The Witcher 3 Remastered Launches September 29 With Major Upgrades and Songs of the Past Reveal

CD Projekt RED is bringing Geralt back in a much bigger way than expected. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered will officially launch on September 29, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, with a native Nintendo Switch 2 version arriving on the same day. Existing owners on qualifying platforms will receive Remastered as a free upgrade, while CD Projekt RED has also made Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine available at no additional cost to all current owners of the base game.

This is considerably more than another visual refresh. CD Projekt RED is upgrading environmental, NPC and monster textures alongside reworked lighting, improved ray tracing and more natural illumination throughout locations such as Novigrad and the wilderness. Combat has also been revised with smoother animations, faster gap closing for Geralt, new finishers and an adaptive camera that dynamically changes perspective depending on the number of enemies in an encounter. Traversal and general movement are being improved as well, alongside revamped mount handling, new Witcher Sign effects and upgraded monster behavior.

Character progression is receiving one of the biggest mechanical changes. The skill system has been completely redesigned with new perks and abilities, reworked existing skills and a more flexible approach to character builds. Transmogrification is also being added, allowing players to maintain preferred armor and weapon appearances without sacrificing statistics, while the expanded photo mode introduces additional poses, camera controls, filters, frames and character models. Xbox Series X and S will additionally support cross platform mods, bringing custom quests, equipment, gameplay changes and other community content to the console experience.

September 29 will also mark The Witcher 3 debut on Battle.net through a new partnership between CD Projekt RED and Blizzard Entertainment. Players who eventually purchase Songs of the Past through Battle.net will receive a Geralt inspired cosmetic for Diablo 4, with additional information scheduled for BlizzCon in September. Remastered itself is being co developed with Yigsoft, a team that already has experience working with The Witcher 3.

The bigger surprise at Gamescom was the first substantial look at Songs of the Past, the third official expansion for The Witcher 3. The paid expansion arrives in 2027 and introduces Letten, a completely new realm built around rural traditions, folklore, prosperous harvests and elaborate festivals. Beneath that peaceful appearance, however, lies a long dormant evil that forces Geralt back onto the Path. CD Projekt RED had already confirmed that Songs of the Past would return players to Geralt more than a decade after The Witcher 3 originally launched, but Gamescom has now provided a much clearer idea of where his next journey will take him.

Geralt travels to Letten alongside Dandelion, whose personal connection to the region brings the pair into a mystery hidden beneath the apparently peaceful society. The expansion will introduce previously unseen monsters, additional mutagens and new combat options. One of the most interesting additions is a chain weapon inspired directly by the opening cinematic of the original The Witcher, finally transforming an iconic piece of series history into a functional weapon for Geralt. CD Projekt RED says the chain will provide additional crowd control opportunities during combat.

Songs of the Past is being co developed with Fool’s Theory, whose leadership includes veterans of The Witcher 3 development team. The expansion has already been described as a substantial project rather than a small piece of downloadable content, with CD Projekt RED previously positioning its scope closer to Blood and Wine. The Witcher 3 has now surpassed 65 million copies sold, giving CD Projekt RED an enormous existing audience to bring back before the franchise eventually transitions toward Ciri and The Witcher 4.

The Witcher 3 Remastered feels unusually ambitious for a game that already received a major current generation upgrade in 2022. Rebuilding progression, refining combat, improving traversal, expanding mod support and adding modern visual upgrades gives returning players reasons to experience the full campaign again rather than simply admiring sharper textures.

Songs of the Past makes the strategy even stronger. CD Projekt RED is effectively transforming The Witcher 3 back into an active RPG platform 11 years after launch, while using Geralt final major adventure to bridge the enormous gap before The Witcher 4. Making Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine free for existing owners is also an excellent move, giving every returning player access to the complete previous story before Letten opens in 2027.

Will the Remastered upgrade convince you to start another complete Witcher 3 playthrough before Songs of the Past arrives in 2027?