the map. Everything else that changed in this version is covered on our What's new in Remastered page.
UI, audio and save files
CD PROJEKT RED also addressed menus and saves. The "You've gained an ability point!" pop-up no longer gets stuck, input hints no longer flash on the meditation screen, the Potions tutorial appears again in the Consumables tab, and progress bars are aligned. The fix for voiceover audio becoming much quieter after browsing the pause menu is now on consoles too.
- An issue that could affect save file data is fixed, with measures for saves that were already affected.
- My Rewards items and Twitch/Bilibili Drops appear in the chest in Vizima again even if it was opened before, so some items may be duplicated.
- Due to backend issues, the policy consent screen appears again and preferences must be confirmed once more.
- Foliage reacts to collisions again, and Ukrainian text localization is now available in all regions.
FAQ
Which platform is The Witcher 3 Patch 5.01 for?
Patch 5.01 is the update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered on Nintendo Switch 2. It contains both general and Switch 2-specific improvements.
When does Patch 5.01 release in Japan?
The Japanese version gets Patch 5.01 as soon as it passes certification. CD PROJEKT RED has not given a date.
What new graphics options does Patch 5.01 add?
The graphics settings gain options for Bloom, Light Shafts and Depth of Field, and lighting, Ray Tracing and Path Tracing were improved.
Why do I have duplicate items in Vizima after Patch 5.01?
The chest in Vizima now hands out rewards and drops even if it was opened before, so some items can appear twice. CD PROJEKT RED calls them a bonus.
Do I have to confirm the policy consent screen again?
Yes. Because of backend issues, the consent screen appears once more and your preferences need to be confirmed again.
Sources: CD PROJEKT RED: Patch 5.01 for Nintendo Switch 2 (October 19, 2026), The Witcher on X (October 19, 2026). As of October 19, 2026.
