The Witcher 3 Remastered Will Arrive September 29 With a Free Upgrade

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered will arrive on September 29, 2026, giving players a new version of Geralt’s adventure on current-generation platforms. CD Projekt Red announced the release on August 25 during Gamescom 2026’s Opening Night Live, alongside a debut trailer and a brief look at the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion. The studio currently plans to release that add-on sometime in 2027.

Rather than presenting the project as a small visual pass, the studio described it as a ground-up overhaul of the 2015 RPG. The remaster follows the game’s 2022 Next-Gen Update, but its work reaches beyond improved scenery, with changes planned for movement, combat, monster behavior, Witcher Signs, skills, gear, mounts, and photo tools. Level design lead Miles Tost presented the update during the Gamescom showcase.

What The Witcher 3 Remastered will add

Geralt’s traversal and movement will receive quality-of-life improvements, while revamped mount handling, including changes to Roach riding, should make journeys across the Continent feel smoother. Updated monster AI will give encounters different behavior, with the revised systems intended to make fights more demanding. The Witcher Signs will also receive new visual effects.

Combat will be revised with an updated camera and targeting system, new attack animations, and fresh finishers designed to make Geralt’s movements feel more precise. The ability system is receiving a full revamp, including a new Skill Tree that will give players more ways to build their version of the White Wolf.

CD Projekt Red is adding an expanded photo mode and a transmog system. Transmog will let players keep the stats they want from their gear while changing Geralt’s appearance, meaning strong equipment no longer has to dictate his outfit.

The trailer names 30 additional changes

The reveal trailer’s quick list includes everyday quality-of-life improvements alongside a substantial rendering pass:

• Cross-platform mod support
• Immersive meditation
• Refined animations
• New quest tracking
• UI improvements
• Looting rework
• Refreshed motion blur
• New accessibility features
• Updated textures
• Foliage shading rework, including denser, refreshed foliage
• Tutorial modernization
• HDR improvements
• GTAO
• Improved menu navigation
• Ray tracing improvements
• Global lighting rework
• New shading model
• Subsurface scattering
• New tone mapper
• PS5 Pro support
• Xbox Play Anywhere support
• Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive features
• Nvidia DLSS 4.5
• AMD FSR 4
• Intel XeSS 2.0
• Path tracing on PC
• Ray reconstruction on PC
• Raytraced hair
• Native DX12
• Rendering parallelization

New quest tracking could make it easier to manage Geralt’s growing list of objectives, while the UI, menu navigation, looting, tutorial, and accessibility updates should make the game less cumbersome to use during a normal playthrough. Refined animations add another layer to the movement and combat work already shown in the remaster.

One teased feature is called immersive meditation. The trailer did not explain how it will work, so its exact role remains unclear. Several technical entries, including the new shading model, tone mapper, subsurface scattering, and foliage shading rework, also need more detail before their practical impact can be judged.

PC and console features in the free update

PC players will receive the most extensive rendering-focused portion of the update, with the trailer specifically calling out path tracing, ray reconstruction, raytraced hair, Native DX12, and three modern upscaling technologies. Nvidia DLSS 4.5 will also support Ray Reconstruction, while AMD FSR 4 and Intel XeSS 2.0 will provide additional image-quality options. The broader visual pass covers refreshed motion blur, updated textures, HDR, global lighting, and ray tracing.

Players using less powerful graphics cards will still see visual changes beyond Path Tracing. Updated textures, reworked global illumination, GTAO, the new shading model, and the new tone mapper are part of the wider rendering overhaul across the PC version.

Console owners will see platform-specific support alongside the shared remaster features. The update includes PS5 Pro support, Xbox Play Anywhere support, and exclusive features for Nintendo Switch 2. Cross-platform mod support is also part of the reveal, although CD Projekt Red has not yet explained which mods or platforms will be covered.

Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine will be free on August 25

Players who own the base game but are missing either of its major add-ons will be able to claim Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine for free on August 25. Both expansions will be included with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered when the upgrade arrives, and newcomers will receive both bundled with the remastered edition.

Existing owners will get the upgrade for free

Players who already own the base game on current-generation platforms, including owners of the Complete Edition, will receive the remastered version as a free upgrade. The announced upgrade coverage includes GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The remaster is also available for pre-purchase on Battle.net and Nintendo Switch 2.

The new edition will bring its expanded systems and visual overhaul to Geralt’s adventure without an additional charge for those owners. CD Projekt Red has not yet clarified whether players will be able to turn individual changes on or off. Anyone who wants the new visuals but prefers the original combat, for example, may have to wait for more information about the update’s settings.

Are you planning to revisit the Continent when the remaster arrives? Tell us what you think in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Developed by CD Projekt RED

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world action role-playing game developed by CD Projekt Red.

Set in a dark fantasy world, the game follows Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter searching for his adopted daughter, Ciri, while navigating political conflicts and supernatural threats. Gameplay features exploration, combat, character progression, and branching narratives shaped by player choices. Widely acclaimed for its writing, world-building, and depth, it is considered one of the most influential RPGs of its generation.

• Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
• Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
• Perspective Third person
• Modes Single player
• Release May 19, 2015
• Publisher WB Games, cdp.pl, Spike Chunsoft, Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Age Rating
• Time to Beat

  Main

  37.4h

  Main + Extras

  70.8h

  Completionist

  161.5h

PlayStation Store Xbox Store Nintendo eShop Steam Epic Games Store GOG Explore The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Official Site