According to Digital Foundry, Patch 4.01 has somewhat significantly enhanced Ray Tracing mode on Xbox Series X. The game is now running at a more reliable and smooth 30 frames per second (fps) as opposed to the game’s launch version, which frequently saw frame rates fall short of the 30 fps goal. Ray Tracing mode has benefited greatly from the patch, but Performance mode has suffered. According to Digital Foundry, The Witcher 3 is now experiencing a drop in frame rate of about eight to nine frames per second on Xbox Series X (in locations like Novigrad and other busy areas/instances) and is now running closer to 50fps than 60fps when compared to the launch version.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition, one of the best Xbox open-world games, was updated earlier this month by CDPR for the Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. The patch enhanced The Witcher 3’s Ray Tracing mode’s performance on Xbox Series X, but players soon discovered that The Witcher 3’s Performance mode had suffered a fairly sizable loss.
Following the release of Patch 4.01, CDPR noted that it had “received reports from players who have noticed a decrease in frame rate while playing in Performance Mode on next-gen consoles,” noting that the issue is noticeable in more taxing areas such as Novigrad and Beauclair. Among other things, CDPR claims to be working on this issue.