The Witcher 3 Is Getting a Free Remaster & New Expansion

The remaster launches September 29 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a native Nintendo Switch 2 version arriving the same day. Existing owners on supported platforms will receive the upgrade for free, including Switch 2 players who already own the original Nintendo Switch release.

This is also a much broader update than the game's 2022 next-gen release. CD Projekt Red says it is reworking combat, movement, traversal, Witcher Signs, Roach's handling, monster behavior, and the skill tree. The remaster will add transmogrification, new finishing moves, an expanded photo mode, cross-platform mod support, improved quest tracking, a redesigned looting system, and upgrades to HDR and ambient occlusion.

The visual side is getting attention too, with refreshed textures, updated lighting, and revised foliage shading. Existing owners of the base game will also receive Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine for free, even if they never purchased the expansions separately. That makes the update a fairly substantial package for both returning players and anyone who never played through Geralt's two previous DLC adventures.

Hungarian studio Yigsoft is co-developing the remaster after previously contributing to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. The game is also coming to Battle.net through a new partnership with Blizzard Entertainment. Players who purchase the upcoming expansion through Blizzard's launcher will receive a Geralt-inspired cosmetic skin in Diablo 4.

While the remaster gives players a reason to revisit the game, Songs of the Past is the bigger surprise. It will be The Witcher 3's third full expansion and its first new story content in nearly a decade, sending Geralt to an entirely new region called Letten.

The setting draws heavily from rural traditions and folklore, with harvests and festivals forming part of the region's identity. The reveal trailer suggests those celebrations won't remain peaceful for long, with Geralt once again finding himself caught up in a supernatural threat hidden beneath an otherwise picturesque setting.

CD Projekt Red is also introducing new ways to fight. Geralt will gain new abilities and a chain weapon capable of pulling enemies toward him, while the expansion will feature new monsters and returning characters. Those additions could give combat a noticeable change of pace without moving too far away from the systems familiar to longtime players.

Polish studio Fool's Theory is co-developing Songs of the Past. The studio has previously worked on Witcher-related projects and includes developers with past ties to CD Projekt Red. The expansion is scheduled for release in 2027 and can already be wishlisted on supported storefronts. Unlike the remaster, Songs of the Past will be a paid expansion, though CD Projekt Red has not yet announced its price.

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