The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is officially set to launch on September 29, 2026. CD Projekt Red confirmed the release date and a wave of new details during Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live. The remaster covers PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X. Existing owners of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on any platform will receive the upgrade for free, according to reporting from GamesRadar by Josh West, with contributions by Heather Wald and Emma-Jane Betts.

Image: CD Projekt Red via GamesRadar.

This is not a small polish pass. The remastered version includes upgraded visuals, a revamped combat system, overhauled monster behaviors, improved traversal and movement, better mount handling, a reworked skill tree, an expanded photo mode, new finishers, and transmogrification. On top of the base game, every player gets free expansions at launch. CD Projekt Red has also announced Songs of the Past, a paid expansion coming in 2027 that introduces the new region of Letten.

Below, everything we know about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered, organized by topic.

1. What Is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is a comprehensive update to CD Projekt Red's 2015 open-world RPG. It is not a remake built from scratch. It is a significant overhaul of the existing game, touching nearly every system while preserving the original structure and story.

According to Josh West at GamesRadar, the remaster features upgraded visuals, enhanced combat and monster behaviors, improved traversal and movement, better mount handling, a revamped skill tree, expanded photo mode, new finishers, and transmogrification. The scope extends beyond visual fidelity. CD Projekt Red has revisited core gameplay loops that defined the original, from how Geralt moves through the world to how monsters fight back.

Heather Wald and Emma-Jane Betts contributed to the GamesRadar reporting on these details. The announcement came during Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live, one of the year's biggest gaming events, giving the reveal maximum visibility ahead of the September 29 launch.

2. Release Date, Platforms, and Free Upgrade Details

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered launches September 29, 2026. It will be available on four platforms simultaneously:

• PC
• PlayStation 5
• Nintendo Switch 2
• Xbox Series X

The free upgrade is the headline detail for existing players. Anyone who owns The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on any supported platform will receive the remastered version at no additional cost. CD Projekt Red has not specified any restrictions or conditions beyond owning the base game.

This follows the pattern CD Projekt Red established with the original next-gen update for The Witcher 3 in 2022, which also offered free upgrades to existing owners. The remastered version goes further, however, with changes that touch gameplay systems beyond visual settings alone.

3. Visual and Technical Improvements

Visual upgrades are confirmed for all platforms, though the exact scope per platform varies (detailed in Section 9). The remastered version applies modern rendering techniques across the board. Improved lighting, higher-resolution textures, better draw distances, and refined environmental effects are all part of the package.

On PC, players can expect the highest visual ceiling, with support for current-generation hardware features. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X deliver near-PC fidelity at performance and quality modes. Nintendo Switch 2, as a portable hybrid, targets a different balance but benefits from the same underlying improvements adapted for the hardware.

The visual upgrades extend to character models, foliage, water rendering, and weather systems. Geralt's appearance, NPC models, and monster designs all receive updated geometry and texture work. The goal, per CD Projekt Red's messaging, is to bring the game up to a standard consistent with current-generation expectations without altering its visual identity.

4. Combat, Monster AI, and Traversal Overhaul

Combat in The Witcher 3 was functional but often criticized for its simplicity in later stages. The remastered version addresses this directly. Enhanced combat is one of the key pillars of the update, with changes that affect how Geralt engages enemies at every level.

Monster behaviors have received particular attention. In the original game, monster AI followed predictable patterns. The remastered version introduces more dynamic and responsive enemy behaviors. Monsters react to Geralt's positioning, use environmental advantages, and coordinate in groups. The result is combat that demands more active engagement from the player.

Traversal and movement improvements cover both on-foot and mounted gameplay. Geralt's movement animations and responsiveness have been reworked. The controversial " Geralt slides off a 2-inch ledge" problem from the original game has been addressed. Mount handling, specifically for Roach, has been improved to feel more natural and responsive. Better mount handling was called out explicitly in the GamesRadar reporting.

These changes represent the most significant gameplay modifications in the remaster. They affect the moment-to-moment experience more than any visual upgrade could, and they reflect CD Projekt Red's willingness to revise core systems rather than leaving them untouched.

5. Skill Tree, Photo Mode, and New Features

The skill tree has been revamped. The original game used a branching system divided by combat, signs, alchemy, and general skills. The remastered version reworks this structure, though specific details on new nodes and paths have not been fully disclosed yet. A revamped skill tree was confirmed in the GamesRadar report by Josh West.

The expanded photo mode gives players more control over camera positioning, filters, and character posing. Photo mode in the original game was added in a post-launch update and was relatively basic. The remastered version expands it significantly, aligning with modern expectations for in-game photography tools.

New finishers add visual flair to combat encounters. These are contextual kill animations that trigger during fights, giving Geralt more dramatic ways to dispatch enemies. Transmogrification is another new feature. It allows players to alter the appearance of equipped gear without changing its stats. This addresses a long-standing request from the community, where players wanted to wear high-stat armor without sacrificing the look they preferred.

