The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered Debuts With a 94 Metascore on PC

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered has arrived with an extremely strong critical start on PC. The updated edition currently holds a 94 Metascore on Metacritic from nine logged reviews, putting it level with twin-stick shooter Sektori as the site's highest-rated game of 2026 at the time of writing.

For CD Projekt Red's celebrated role-playing game, a high score is hardly unprecedented. The original 2015 release remains one of the medium's landmark open-world RPGs, and it earned a 92 Metascore across a far larger body of reviews. Still, the early number for the Remastered edition is notable: if it holds as additional critics weigh in, this release will stand as the highest-scoring version of The Witcher 3 to date.

That conclusion needs an important asterisk for now. Nine reviews is a small sample compared with the dozens collected for prior editions, and aggregate scores can move significantly as coverage expands. But the opening response suggests that the new version has succeeded at the difficult task facing any remaster: making a beloved game feel meaningfully improved without losing the qualities that made it essential in the first place.

A new high point for Geralt's journey

The original The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt launched in 2015 and accumulated a 92 Metascore from 79 reviews. That score has long reflected the broad consensus around its strengths: a rich fantasy setting, deeply realized quests, memorable characters, and a willingness to give even minor stories emotional weight and unexpected consequences.

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Eleven years later, the game's standing is secure. It is therefore unsurprising that a polished, enhanced edition would be reviewed favorably. What is more significant is that the Remastered release has reached 94 in its initial PC aggregation, equaling the average previously achieved by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions.

The Remastered score also sits above the 85 attached to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition. That does not necessarily mean the Complete Edition was viewed as an inferior package in every respect. Its aggregate was heavily shaped by reviews of the Nintendo Switch release, where the scale of the adventure came with performance compromises that resulted in more mixed assessments.

By contrast, the newer PC release begins from a position where the technical presentation can better support the game's vast landscapes, demanding combat encounters, dense cities, and lengthy story content. The early critical reception indicates that the improvements have been persuasive enough to elevate an already acclaimed RPG rather than merely repackage it.

Why the comparison with earlier editions matters

Metascores can be useful snapshots, but comparing versions requires context. The 2015 game's 92 was built from 79 reviews, while the Complete Edition's 85 was drawn from 65. The Remastered edition's 94 is currently based on nine PC reviews. That is a very different level of critical coverage, and it means the figure is less settled than the older totals.

It is also worth remembering that platform-specific performance can substantially influence how a release is received. The Complete Edition delivered the base game along with the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions, two additions widely associated with the game's enduring reputation. Yet the Switch version's technical limitations affected the overall average because so many of its reviews were included in the aggregate.

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X editions demonstrate the other side of that equation. Those versions averaged 94, but received considerably fewer reviews, so their strong individual platform average did not reshape the broader Complete Edition Metascore. The current Remastered PC score repeats that 94 benchmark, at least in its opening phase.

For players, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the initial reviews point to a version that ranks among the best ways to experience Geralt of Rivia's adventure. For score-watchers, however, the real test will be whether the number remains near its present level after many more reviews are added.

Leading 2026's review rankings, for now

The 94 places The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered at the top of Metacritic's 2026 list at this point in the year, tied with Sektori. It has, for the moment, moved ahead of several prominent releases, including Resident Evil Requiem, Pokémon Pokopia, and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave.

That is an impressive result for a return to an established game in a year with major new releases. It also underscores how unusual The Witcher 3 is as a long-running game: its reputation has not simply endured through nostalgia. The RPG remains a point of comparison for newer open-world adventures, especially where quest design, worldbuilding, and player-driven choices are concerned.

There is naturally a difference between a remaster achieving an early aggregate lead and a brand-new game establishing itself over a full review cycle. New reviews can alter the standings, particularly when the gap between leading titles is narrow. The current ranking should be read as an early milestone rather than a final verdict on 2026.

Even so, it gives CD Projekt Red a notable success at a time when attention is increasingly turning toward the future of the Witcher series. A strong return for Geralt's most famous adventure reinforces the appetite for the world ahead of The Witcher 4.

An enhanced return to a modern RPG classic

Remasters are often judged more severely than ordinary rereleases because audiences already know the core work. A technical touch-up alone may not be enough when players have spent years revisiting a game, analyzing its best quests, and comparing every new fantasy RPG to its standards. The expectation is not simply for a familiar game to look cleaner, but for it to feel like the definitive presentation of an experience worth revisiting.

The Witcher 3 is particularly exposed to that expectation. Its scale, storytelling, and expansions have left it with an unusually passionate audience, and the previous versions provide plenty of direct points of comparison. The Remastered edition's early reception suggests that critics see the update as a convincing enhancement rather than an unnecessary detour.

The timing also gives returning players a reason to step back into the Northern Realms while newcomers have a highly rated entry point. Geralt's search for Ciri, his relationships with allies and rivals, and the game's many self-contained tales remain central to its appeal. An improved presentation can make that enormous journey feel fresh again, but the enduring quality of the writing and choice-driven quest structure is the real foundation behind the praise.

What happens next

Fan reactions are now set to become a bigger part of the conversation, as the Remastered version went live shortly before these early rankings were recorded. Players will have their own priorities, whether that means assessing performance, revisiting favorite narrative moments, or deciding if the upgrades justify another full playthrough.

Meanwhile, critics will continue adding to the review pool. A 94 from nine reviews is an exceptional start, but it is not yet directly comparable in statistical weight to the original release's 79-review total or the Complete Edition's 65-review total. The aggregate could rise, fall, or remain stable as the sample broadens.

For now, though, the message from the opening wave is emphatic. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered has begun life as the highest-rated version of CD Projekt Red's RPG on Metacritic, and it is currently tied for the best-reviewed game of 2026. For a game first released more than a decade ago, that is a remarkable return--and a welcome way to pass the time before the next chapter of the Witcher saga arrives.