Many of the best Witcher 3 mods were bundled into the next-gen update by CD Projekt Red, including the HD Reworked Project, Immersive Real-time Cutscenes, Nitpicker's Patch, World Map Fixes, and HD Monsters Reworked (which is how the Vaginas For Everyone mod snuck in). When you play the new version of this classic open world Gwent-collecting RPG, you're already playing with a fine selection of mods.
The Witcher 4: What we know
The Witcher season 3: Trailers and cast
The Witcher books: Where to start
That doesn't mean there's no reason to push things further. You may want to find mods that even out some of the improvements, which tend to overlook certain areas that now stand out as being in need of a bit of extra polish. Or you may want a more personal selection of nips and tucks to suit your own tastes.
Fortunately, modding The Witcher 3 is easier than ever. Back in the bad old days we used to need Mod Limit Fix installed if we wanted to add any more than 10 mods, but the next-gen version can handle up to 200 mods with ease.
You should always read the description page for any mod, but in many cases all you need to do is extract a folder into the Mods subdirectory of your Witcher 3 install, and/or one into the dlc subdirectory. Your mods will run next time you launch The Witcher 3. For cases where they need a little extra massaging to play nice with each other, install Script Merger, then run it each time you download new mods. It'll spot any points of conflict, decide on a load order, and merge scripts that are trying to alter the same thing.
Finally, if you're looking for a mod that restores The Witcher 3's windiness, which has been toned down in the next-gen version to please people who don't like to see trees bending all over the place, there's an easy way to fix that yourself. In your Witcher 3 install, there's a rendering.ini file in the bin/config/base directory. Open it with a text editor, find where it says WindScale=0.7f, change the value to either 0.8f or 0.9f, then save and exit. If you go all the way up to 1.0f you'll have hair blowing around even indoors, and if you drop it down to 0.0f you'll never see a tree sway in the breeze again.
Quality of life mods
No Chatterboxes
Download No Chatterboxes on NexusMods
I don't hate hearing NPCs sing pam param as I walk past, but there sure is a lot of repeating background dialogue in The Witcher 3. You'll hear two peasants have the same conversation every time you leave the White Orchard inn, and the same shouts and insults on every street. No Chatterboxes turns off most of the repeating dialogue to give your ears a blessed rest. Don't worry though, it doesn't render every single background NPC silent, and you'll still hear strumpets on the streets of Novigrad ask if you want to "dip your dingle".
Instant Tooltips
Download Instant Tooltips on NexusMods
If you don't mind waiting 450 milliseconds for each tooltip to appear as you mouse over every potion in your inventory trying to find the one you need right now, good for you. If that delay drives you bonkers, Instant Tooltips reduces it to a measly 10 milliseconds. Personally, I consider this mod essential and if it had a face I would kiss it.
All Quest Objectives on Map
Download All Quest Objectives on Map on NexusMods
Rather than having to flip back and forth between the quest journal and the map to see which objectives are nearby, this mod makes markers for every active quest visible at once. You can change which quest is active by just clicking on the objective marker, it gives you a set of custom pins to mark points of interest you find, and there's a version that also keeps track of merchants and herbalists. If that's too much, you can also customize and hide any markers you don’t need.
Gear Levels Hidden and No Level Requirements
Download Gear Levels Hidden and No Level Requirements on NexusMods
Why can't Geralt wear a pair of shoes that have a level requirement he hasn't reached yet? Are you telling me the Butcher of Blaviken needs more practice to effectively wear a pair of boots into battle? Item levels are a bane of RPGs, and if you want to swing any sword you can afford instead of having to carry spare gear around until you cross an arbitrary line to use it, this mod will let you. Other mods do the same thing but leave the scores visible in your inventory. This one hides them so you can pretend they never existed and we live in a better world.
Disable Storybook Videos
Download Disable Storybook Videos on NexusMods
"This bard's tale begins near White Orchard, with my dear friend Geralt of Rivia seeking his lover of yore…" No shit, Dandelion. I watched the same cutscene as you. The loading scene videos that remind you of recent storyline developments can be useful if you leave a long gap between play sessions, but if you find yourself reloading often or play in short bursts, you'll get sick of hearing the same one over and over. This mod disables those storybook narration videos completely.
