How to Roll Back The Witcher 3 Remastered to 4.04 or 1.32

After the release of The Witcher 3 Remastered, some players wanted to return to an earlier version. Some dislike the visual or balance changes, some need older mods, and some PCs simply run Next-Gen 4.04 or Classic 1.32 better. On PC, you can roll back without downloading questionable files because CD Projekt RED and the storefronts still provide official older builds.Steam owners currently have the easiest option. The game properties include two separate branches: Next-Gen 4.04 and Classic 1.32. GOG Galaxy also supports rolling back through Beta Channels, while the Epic Games Store officially provides only the latest version. Before changing anything, we strongly recommend backing up your saves, especially if you have already launched Remastered and saved your progress in version 5.0.

How to roll back to Next-Gen 4.04 or version 1.32

What is the difference between Remastered, Next-Gen 4.04, and Classic 1.32?

There are effectively three main PC versions of The Witcher 3 right now. Remastered is the current 5.0+ branch, Next-Gen is the previous 4.04 release based on the major 2022 update, and Classic is the older 1.32 build from before the Next-Gen upgrade. If you want to keep Quick Sign Casting, the updated camera, improved graphics, and the content from version 4.04 while getting rid of the Remastered changes, we recommend Next-Gen. Classic 1.32 is primarily useful for older mods, the original visuals, and lower-end PCs. Keep in mind that it does not include some of the content and technical changes introduced from update 4.0 onward.

Back up your saves first

On PC, your save files are stored here:

• %userprofile%\Documents\The Witcher 3\gamesaves

Copy the entire gamesaves folder somewhere else, such as your desktop or another drive. We recommend keeping the whole folder rather than only your latest save. When moving between versions, having several older manual saves available is much safer.This matters because save compatibility is not always bidirectional. Older saves can usually be loaded in a newer version of the game, but the reverse does not always work. For example, Classic 1.32 will normally reject a save created in 4.04 with a message saying that the file comes from a newer version. The same principle is worth keeping in mind when moving from Remastered 5.0 back to 4.04.If you have already overwritten your only save slot in Remastered, do not delete it or experiment with it. Make a copy first, then check whether you still have any earlier saves created before the update.

How to roll The Witcher 3 Remastered back to 4.04 on Steam

Steam still provides the official next-gen branch, which currently corresponds to version 4.04. You do not need to download anything from third-party websites.Follow these steps:

1. Open your Steam Library.
2. Right-click The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered.
3. Select Properties.
4. Open Game Version & Beta or the Betas section. The exact label depends on your Steam client version.
5. Select next-gen - Patch 4.04 from the list.
6. Close the window and wait for Steam to download the required build.

Once the installation is complete, launch the game and check the version number in the main menu. It should show 4.04. SteamDB also confirms that the next-gen branch currently points to Patch 4.04, so there is no need to use separate Steam console commands for a normal rollback.

How to return to Classic 1.32 on Steam

The process is almost identical. Open the version list in the game properties and select the following instead of next-gen:

• classic - Patch 1.32

Steam will automatically replace the Remastered files with the classic build. Once the download is complete, check the version number in the main menu again.We recommend 1.32 only if you genuinely want the older version of the game, for example to use mods that were never updated for Next-Gen or because you need substantially lower hardware requirements. If your only issue is Remastered performance, try 4.04 first. Jumping straight to 1.32 removes far more newer features.

How to return to Remastered on Steam

If you decide you do not want to stay on an older version, open Properties → Game Version & Beta again and switch back to the current public Remastered branch instead of one of the legacy versions. Steam will download the latest Remastered build.We recommend making another save backup before switching back. Moving forward to a newer version is generally safer than downgrading, but a few minutes spent making a backup is still far better than losing a hundred-hour playthrough.

How to roll back to 4.04 or 1.32 in GOG Galaxy

GOG has its own official rollback system. Open The Witcher 3 in GOG Galaxy, click the settings button next to Play, and go to:

• Manage Installation → Configure → Installation

First, disable Automatically update to newest version. Then open the Beta Channels list. After the release of Remastered, separate options are available for previous major builds, including Next-Gen and Classic.Choose Next-Gen if you want version 4.04, or Classic if you want the older release. Once confirmed, GOG Galaxy will replace the installed files.GOG can also revert games to previous available builds through its Rollback feature. We still recommend Beta Channels when switching between these three major branches because it makes it much clearer which version you are actually installing.

What about GOG offline installers?

Offline installers are a little more complicated. After Remastered launched, GOG changed the set of available files several times, but Classic and Next-Gen builds have since reappeared among the available options for at least some editions.If you want to preserve an older version long-term, we recommend making your own backup after installing 4.04 or 1.32, or downloading the matching offline installer if it is available in your library. GOG is DRM-free, which makes this especially convenient for a heavily modded installation that you do not want updated at all.

Can you roll back the Epic Games Store version?

Officially, no. CD Projekt RED explicitly states that the Epic Games Store only provides the latest available version of The Witcher 3 and does not support reverting to older builds.We do not recommend replacing game files with builds from unverified sources. Apart from the obvious risk of downloading a corrupted or modified client, doing so can easily break expansions, saves, and installed mods. If you specifically need 4.04 or 1.32, Steam or GOG is currently the simplest official option on PC.

Can you roll back Remastered on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S?

Consoles do not let you select a historical patch the way Steam and GOG do. In other words, there is no switch that turns an installed PS5 or Xbox Series version of Remastered back into the previous native 4.04 build.On PS5, there is a workaround if you also own the PS4 version of The Witcher 3. PlayStation lets you keep and launch the PS4 and PS5 versions separately. Open your library, select the game, press the three-dot button, and switch to the PS4 version. Keep in mind that this launches the actual PS4 build, not the older native PS5 Next-Gen 4.04 release.On Xbox Series X/S, there is no separate official option for selecting an older Series build. If you specifically want Next-Gen 4.04, PC is currently the most convenient platform.

What happens to saves after a rollback?

This is the biggest catch in the entire process. Do not assume that a newer save will work in an older version. The game checks the save file version and may refuse to load progress created by a newer client.The safest option is to use:

• for 4.04 - a save created in Next-Gen 4.04 or an earlier version.
• for 1.32 - an older save created before the move to Next-Gen.
• for Remastered - older saves officially supported by CD Projekt RED can be used.

There are methods online for manually changing the version number inside a save file with a hex editor, especially when moving from 4.04 to 1.32. We do not recommend doing this with your main playthrough. Changing a byte does not remove items, quests, or other data that do not exist in the older version, so even a save that loads successfully may behave incorrectly.If you want a separate explanation of transferring old saves and using cross-progression, check out our guide to transferring saves in The Witcher 3 Remastered.

What happens to mods?

You should review your entire mod setup after rolling back. Mods made for Remastered may not work on 4.04, while Next-Gen mods may not work on 1.32. This is especially important for Script Merger, script mods, interface changes, lighting mods, and files that replace game assets.For 1.32, look for older mods labeled Classic / Old-Gen. For 4.04, use Next-Gen versions. Remastered requires its own updated releases. We cover installation and compatibility in more detail in our separate guide to mods.

Which version should you choose?

If your only problems with Remastered are performance, visual changes, or broken mods, we recommend trying Next-Gen 4.04 first. It is a good middle ground because you keep Quick Sign Casting, the updated camera, DirectX 12, ray tracing, and all the content from the major 2022 update, but without the version 5.0 changes.Classic 1.32 makes sense if you want older mods, the original graphics, or support for a very low-end PC. At that point, you are fully returning to the pre-Next-Gen version of The Witcher 3, along with all of its limitations.