Eleven years after it set the bar for open-world RPGs, The Witcher 3 is getting rebuilt, and CD Projekt isn't charging for it. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered launches September 29 as a free upgrade for anyone who owns the game on PC, PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. It's also coming natively to Switch 2 the same day, and to Battle.net through a new deal with Blizzard. The studio ran the trailer again on this week's Nintendo Direct, which is why it's back on the timeline.
## What "remastered" actually means here This isn't a resolution bump. Per CD Projekt's own list and the coverage from PC Gamer and RPG Site: textures rebuilt for 4K, lighting that reacts to weather, a stable 60fps target on current consoles, and load times cut by up to 70 percent on SSD. Then the gameplay changes: reworked combat with new finishers, new visual effects for the witcher signs, improved traversal and movement, revamped horse handling for Roach, smarter monster behavior, a skill-tree overhaul, transmogrification so your armor can look like whatever you want, and an expanded photo mode.
For a game people have finished three times, the combat and skill-tree changes are the reason to go back. The 2015 combat was the one thing critics always docked it for.
## The expansions are included Every owner gets Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine at no extra cost with the remaster. Blood and Wine is still one of the best expansions ever shipped for any RPG, and Toussaint in 4K at 60fps is a strong argument for a fourth playthrough.
## Songs of the Past The bigger surprise from gamescom was a third expansion. Songs of the Past takes Geralt to Letten, a new region CD Projekt describes as an idyllic land of rural tradition with a dark secret under the surface. It's wishlistable now and set for 2027. That's a brand-new Witcher 3 story arriving nine years after Blood and Wine, while The Witcher 4 with Ciri is still in development on Unreal Engine 5.
## Why CDPR is doing this now The pattern is the same one that saved Cyberpunk 2077. Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty turned that game around; it crossed 40 million copies sold as of July. A free Witcher 3 rebuild keeps the series in front of players, sells the Switch 2 version to a new audience, and warms the room for both Songs of the Past and The Witcher 4. It also lands on the same fall calendar as GTA 6 on November 19, so September 29 is the window before the whole industry goes quiet.
## Sources - CD PROJEKT RED Press Center, August 2026 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered Announced, Songs of the Past Gets First Look: https://press.cdprojektred.com/en/news/1839/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-remastered-announced-songs-of-the-past-gets-first-look - CD PROJEKT RED Press Center, September 2026 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered for Nintendo Switch 2 Featured on Latest Nintendo Direct: https://press.cdprojektred.com/en/news/1845/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-remastered-for-nintendo-switch-2-featured-on-latest-nintendo-direct - GameSpot, September 9, 2026 - Nintendo Direct September 2026: All The Biggest Announcements And Games: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-direct-september-2026-all-the-biggest-announcements-and-games/ - PC Gamer - The Witcher 3 Remastered: Everything new coming in the big free upgrade: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/witcher-3-remastered-guide/ - RPG Site - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered announced & coming September 29; new DLC Songs of the Past gets a trailer: https://www.rpgsite.net/news/21192-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-remastered-announced-coming-september-29-new-dlc-songs-past-gets-trailer - TechRadar - Cyberpunk 2077 just beat The Witcher 3 to a major sales milestone: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/cyberpunk-2077-just-beat-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-to-a-major-sales-milestone-and-cd-projekt-says-the-rpg-isnt-done-yet