No Indignant NPCs
Download No Indignant NPCs on NexusMods
The people of the Continent sure do raise a fuss when a muscular armored man with two gigantic swords on his back happens to bump into them. If you're sick of hearing them wail and scream because you nudged someone while walking down a narrow staircase, you'll want to install No Indignant NPCs, or as it's subtitled, "Geralt can't push people around so no more falling and screaming when bumped."
Perks Always Active
Download Perks Always Active on NexusMods
There's a lot of neat abilities tucked away in the brown section of the list, like Gourmet, which extends the duration of food's healing effect and is essential for surviving the early levels on higher difficulties. But any general perk you activate is one less combat, alchemy, or sign perk you can squeeze in, and that's a high cost to pay. Perks Always Active means that any general perk you've spent a point on will be active without having to slot it. If that's not enough for you, All Perks Always Active activates every single perk you've paid for, regardless of color.
No Inventory Weight Limit - Over 9000
Download No Inventory Weight Limit - Over 9000 on NexusMods
Geralt can already carry quite a bit considering he's just a guy with sweet leather getups and two cumbersome swords, but if you're the sort of hoarder who can't bear the thought of tossing away a collection of witch hunter's swords, then this is the mod for you. The resulting weight limit? You guessed it, Vegeta. It's over 9,000. Now you'll (almost) never have to worry about whether you should hang on to that one trophy with an extremely situational bonus. Just do it.
Indestructible Items
Download Indestructible Items on NexusMods
Weapon degradation is a controversial topic, a mechanic that has vocal detractors and defenders. If you find spending time and money repairing your gear tedious, especially after a couple hundred hours of adventuring, Indestructible Items pulls the entire weapon degradation system out of the game. It's a small change with big effects.
Enable Jumping in Shallow Water
Oh my god, finally.
Beautification mods
Disable Hairworks on Geralt
Download Disable Hairworks on Geralt on NexusMods
When The Witcher 3 launched, Hairworks was beyond the capabilities of many rigs. Now, the feature that gives everyone swishy physics-enabled hair and fur is within the grasp of a decent gaming PC. However, nice as it is to turn on, Hairworks can turn Geralt's beard black in some cutscenes, and makes his locks look kind of noodly. There are settings to enable it for everyone or for Geralt alone, but there's no way to give everyone luscious hair except Geralt. This mod fixes that, and now we can enjoy Roach's coat being a shampoo commercial without Geralt having a magic color-changing beard.
Clean Screen
Download Clean Screen on NexusMods
The Witcher 3's pretend camera lens is like a magnet for droplets of blood and water and that thin layer of dirt and grime it accrues. It also gets hit with glare when you face the sun, and a green haze when your toxicity level is up. Clean Screen comes in a few different versions to choose from depending on which of those effects you'd like to remove and which you'd like to leave.
A Night to Remember Appearance
Download A Night to Remember Appearance on NexusMods
Sure, you can make Geralt look like Henry Cavill if you want. The real galaxy brain move is to make your Geralt look more like the one from the launch trailer, also known as A Night to Remember. This version of the White Wolf has sharper eyebrows and a more angular forehead scar, and the mod also alters his armor, crossbow, swords, scabbards, and even Roach's coloring with 4K textures that recreate the trailer's look. Now get out there and hunt some bruxae.
Better Hair
Download Ciri Better Hair on NexusMods
Download Yennefer Better Hair on NexusMods
The faces of various main characters were given a 4K makeover in the next-gen update, as a consequence of which their low-poly hair has become even more obvious. Modder EzioMaverick has done the vital work of giving Ciri and Yennefer's hair smoother curves and more defined ends. Hopefully this is an ongoing project and other NPCs receive similar follicular attention.
