The Witcher 3 Remastered Lands September 29 as a Free Upgrade for Every Owner

CD Projekt Red will ship The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered on September 29, 2026, and it costs nothing if you already own the game. The upgrade lands on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the game gets its first native Nintendo Switch 2 version the same day. Both story expansions are bundled in. Here is what the studio has confirmed so far, what it changes, and how to make sure your copy is ready.

Official announcement trailer from The Witcher channel on YouTube.

How the free upgrade works

The remaster was announced on August 25 during gamescom Opening Night Live, and CD Projekt Red framed it as an update to the existing game rather than a new SKU. If you own The Witcher 3 on GOG, Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, the remaster arrives as a free upgrade on launch day, according to the official announcement. Disc owners on Xbox and PlayStation are covered too.

Switch owners get the same deal. Anyone with The Witcher 3 on the original Switch can claim the Switch 2 version free once it releases. Digital owners can pre-order the free upgrade on the eShop now; physical-cart owners claim it at launch. Nintendo's listing notes the remaster installs as a separate download with its own Home menu icon, so budget the space. Nintendo's UK page lists a 42.3GB download.

Two more things landed alongside the announcement. The Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions were made free to every base-game owner on the day of the reveal, and both are included in the remastered base game. And the game is coming to Battle.net for the first time through a partnership with Blizzard; buying there unlocks a Geralt-themed skin in Diablo IV.

What changes on screen

CD Projekt Red is co-developing the remaster with Yigsoft, a Hungarian studio founded by modders in 2021. The press release lists upgraded visuals, improved textures and lighting, ray tracing on consoles, and an expanded photo mode. The PC build goes further. Coverage of the studio's gamescom REDstreams presentations reports a full path-tracing mode with DLSS 4.5 and Ray Reconstruction, plus FSR 4 and XeSS 2 support. Published PC requirements call for 64-bit Windows 11 and a 70GB SSD install.

On PlayStation 5 Pro the studio says ray tracing runs at 60fps, with a performance mode that unlocks the frame rate and reaches up to 90fps on a compatible display. The Pro gets the same ray-tracing feature set as the base PS5, just at a higher frame rate. On Xbox, the remaster is Xbox Play Anywhere enabled, so one purchase covers Series X|S and Windows, and the Xbox Ally X handheld gets FSR 4 support. Switch 2 supports 120Hz output docked, HDR, touchscreen control for the map, menus and Gwent, gyro aiming, motion controls for signs and Roach, and mouse controls.

Gameplay changes worth knowing

This is not just a texture pass. The confirmed systems work includes:

• Reworked combat animations and new finishers, with an adaptive camera system.
• Improved traversal and movement, and revamped handling for Roach.
• A completely redesigned skill tree and character progression system.
• New visual effects for witcher signs and enhanced monster behaviours.
• Transmogrification, so you can wear the armour you like without losing the stats you need.
• Cross-platform mod support and more accessibility options.

Because the skill tree is new, your existing skill allocation will not survive the jump. CD Projekt Red's support guidance says skills and settings reset with the upgrade, but you can reassign points as soon as the game boots.

Save files, trophies and achievements

This was the big open question after the reveal, and the studio answered it on September 1. Current saves work with the upgrade, so you pick up exactly where you left off. Unlocked achievements and trophies carry over as well; there is no separate list to grind again. Community director Marcin Momot added that this holds because the remaster is a patch to the existing game, not a new title. Expect the same Steam app page and the same PlayStation and Xbox entries you already have.

What new buyers pay, and what comes next

Nothing official has been published on a launch discount. On Steam, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition currently lists at $49.99 in the US; reports indicate that rose from $39.99 shortly after the announcement, and the remaster replaces this listing on the Steam store page at launch. Price trackers list the Switch 2 version at $59.99 in the US, though the Nintendo store page is the place to confirm regional pricing. If you can find the current game on sale before the 29th, buy that: the remaster follows automatically.

The same showcase revealed a third, paid expansion called Songs of the Past, due in 2027 and co-developed with Fool's Theory, a studio led by Witcher 3 veterans. It sends Geralt to Letten, Dandelion's homeland, an idyllic rural region hiding a dark secret, with never-before-seen monsters, new mutagens and a chain weapon. Xbox Wire notes the expansion benefits from every remaster upgrade. Given that The Witcher 3 has sold more than 65 million copies as of May 2026, per Wikipedia, the remaster is clearly the foundation the expansion needs.

Are your swords oiled up and sharpened? Potions brewed? Roach saddled? It's time to face Eredin and his entourage once again! The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered features an array of improvements, bringing upgrades to visuals, gameplay, and more. It's coming on September 29…

— The Witcher (@thewitcher) The Witcher on X

The short version

The Witcher 3 Remastered releases September 29, 2026. It is free for existing owners on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and, via Switch 2, for original Switch owners. Both old expansions are included. Saves and trophies carry over; skills reset. Path tracing is PC-only, PS5 Pro gets 60fps ray tracing or a 90fps mode, and Switch 2 runs at up to 120Hz. If you do not own it yet, buy the current edition and wait: the upgrade comes to you.