CD Projekt Red saved the best for last at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026. In the show's final segment, the studio announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered, arriving as a free upgrade on September 29 for existing owners on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The same night, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine — the game's two critically acclaimed expansions — became free for all Witcher 3 owners immediately, no strings attached.
It's a significant swing for a game that launched in 2015 and has sold over 65 million copies across the full series. The Remaster is not a separate purchase or a "next-gen edition" tied to a price tag. It's an update, delivered free to the people who already own the game.
At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Title | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered |
| Developer | CD Projekt Red (co-dev: Yigsoft) |
| Release Date | September 29, 2026 |
| Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Price for Existing Owners | Free upgrade (PC, PS5, Xbox) |
| Included Expansions | Hearts of Stone + Blood and Wine (free now) |
| New Expansion | Songs of the Past (2027, paid) |
About CD Projekt Red
Founded in Warsaw, Poland, CD Projekt Red built its global reputation on the Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. The Witcher 3 alone has won over 250 Game of the Year awards, a record that has rarely been approached by any title. The studio currently has more than 500 developers working on The Witcher 4, targeting a 2028 release with Ciri as the protagonist.
The Remaster is co-developed with Yigsoft, a team that has prior experience working directly on The Witcher 3. The upcoming expansion Songs of the Past is being co-developed with Fool's Theory, whose leadership includes veterans from the original Witcher 3 development.
What the Remaster Actually Changes
This is not a resolution bump and a few shader tweaks. CD Projekt Red has itemized a substantial list of changes across visuals, combat, traversal, and systems.
Visual Overhaul
- ▶Fully reworked lighting system and new shading model
- ▶Subsurface scattering, new tone mapper, foliage shading rework
- ▶Global lighting improvements throughout the game world
- ▶HDR refinements and refreshed motion blur
PC-Specific Graphics
- ▶NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 support
- ▶AMD FSR 4 support
- ▶Intel XeSS 2.0 support
- ▶Path tracing and ray reconstruction
- ▶Native DX12 with rendering parallelization
- ▶Ray-traced hair (yes, specifically mentioned in the reveal)
Console
- ▶PlayStation 5 Pro support
- ▶Xbox Play Anywhere — one purchase covers both Xbox console and PC
Combat and Movement
- ▶Tweaked combat across the board
- ▶Improved traversal and overall movement feel
- ▶Revamped mount handling (Roach finally?)
- ▶Enhanced monster behaviors and AI
- ▶New finisher animations
Systems and Gameplay
- ▶Full skill tree revamp — significant structural change, not minor rebalancing
- ▶Armor transmog — equip any appearance on any stats
- ▶Expanded photo mode
- ▶Cross-platform mod support (long-requested, now official)
- ▶New quest tracking
- ▶Immersive meditation system
- ▶Looting system rework
- ▶Refined animations and UI improvements
- ▶Tutorial modernization and new accessibility options
Platform Breakdown: Who Gets What
| Platform | Existing Owner Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PC (Steam / GOG / Epic) | Free | Full graphics suite including path tracing |
| PlayStation 5 | Free | PS5 Pro support included |
| Xbox Series X|S | Free | Xbox Play Anywhere included |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Free claim (Switch 1 owners) | Native Switch 2 version, sold separately to new buyers |
| Battle.net | New storefront launch | First time the game comes to Blizzard's platform |
The Switch situation is worth flagging: there is no Remastered upgrade for the original Switch 1 version, but Switch 1 owners can claim the Switch 2 native version for free. That's a separate, native-built version — not a streamed or ported version of the Switch 1 release.
Battle.net is an interesting addition. CD Projekt Red has partnered with Blizzard Entertainment to bring both The Witcher 3 Remastered and the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion to Blizzard's storefront. Buyers who purchase the expansion through Battle.net will receive a Geralt-themed skin in Diablo 4. CD Projekt Red said further partnership details will be revealed at BlizzCon in September.
Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine Are Free — Right Now
This part of the announcement was immediate and requires no waiting. The moment CD Projekt Red made the Gamescom announcement on August 25, both expansions became free for all existing Witcher 3 owners across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
| Expansion | Size | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Hearts of Stone | ~10–13 hours | Oxenfurt region, Gaunter O'Dimm, standalone story |
| Blood and Wine | ~20–30 hours | Toussaint region, new Mutation system, armor dyeing |
Blood and Wine in particular is frequently cited alongside the best expansions in RPG history. Both have been sold separately since their original releases. If you own the base game and have not checked your library since August 25, they should already be there.
Songs of the Past: What We Know About the Third Expansion
Songs of the Past is the first new Witcher 3 story content in over a decade, arriving in 2027. The expansion introduces an entirely new region called Letten — described in CD Projekt Red's official announcement as "an idyllic land of rural tradition that hides a dark secret just below the surface." Lavish festivals and bountiful harvests on the surface; something darker underneath.
Geralt will gain a new weapon, the chain, and face enemies that haven't appeared in the series before. Old companions return. The expansion will also include more Gwent, confirmed the day before the main Gamescom reveal.
Songs of the Past is available to wishlist now and will be a paid expansion on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
The Witcher 4: 2028 Window, Still in Development
CD Projekt Red's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski addressed Witcher 4 directly during Gamescom, without showing anything new:
“"The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window. I know it's a bit of a wait and you'd love to play it sooner, but let the team cook. It will be worth the wait." — Michał Nowakowski, CD Projekt Red joint CEO (IGN, August 26, 2026)
The studio confirmed over 500 developers are working on the project, with Ciri as the lead protagonist. No Witcher 4 content was shown, and none was expected at this Gamescom appearance. The focus was entirely on delivering value for the existing Witcher 3 playerbase ahead of the Remaster.
Who Should Play — and When
| Situation | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Own Witcher 3 on PC / PS5 / Xbox | Nothing required — upgrade arrives September 29 automatically |
| Don't own Hearts of Stone or Blood and Wine | Check your library now — both are already free |
| Own Witcher 3 on Switch 1 | Claim the free Switch 2 native version |
| Never played Witcher 3 | September 29 onward is the optimal entry point — full remaster plus both expansions included |
| Play Diablo 4 and want the Geralt skin | Purchase Songs of the Past through Battle.net when it launches |
Why This Matters
The free upgrade model is genuinely unusual at this scale. A game that has already sold tens of millions of copies across 11 years is receiving a substantive technical overhaul and delivering it free to everyone who paid for it. That includes players who bought the game on launch day in 2015.
The cross-platform mod support is a structural change that the PC community has pushed for since modding took off on the game years ago. Its inclusion suggests CD Projekt Red is treating the Remaster as a long-term platform for the game rather than a one-time visual refresh.
For players coming to Witcher 3 for the first time after September 29, the entry point is now the best it has ever been: a remastered version of one of the most decorated RPGs ever made, with both major expansions included at no additional cost.
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