Fans looking forward to CD Projekt Red and Fool’s Theory’s remake of The Witcher can enjoy a small taste of what’s to come thanks to a mod that ports the original game’s maps to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

NexusMods user AngryCatster uploaded The Witcher 1 Maps mod as one of the first projects created via RedKit, CD Projekt Red’s official modding tool released for The Witcher 3 on May 21, 2024.

The mod brings forward several maps from The Witcher including those that made up Vizima, the capital of Temeria, which briefly features in The Witcher 3 when players visit Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr var Emreis at its castle.

AngryCatster has modded over the Vizima Dike, Temple Quarter, Trade Quarter, and Old Vizima and combined them into one seamless level, meaning players can explore them fully without the loading screens or other restrictions of 2007’s The Witcher.

The maps are also brought forward with Witcher 3 textures, lighting, and controls, breathing fresh life into the near two decade-old game. While AngryCatster admits there are several issues with the port, such as some “funky” geometry, imperfect terrain textures, and the possibility of falling off the map, it’s perhaps the first step in a full recreation of The Witcher inside The Witcher 3.

Fool’s Theory is recreating the game in Unreal Engine 5, of course, but that will be a complete reimagining instead of just a straight port like this mod. Creating a full copy of the first game inside The Witcher 3 could prove popular by giving players a fresh way to play it so many years later.

Those on PC can explore Vizima themselves by visiting AngryCatster’s page, though a video tour of the city was also shared on YouTube.

RedKit is available for free on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG to anyone who owns The Witcher 3 but will remain a PC exclusive despite fellow role-playing game maker Bethesda bringing mod support to console through the likes of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

As for The Witcher Remake, fans will still be waiting a while as it’s not due until after Polaris, the next mainline Witcher game, which isn’t due itself until 2025 at the absolute earliest (and probably much later). The remake appears very ambitious too, as Fool’s Theory is eager to tackle aspects of the original which are “bad, outdated, and need to be remade.”

The Witcher Remake will also make the original game open-world and therefore even more in-line with The Witcher 3, though even this will be more than a decade old by the time the remake launches. Little else is known about it, but longtime Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle is eager to return.

Image Credit: AngryCatster on NexusMods (qwerthjhjky on YouTube)

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.