To address those visual complaints, CD Projekt Red has rolled out Hotfix 5.01b, a targeted post-launch update aimed specifically at improving image clarity on the Xbox Series S. While the patch is designed solely for the Series S hardware, the nature of Microsoft’s console update delivery infrastructure means Xbox Series X owners will also see the download in their queues.
What Hotfix 5.01b Changes on Xbox Series S (and Why Series X Downloads It)
Following the September 29 release, Xbox Series S users began reporting that the remastered edition suffered from noticeably muddy visuals. As reported by Game Rant and OpenCritic, some players initially claimed that completely deleting and reinstalling the game helped alleviate the blurriness. On Reddit, as noted by Pure Xbox, frustrated players estimated that the Series S performance mode looked as though it were rendering at roughly 500p—an anecdotal user impression rather than a verified pixel count, but a clear indicator of how soft the presentation appeared on modern displays.
According to CD Projekt Red’s announcement, as reported by Pure Xbox, Hotfix 5.01b targets this poor image clarity by swapping the Xbox Series S upscaling method from TAAU (Temporal Anti-Aliasing Upsampling) to FSR (AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution).
There are several practical realities Xbox and PC players should keep in mind regarding this specific deployment:
- Targeted Series S Scope: The switch from TAAU to FSR applies strictly to the Xbox Series S version of the game. CD Projekt Red has not specified which generation of FSR is being utilized, nor has the studio published target internal resolution metrics or frame-rate adjustments for this hotfix.
- The Xbox Series X Delivery Quirk: Because of how the Xbox platform packages and distributes updates across the Series X|S family, Xbox Series X owners will also be prompted to download Hotfix 5.01b. However, CD Projekt Red explicitly noted that the hotfix "does not introduce any changes to that version of the game."
- Aim vs. Verified Outcome: While switching the upscaler to FSR is the developer's intended remedy for the Series S blurriness, independent technical testing and post-patch resolution measurements have not yet established how much sharper the presentation looks in practice.
Section Summary: Hotfix 5.01b replaces TAAU with FSR on the Xbox Series S to combat complaints of blurry visuals, while also triggering a no-op download for Xbox Series X consoles due to platform delivery architecture.
Technical Context: Why Switching from TAAU to FSR Matters
Why would changing an upscaling algorithm be the first line of defense when a console port looks overly soft? Based on general industry knowledge of real-time rendering pipelines, both TAAU and FSR reconstruct a higher-resolution output image from a lower internal rendering resolution, but they handle edge reconstruction, motion history, and sharpening passes differently.
When a hardware-constrained system like the Xbox Series S runs a heavy modern workload—especially one featuring reworked lighting, denser foliage, and upgraded textures—dynamic resolution scaling often drops the internal pixel count aggressively to maintain frame-rate targets. Temporal upscalers rely heavily on previous frames to smooth out jagged edges; when fed a very low internal resolution, standard TAAU implementations can easily produce "vaseline-like" ghosting and softness, particularly during fast camera movement or foliage animation.
By transitioning the Series S pipeline to AMD’s FSR framework, the engine can leverage a dedicated spatial or temporal upscaling and sharpening pipeline specifically tuned for RDNA 2 console hardware. Whether that swap alone is enough to fully satisfy Series S players without further dynamic resolution tuning remains to be seen as community impressions roll in.
The Broader Post-Launch Roadmap: How Patch 5.01 Set the Stage
Hotfix 5.01b did not arrive in a vacuum. It follows a rapid sequence of post-launch maintenance that began immediately after the September 29 debut, including early October updates (Patch 5.00b for consoles and Xbox Play Anywhere, and Hotfix 5.00c for PC) and the comprehensive Patch 5.01, which CD Projekt Red deployed across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 8, 2026.
Because Xbox Play Anywhere bridges the Microsoft Store PC ecosystem and Xbox Series X|S consoles with shared entitlement and cross-progression, understanding what Patch 5.01 already resolved helps clarify the current state of the game across Windows and Xbox hardware.
| Platform / Category | Key Fixes & Adjustments in Patch 5.01 (Oct 8, 2026) | Status in Hotfix 5.01b (Oct 15, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox Series S | Added Bloom, Light Shafts, and Depth of Field graphics toggles; general performance optimizations; console voiceover volume fix; DRS artifact fixes. | Switches upscaling solution from TAAU to FSR to target poor image clarity. |
| Xbox Series X | Received all Patch 5.01 console graphics toggles, audio fixes, and visual adjustments to Ray Tracing, tone mapping, and character lighting. | Receives the 5.01b download via Xbox platform delivery, but contains zero functional or visual changes. |
| Windows PC (Steam, GOG, Epic, Battle.net, Xbox Play Anywhere) | Fixed GTAO Quality resetting on restart; set default Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS) to OFF; fixed unsupported DLSS/XeSS preset application and wrong GPU selection. | Unaffected by 5.01b; remains on the Patch 5.01 baseline. |
| Core Gameplay & UI (All Platforms) | Fixed delayed dodging, simultaneous sprint/dodge stamina drain, uncontrollable boats, Blade Oils session bug, Exploding Shield damage reflection, and save-data issues. | Retained from Patch 5.01. |
Notable PC and Graphics Fixes Already Live from Patch 5.01
For Windows users running the remaster—whether through Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, or the Xbox app via Xbox Play Anywhere—Patch 5.01 addressed several nagging configuration bugs that initially complicated PC benchmarking and tuning:
- Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS) Defaults: CD Projekt Red changed the default DRS setting on PC to OFF and fixed an issue where DRS caused visual artifacts in certain configurations or displayed incorrect values after changing Anti-Aliasing modes.
- GPU and Upscaler Detection: The October 8 patch resolved bugs where the game occasionally selected the wrong GPU, allowed users to enable unsupported graphics settings on incompatible cards, or erroneously applied NVIDIA DLSS or Intel XeSS when switching graphics presets on unsupported hardware.
- Settings Persistence and Global Visuals: It fixed the GTAO Quality option resetting after a game restart, refined Bloom, tone mapping, character lighting, Ray Tracing, and Path Tracing, and restored foliage collision reactions.
Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red noted in its Patch 5.01 release notes that a separate update is in development for the native Nintendo Switch 2 version to bring it into closer global parity with PC and home consoles, specifically targeting Switch 2 image clarity and sharpness. As players prepare for the upcoming 2027 expansion, Songs of the Past, the studio’s post-launch cadence shows a clear focus on stabilizing image reconstruction and display configurations across every tier of hardware.
Section Summary: While Hotfix 5.01b is strictly an Xbox Series S upscaling adjustment, it builds directly on the October 8 Patch 5.01 release, which overhauled PC upscaler detection, turned off default PC Dynamic Resolution Scaling, and added new visual toggles on consoles.