Photo Mode Unlocked
Download Photo Mode Unlocked on NexusMods
The next-gen update's photo mode is a great addition, and tapping U to pause the action and make sure you get a shot of a gorgeous vista or a head being severed will add hours to your playthrough. Normally, you can't jump into photo mode in cutscenes, however. This mod fixes that. Make sure to go into photo mode during normal gameplay shortly before you try using it in a cutscene to make it active, and you should be able to fly the camera around getting close shots of the Wild Hunt or whoever. Sometimes the camera will get stuck underground or you'll see some low-res textures you weren't supposed to notice, but when it works, it's worth it.
No Swords in Sex Scenes
Download No Swords in Sex Scenes on NexusMods
You can leave your hat on, but please take the scabbard off. For some reason a handful of characters have decided they absolutely must keep their blades close at hand even when naked. It's noticeable in the first scene of The Witcher 3 when Geralt stands up from the tub and suddenly has a sword on his back. This mod gets rid of it.
Gwent mods
The Gwent Card Dealer
Download Gwent Card Dealer on NexusMods
If you love a good round of Gwent but don't feel like tracking down every single generic merchant to earn a card from, The Gwent Dealer will save you a lot of Frequent Roach Miles. This mod turns the Bloody Baron's quartermaster at Crow's Perch into a one-stop card shop. As well as all his usual wares he'll now sell almost every non-unique Gwent card in the game. You'll still have to do the quests to earn uniques like Dandelion and Eredin: Bringer of Death, however.
Fantasy Gwent
Download Fantasy Gwent on NexusMods
If you find it confusing that Geralt plays a card game which features him and his pals on the cards, Fantasy Gwent replaces them with more generic theming. It's not just the art that's replaced either. The cards have different abilities, and this version of Gwent should play faster too. Some of the new cards do feature references to gods from Earth's mythology, like Anubis and Athena, so if that's more harmful to your immersion than Geralt playing the Zoltan card, you may not want to bother.
Cyberpunk Gwent Cards Collection
Download Cyberpunk Gwent Cards Collection on NexusMods
Go in the other direction to Fantasy Gwent and get a little Night City in your Novigrad with this mod, which replaces the artwork on 12 Gwent cards with pictures more reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077. Triss looks like a nomad, Geralt wears V's jacket, and Ciri, er, doesn't wear much of anything. That's cyberpunk, yep.
No Time for Gwent
Download No Time for Gwent on NexusMods
If that's all way too much Gwent for your liking, then here's a mod that lets you instantly win any match by pressing the N key after you've started playing. As suggested by the mod's description you can pretend you're using the Axii sign to win if you need to stay in-character, but this is really a mod for anyone who wants to complete their collection without actually having to sit through every single game of Gwent.
Just for fun mods
Ciri Cyberpunk 2077 Samurai Outfit
Download Ciri Cyberpunk 2077 Samurai Outfit on NexusMods
Did Ciri really travel to Night City when she was on the run from the Wild Hunt? Someone certainly left their name as "Z1R343L" on the Roach Race arcade game. If you want Ciri to look like she learned leet speak while hanging with some chooms in Night City, here's a mod that dresses her appropriately, complete with glowing collar. If you want to go full Cyberpunk 2077, combine it with the mod that gives Ciri a thermal katana with scabbard.
A Minecraft Sword
Download A Minecraft Sword on NexusMods
Steel for humans, silver for monsters. What about diamond? Diamond is also for monsters, at least with this mod, which gives Geralt a silver sword that looks like a diamond sword from Minecraft. It's a decent blade, with bonuses to armor piercing, sign intensity, xp from monsters, crit chance and damage, and a chance to cause burning. You'll need to buy it from Éibhear Hattori in Novigrad, who presumably slapped two diamonds and a stick together to make this masterpiece.
Party at the Chameleon
Download Party at the Chameleon on NexusMods
When you've finished The Witcher 3's story, some of the characters you've got to know and grown to tolerate vanish from its world. If you'd like one last chance to hang out with your favorite sorceress, bard, or dwarven drinking buddy, this mod has them appear at Dandelion's bar in Novigrad after the main quest ends. Each one has a schedule of daily actions to perform, and will have an open dialogue option or two.
Vampires Have No Shadows
Download Vampires Have No Shadows on NexusMods
Most NPC vampires, being the unnatural creatures that they are, cast no shadows even though they walk in the sun! Chilling.
