After plenty of speculation regarding the potential release date of The Witcher 3's next-gen upgrade, there's been some clarity. Many fans expected the next-gen patch in the early months of 2022, but that has not been the case. Thankfully, what seems to be coming in 2023 will now be arriving sooner, according to the updates provided by developers CD Projekt Red.A primary reason for the delay surrounds the earlier work done by Saber Interactive. Since then, CD Projekt Red has taken the reins and decided to finish the patch in-house. Fans are over the moon as the development of the next-gen update is coming to a close.Earlier on November 14, CD Projekt Red announced when the next-gen upgrade of The Witcher 3 will be released. More importantly, the update seems free across all current-gen platforms, which will be great news for fans. Some titles of late have decided to implement a charge to avail next-gen updates, but CD Projekt Red seems to have followed a different path.The Witcher 3's next-gen update to introduce new features like Ray TracingDecember 2022 will be a month of celebration for The Witcher 3 as the highly-acclaimed game completes its 7th anniversary. The game has won multiple accolades during this period and has also seen CD Projekt Red release some significant expansions.The Witcher@witchergameThe next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming on December 14th, free for everyone who already owns the game. For more details and gameplay reveal, tune in to REDstreams next week on twitch.tv/cdprojektred.165463091The next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming on December 14th, free for everyone who already owns the game. For more details and gameplay reveal, tune in to REDstreams next week on twitch.tv/cdprojektred. https://t.co/fg3yfGeNihThe game's popularity has stayed strong, and loyal fans continue to play the title. Those playing the game on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, and the Xbox Series X will enjoy an even more refined version of the game. As of now, the next-gen update will be released on December 14 across all eligible platforms.CD Projekt Red announced the information on its official Twitter handle. The update will be free-of-cost for all existing owners of the game. This will be great news on multiple fronts for those who have been waiting to play the next-gen version for a long time.The Witcher@witchergameWe have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice. 1/2151401099We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice. 1/2Many had feared the worst when CD Projekt Red earlier decided to push back the Q2 release of the patch. The decision also came with the announcement of CD Projekt Red taking over the role from Saber Interactive. A change can often cause uncertainty, but for The Witcher 3, it has done the opposite.Fans will now hope the next-gen update will be as good as earlier promised. It brings new features like Ray Tracing to the game, which have been missing until now. The patch will also help to improve the loading times and ensure further execution. Players will have to wait till the full release to know the full degree of the changes.