Gaming: The Witcher 3 Remastered Launches as a Free Upgrade

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered comparison showing Geralt, upgraded visuals, PC path tracing, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2

CD PROJEKT RED released The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered on September 29, turning the 2015 RPG into a free modernized upgrade for existing owners while bringing Geralt’s adventure natively to Nintendo Switch 2 and Battle.net for the first time.

The company says Remastered upgrades visuals, performance, combat, animations and the skill system while adding cross-platform mod support. PC players gain path tracing, PlayStation 5 Pro receives dedicated support, and the Nintendo Switch 2 gets a native version.

The September 29 release is not simply a texture refresh: CD PROJEKT RED has rebuilt several systems around a game that originally launched more than a decade ago.

The official trailer shows the visual overhaul

The Witcher’s verified YouTube channel introduced Remastered with an official trailer showing Geralt, Ciri and the upgraded Continent. The trailer has drawn millions of views and directly presents the version released today.

The official announcement trailer highlights the upgraded environments, characters and combat presentation that define the Remastered release.

PC gets path tracing and consoles get targeted upgrades

On PC, Remastered adds path tracing alongside improved shading, textures, models, foliage lighting and other rendering changes. CD PROJEKT RED also added dedicated PS5 Pro support and expanded the game’s photo mode.

The studio says it reworked combat behavior and animations while reorganizing the skill system. The update also expands mod support across platforms, bringing community-created content into a more unified version of the game.

That emphasis on modding connects with a wider shift in game development. BitcoinVersus.tech recently covered Crown Engine’s expanding open-source game-development tools and Microsoft’s Xbox multiplayer sample for Godot, two other examples of development technology becoming more accessible to creators.

Path tracing is the headline PC rendering upgrade, while the broader release also targets gameplay, interface, animation and modding rather than graphics alone.

Nintendo Switch 2 gets a native Witcher 3

Nintendo of America’s verified channel separately demonstrated the Switch 2 version during its September Direct. Existing owners of The Witcher 3 on the original Switch can claim the Remastered Switch 2 upgrade without buying the game again.

Nintendo’s official trailer shows the native Switch 2 edition, extending the remaster to a portable platform on launch day.

The platform holder lists the new Switch 2 edition alongside the console’s expanding 2026 software lineup. BitcoinVersus.tech also covered today’s Minecraft Dungeons II launch across Switch 2, Xbox, PlayStation and PC.

Both major expansions are included

Remastered includes Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. CD PROJEKT RED says owners of the base game also receive both expansions, expanding the free-upgrade proposition beyond the technical overhaul.

The studio is simultaneously preparing Songs of the Past, a new Witcher 3 expansion scheduled for 2027. That means Remastered is serving as both a modernization of the existing game and a technical foundation for another Geralt adventure.

For PlayStation players, the launch also lands amid renewed interest in running older console software on modern hardware. BitcoinVersus.tech recently examined experimental PS5 compatibility work on PC, illustrating the broader demand for keeping major game libraries accessible as hardware generations change.

Existing Witcher 3 owners receive the remaster and both established expansions, while Songs of the Past extends Geralt’s story again in 2027.

Available now

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered is available on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. It is a free upgrade for qualifying existing owners within the same platform ecosystem.

Eleven years after the original release, CD PROJEKT RED is using Remastered to keep The Witcher 3 technically current while preparing the franchise’s next wave of games and expansions.


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