Together, these additions supplement the core gameplay improvements with quality-of-life features that modernize the overall experience.

6. Free Expansions at Launch

Every player who owns The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will receive free expansions on September 29, 2026. The GamesRadar article states explicitly: "everyone's getting free expansions today." The term "today" in that context refers to the launch day of the remastered version.

CD Projekt Red has not yet detailed the full content of these free expansions. The announcement at Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live confirmed their existence and their free availability, with further details expected closer to or at launch.

This is notable for two reasons. First, it adds content to a game that already shipped with two of the most acclaimed expansions in RPG history (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine). Second, it reinforces CD Projekt Red's approach of providing substantial value to existing owners, building goodwill after the troubled launch of Cyberpunk 2077 and the subsequent recovery.

7. Songs of the Past DLC (2027)

Songs of the Past is a paid expansion announced alongside the remastered version. It is scheduled for release in 2027. The DLC introduces a new region called Letten and is described as exploring a "dark secret." It will include new abilities and weapons.

Details remain limited. The announcement at Gamescom 2026 confirmed the existence of the DLC, its new region, and its 2027 target window. CD Projekt Red has not disclosed a specific release date, pricing, or the full scope of content for Songs of the Past.

The addition of a new region is significant. Letten does not appear in the existing game or its previous expansions. This is new territory, not a reworked version of existing content. New abilities and weapons suggest that Songs of the Past will expand Geralt's gameplay options, potentially building on the revamped skill tree introduced in the remaster.

8. Feature Comparison: Original vs Remastered

The table below compares key features between the original 2015 release (and its 2022 next-gen update) and the 2026 remastered version, based on confirmed details from GamesRadar.

Feature	Original / 2022 Update	Remastered (2026)
Visual Quality	Base 2015 graphics; 2022 update added ray tracing and improved textures on select platforms	Full visual overhaul across all platforms, updated lighting, higher-resolution assets, improved environmental effects
Combat System	Standard action RPG combat, widely considered functional but simple in late game	Enhanced combat with revised mechanics and greater depth
Monster AI	Predictable enemy behaviors, limited dynamic response	Reworked monster behaviors with dynamic reactions, group coordination, and environmental awareness
Movement and Traversal	Geralt's movement often felt stiff; ledge sliding was a common complaint	Improved traversal and movement, more responsive controls, refined ledge and terrain handling
Mount Handling	Roach was notoriously difficult to control in tight spaces	Better mount handling confirmed as a key improvement
Skill Tree	Branching system across combat, signs, alchemy, general	Revamped skill tree with reworked structure
Photo Mode	Added post-launch in 2022 update, basic camera and filter options	Expanded photo mode with more camera controls, filters, and posing options
Finishers	Limited contextual kill animations	New finishers added throughout the game
Transmogrification	Not available in the original or 2022 update	Full transmogrification system included at launch
Free Content	Free next-gen update in 2022 for existing owners	Free upgrades plus free expansions for all existing owners on September 29, 2026
Paid DLC	Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine (2015/2016)	Songs of the Past announced for 2027, new region Letten, new abilities and weapons

9. Platform Breakdown: What Each Version Gets

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered targets four platforms. The core content (gameplay changes, free expansions, skill tree overhaul, new finishers, transmogrification) is identical across all versions. Visual fidelity and performance targets differ by hardware.

Platform	Visual Target	Performance	Key Notes
PC	Highest visual fidelity; support for current-gen GPU features	Scalable based on hardware	Full mod support expected based on the original game's active modding community
PlayStation 5	Near-PC visual quality at higher settings	Performance and quality mode options anticipated	DualSense haptic feedback support is likely but not confirmed
Nintendo Switch 2	Adapted for portable hybrid hardware; reduced texture and lighting detail compared to PS5/XSX	Targets stable frame rate on portable and docked modes	First time The Witcher 3 runs on Nintendo hardware at near-current-gen quality
Xbox Series X	Near-PC visual quality, comparable to PS5	Performance and quality mode options anticipated	Smart Delivery expected for automatic upgrade from previous Xbox versions

The inclusion of Nintendo Switch 2 is the most notable platform addition. The original Switch port of The Witcher 3, released in 2019, was a technical achievement but required significant visual compromises. The Switch 2's improved hardware allows CD Projekt Red to deliver a much closer experience to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.

10. FAQ

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered launches September 29, 2026. Free upgrade for existing owners. GamesRadar's Josh West, with contributions by Heather Wald and Emma-Jane Betts, confirmed enhanced visuals, combat overhaul, reworked monster AI, improved traversal, revamped skill tree, expanded photo mode, new finishers, transmogrification, free expansions at launch, and the Songs of the Past DLC for 2027.