RT modes perform better on consoles, performance mode is slower.
Coming to the rescue is patch 4.01: an update that promises specific visual and performance tweaks.
That’s the promise then, but what hasCD Projekt REDactually delivered?
Screen-space reflections - only accessible in the RT modes on the consoles, confusingly enough - are also improved.
Side-by-side with the launch code, you’re looking at much higher resolution reflections.
They’re more accurate, sharper and cleaner.
The visual make-up is otherwise unchanged from the launch build.
So ultimately the SSR upgrade is the most substantial update.
It seems to be via a similar approach as the PC game’s RTGI performance mode.
Patch 4.01 goes some way to fix that and I’m genuinely impressed by the uptick in performance here.
It’s not perfect - as the video above demonstrates - but it’s a welcome improvement.
For the entire route, by foot or horseback, the drop-off is impossible to ignore now.
likewise, battles outdoors are now missing that tight 60fps lock on Series X too.
And I will say most areas outdoors - beyond Novigrad - still run at 60fps on Series X.
Next along is the PS5 on its 60fps performance mode.
Interestingly, most of the Novigrad route is actually identical between the launch build and patch 4.01.
Especially once we hit the Heirarch Square stress point, the performance level is squeezed to a matching 53fps.
So, at a bare minimum, it’s unchanged on PS5.
Patch 4.01 genuinely downgrades the frame-rate, and we lose ground - even in cutscenes.
So yes, if you’ve noticed your frame-rate dropping since the patch, you’re not mistaken.
It’s disappointing to see that virtually none of our other issues from launch have been addressed.
Patch 4.01 boosts the frame-rate in the ray tracing modes, but lowers it in the performance modes.
Overall, the turnout for both PC and console shows a mixture of fortunes on patch 4.01.
The PC version’s shader compilation issue continues, for example.
It’s hard to step away from this new update fully satisfied.
The improved SSR is a nice touch, and stability issues appear to be addressed now.
