The best Witcher 3 PS5 update is actually all about the minimap

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt's next-gen update has brought a series of changes to the game in time for its free PS5 upgrade, but the best of the lot has to be how it has reworked the game's minimap.

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt has recently received a free PS5 upgrade, as well as a bunch of quality of life changes via the next-gen update. These include some genuinely brilliant additions, such as the new quick-casting control method and being able to pause the game mid-cutscene (yes, that's actually new). However, the best change to The Witcher 3 has to be the new toggle option for the in-game minimap, fixing one of the best PlayStation's RPGs longest-lingering flaws.

Artist's interpretation of The Witcher 3's minimap and its effect on your peripheral vision.

The Witcher 3's "hide minimap" option is the PS5 upgrade's best addition

Undeniably, The Witcher 3's new quick-cast method for Geralt's signs makes the most immediate impact on gameplay — a huge, necessary shift that means players spend 100% less time fiddling with menus. That said, play a little deeper into the game and the quick-cast system chafes awkwardly against the game's unlockable alternate signs, so it's hardly a seamless change. The same cannot be said for the new "hide minimap during exploration" option — a game-changer that is also an unmitigated success.

Previously, players had to make a choice: keep the minimap and put up with it garishly hogging screen real-estate for some much-needed help navigating the game's richly detailed world; or turn it off. The former ruined many of the game's wondrous vistas and persistently broke the player's immersion; the latter made navigation a chore as you would need to repeatedly open the full world map to figure out where to go. Now, thanks to the update, there is a third option — one that elegantly solves the problem without overreaching.

By toggling on the "hide minimap" option, the map will start to disappear after a few seconds while moving around the world. To bring the minimap back, simply activate Geralt's Witcher Senses. This not only works tremendously well but it also feels like a natural extension of the character. By tapping into his senses, Geralt can see more of his surroundings and he can also HUD-ify the nearby area. It's a masterstroke solution to the previous problems, up there with the game's new horse-petting secret feature. It's also far more visually consistent with the game's presentation than had the developers lazily plopped an ugly map marker on the screen.

Players can activate a toggle option for the game's objectives too, although you're far better just turning all that junk off. Chances are you know what you're trying to do as you play, so you don't need a bit of text in the corner reminding you. The Witcher 3 isn't the first game to come to this elegant minimap toggle solution — we're not sure what is, though we know Assassin's Creed Odyssey definitely had it — but it might be the game that needed this solution the most, so we're thrilled that it's here.

Let us know in the comments if you'll be revisiting The Witcher 3 soon and maybe picking up all those new Witcher 3 PS5 trophies that dropped with the free upgrade. Also, let us know if you tap into the minimap toggle option and how you find it, we're genuinely curious!

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Written by Lee Brady

Staff Writer Lee loves writing about the game design of classic PS Plus Premium games and upcoming PS5 games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XVI. He's a big proponent of video games as an evolving artistic medium, though he's also a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog games, so the medium might want to keep looking for a better spokesperson.