The Witcher 3 Remastered was released on Tuesday, September 29, and is available free to those who own the original 2015 version of the game. The remastered edition includes path tracing for more realistic lighting on PC, as well as updated textures. A notable new feature is the ability for players to loot items while riding their horse, without needing to dismount. This change is part of several comfort improvements, such as a shortcut to flee from combat and lighter tutorials. The update notes, published on Monday, September 28, on Steam, outline the changes included in the remaster. Looting while on horseback is a significant gameplay change, as it removes the need to stop and dismount to collect items or resources from corpses or plants. This adjustment is expected to improve the overall experience, especially in a game as expansive as The Witcher 3, which features dozens of hours of gameplay and two expansions. The remastered version also introduces a new predefined mode called "Ballade du barde," located in the Accessibility section. This mode is activated at the start of a new game in "Story Mode" or during gameplay through the settings. According to the developers, this mode is designed to reduce mental load by simplifying gameplay mechanics and disabling certain features for a smoother and more immersive adventure. For example, Geralt can no longer drown, equipment becomes indestructible, and the weight of objects is no longer a concern. The ability to loot while on horseback was previously available through a mod called Interacting On Horse, published in November 2023 on Nexus Mods. This mod allowed players to pick up items while riding but required manual installation and configuration. The remastered version now includes this functionality natively, making the mod unnecessary for both PC and console players. Additional improvements include adjustments to horse controls, with a new slider to adjust the sensitivity of Ablette's controls, and updated animations for mounting, dismounting, trotting, and galloping. Nearby loot can now be displayed in a single window, with a tooltip to view an item before taking it and a history of the last items collected on the left side of the screen. This feature is found in Settings, then Game. The upgrade is free on PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and Battle.net), as well as on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Switch 2, which receives its first native version of the game. However, the upcoming expansion will not be free. The update manages current saves without issues, but users who resume an old save will need to redistribute skill points due to the overhaul of the skill tree. On PC, CD Projekt Red advises installing the latest graphics drivers, as the required configuration has evolved.