The witcher 3 Next Gen update is finally live. It’s a mess on the pc at the momentbut pretty awesome on Xbox Series X and PS5. And if you’re one of the millions of gamers tempted to revisit Geralt’s rugged but endearing mug with better lighting and a few more dimples, you’ll want to know how to carry over your save data from previous versions of the game. Here’s everything you need to know The Witcher 3′s Cross save transfer special feature.
The witcher 3 supports cross-platform cloud saves, so to speak
A function that integrates the Critically acclaimed open world game with CD Projekt Red’s GOG.com servers means you can log into the game and track your save data from version to version. However, there are some important caveats. Save data cannot be transferred between different patch releases, and only the file you last accessed will follow you between platforms.
Here is how CDPR describes it in the 4.0 patch notes:
Added a cross-progression feature between platforms. Your latest saves are automatically uploaded to the cloud, so you can easily pick up where you left off on other platforms. Cross-progression provides the latest storage for each storage type. This feature becomes available after you log in to your account.
The cloud save feature is also available in the Switch version of the game, but as it won’t be updated to the new 4.0 version until sometime in the future, it’s currently not working.
How to transfer your old save
While you might think that you can just download the latest version of The witcher 3 and jump straight into your old storage, it’s not that easy (unless you’re playing on Xbox Series X/S, where Smart Delivery has you covered). Here are the detailed steps to enable cross save and transfer your old data including all new game plus files especially from PS4 to PS5:
- Download the latest update for the last gen version of The witcher 3
- Start the game and go to the Load Save menu
- Press the left trigger to activate cross-save
- Use the QR code on the screen to log into your GOG account on your smartphone
- Select “Claim” and you’ll get new gear for Geralt and start the cross-save feature
- Now load the saved game that you want to transfer
- Manually save again in a new slot
- Download and open the next-gen version of The witcher 3
- Go to the Load Save menu
- Enable cross save
- Sign in with your GOG account
Your save from the old version of the game should now appear in the menu
It’s not ideal, but it’s good enough
In a perfect world, you could just broadcast Everyone from your old save data to the new version of the game. While the cloud save feature is great for cross-save between different platforms, it’s not quite as easy or comprehensive as workarounds for some other games that made the leap from last generation to next, at least on the PlayStation front. For example, there is no easy way to transfer both a new Game Plus save file and the completed game save needed to generate future new Game Plus files.
It’s a small issue, but one I’ve encountered nonetheless when trying to sort things out on my PS5. But on the bright side, this new feature finally fixes the long-standing issue of PlayStation players not being able to access their save data from the boot copy of The witcher 3 when playing the All-Inclusive Complete Edition.
And on that note, one final wrinkle to note: You cannot move save data from Complete or Game of the Year editions to vanilla copies. That’s how it’s always worked on PC, and it makes sense as the save dates for the GOTY and Complete editions contain references to a number of things that aren’t in the base version of the game.
