September 29 brings The Witcher 3 Remastered free to existing owners

The 2015 role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt changes version on September 29. CD PROJEKT RED calls the new build Remastered and hands it to existing owners as a free upgrade[1][2]. It unlocks at 12pm CEST, which is 6am in New York and 3am in Los Angeles[3]. Everything below was checked against official pages and announcements as of September 27, 2026.

Who pays and who does not

Remastered was first shown at gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25[4]. The free upgrade covers anyone who owns the game on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S[2]. The Nintendo Switch 2 version is sold as a separate product, although people who bought The Witcher 3 on the original Switch can claim it on Switch 2 for free[1][2].

The expansion rules change too. Owners of the base game receive Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine at no extra cost. Updating to the latest version installs both, and on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One the two expansions become free downloads[1].

Graphics, combat and the skill tree

The official page groups the changes into three areas. Visuals get reworked environment, character and monster textures, heavier foliage, and redone lighting, rendering and ray tracing. Combat gets new animations, additional finishers and an adaptive camera. Progression gets a rebuilt skill tree[1].

Around those sit cross-platform mod support, transmogrification, a more immersive meditation sequence and an expanded photo mode[1].

What changes in the stores

The storefront line-up shifts with the release. The standalone expansions are delisted, and the base game is replaced by the Complete Edition with both expansions merged in. From now on there is no way to buy the base game on its own. Anyone who already bought an expansion keeps it in their library, and its content is patched into the base game[1].

Existing progress carries over. Save files stay compatible, cross progression works as before, and achievements and trophies remain, including the expansion ones. Both expansions can still be started as separate new games from the main menu[1].

Before Tuesday

On September 24, IGN relayed the release times and download sizes that CD Projekt had shared. The update is about 45GB on PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox, and about 50GB for the Switch 2 version. On Steam the figure moves with the language packs you have installed[3].

The practical step is to clear close to 50GB of storage in advance. Players who use mods should check them first after updating: the FAQ promises save compatibility, but it says nothing about whether existing mods keep working[1].

The next date is already set. A new expansion, Songs of the Past, arrives in 2027 and takes place in a new realm called Letten, on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2[5]. Battle.net is on that list because CD PROJEKT RED is bringing The Witcher to Blizzard's store, where Remastered can already be pre-purchased[6].

Sources

[1] CD PROJEKT RED. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt official page (with FAQ). Accessed September 27, 2026.

[2] CD PROJEKT RED. Announcing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered. August 25, 2026.

[3] IGN. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered Global Release Times Confirmed by CD Projekt. September 24, 2026.

[4] Xbox Wire. Geralt Returns in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Songs of the Past and Remastered. August 25, 2026.

[5] CD PROJEKT RED. A Look at The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Songs of the Past. August 25, 2026.

[6] CD PROJEKT RED. We're Joining Forces with Blizzard!. August 25, 2026.