The Witcher 3 Remastered launches on September 29 as a free upgrade for existing owners, CD Projekt Red announced at gamescom Opening Night Live.
What’s in The Witcher 3 Remastered?
The upgrade is free on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It brings upgraded visuals, reworked combat, improved traversal and movement, a revamped skill tree, new witcher sign effects, transmogrification, an expanded photo mode and new finishers. PC gets Nvidia DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR 4, Intel XESS 2.0 and path tracing; the console versions add PlayStation 5 Pro support and Xbox Play Anywhere.
Where The Witcher 3 Remastered launches
The announcement also brought the game to two new platforms. A native version launches on Nintendo Switch 2 the same day, with pre-orders open now and owners of the Switch 1 version able to claim it free — IGN notes the original Switch version gets no upgrade of its own. Through a new partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, the game comes to Battle.net for the first time, where buying the expansion unlocks a Geralt-inspired skin in Diablo 4.
Songs of the Past, and the free expansions
All current owners also gain access to the two original expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, at no extra cost — announced on stage by gamescom host Geoff Keighley. Anyone who owns the base game now has the complete edition, free.
The third expansion, Songs of the Past, follows in 2027. Its teaser revealed the new region of Letten, an idyllic land of rural tradition with a dark secret below the surface; it is co-developed with Fool’s Theory and available to wishlist now. There was no sign of The Witcher 4 at the show — CD Projekt Red has said the Ciri-led sequel is targeting 2028.
Owners in the UAE get the same free upgrade on launch day across the PlayStation, Steam and Xbox stores. The expansions are already free for everyone who owns the game, so there is nothing to buy before September 29.
Is The Witcher 3 Remastered a free upgrade?
Yes, for existing owners. The remaster is free on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 29, and owners of the Switch 1 version can claim the native Switch 2 release free.
Do I need to buy the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions?
No. Both expansions are now free for everyone who owns The Witcher 3, so the complete game ships with the remaster.
What is the Songs of the Past expansion?
It is The Witcher 3’s third expansion, launching in 2027 as a paid release. It is set in Letten, a new region hiding a dark secret, and is co-developed with Fool’s Theory, a studio led by Witcher 3 veterans.
