Last verified 2026-09-21 by ReviewGamers Editorial
CD Projekt Red’s 2026 remastering initiative brings The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to current generation hardware with one of the year’s most significant visual and gameplay overhauls. Launching 29 September 2026, the Remastered edition is confirmed free for all existing owners on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S—making it one of the clearest upsell decisions for anyone who holds a copy of the base game from 2015 or the 2021 next-generation ports.
Confirmed Launch Details
The remaster rolls out across five storefronts and platforms on 29 September 2026: Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store on PC, plus Battle.net for the first time; PlayStation 5; Xbox Series X|S; and Nintendo Switch 2 as a native release. Existing owners on PC (all storefronts), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S will receive the upgrade automatically or via simple library update—no purchase required. Nintendo Switch players will access the remastered version on Switch 2 at no additional cost.
New buyers face the standard purchase model: the base game price on each platform’s storefront, though exact Australian pricing could not be verified at the time of this article.
Technical Overhauls — What’s Changing
PC: Path Tracing and Next-Generation Upscaling
On PC, CD Projekt Red has implemented full path tracing, a ray-reconstruction rendering technique optimised for NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 with ray reconstruction. AMD players get FSR 4, the publisher’s latest spatial upscaling tech with improved reconstruction quality over FSR 3. Intel Arc and compatible discrete GPUs access XeSS 2.0, Intel’s machine-learning upscaling solution. All three are optional, preserving native rendering as a choice for players with high-end rigs.
The global lighting rework extends beyond ray tracing: a new physically-based shading model, subsurface scattering (relevant for skin and foliage), revised GTAO (ground-truth ambient occlusion), updated tone mapping and HDR output improvements apply across all scenes.
Console: Ray Tracing Refined, Pro Hardware Optimised
On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, ray tracing from the 2021 update receives a second pass: improved reflection quality, shadow tracing and global illumination consistency. The same shading model, subsurface scattering, GTAO and tone mapper updates apply to console versions. PlayStation 5 Pro support is confirmed, targeting the console’s additional GPU resources for performance headroom.
Console players do not receive path tracing—a PC-exclusive feature—but will see ray-traced reflections, contact shadows and lighting improvements that narrow the visual gap.
Gameplay: Combat Redesign, Progression Overhaul, Quality-of-Life
Beyond graphics, the remaster overhauls progression: the skill tree receives a complete redesign, transmogrification arrives as an in-game cosmetic transmog system (confirmed but unspecified in depth), and combat receives refinements—new finishing moves, enhanced monster AI behaviour, improved traversal and movement responsiveness. Roach (Geralt’s horse) handling is revamped to be less unpredictable. Photo mode expands with new framing and filter options.
These gameplay changes apply consistently across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
What Stays the Same
The remaster does not include new story content beyond existing bases. CD Projekt Red’s planned expansion “Songs of the Past,” introducing a region called Letten and new quests, is confirmed for 2027 on an unspecified schedule—treat 2027 as a placeholder, not a confirmed window.
Both original expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are now bundled free with the base game and remaster, meaning new buyers and existing owners gain immediate access.
Platform Parity and Launch Readiness
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 all launch simultaneously on 29 September 2026. No staggered release or platform exclusivity has been announced. PC will see the most dramatic visual leap due to path tracing and upscaler choice; console players gain a meaningful but incremental graphical pass plus gameplay refinements. The Nintendo Switch 2 version is a new native release rather than a free upgrade, since the original 2015 game never had a dedicated Switch 2 version to upgrade from.
Next Steps for Players
Existing owners should expect a library update or separate installer, depending on platform and storefront—Steam and GOG will handle updates via the platform; PlayStation and Xbox use Smart Delivery or disc-based hub updates. New players who do not yet own The Witcher 3 will need to purchase the base game to access the remaster; the free upgrade applies only to prior owners.
For platform-specific setup details and post-launch performance data, visit our platform hubs:
/platform/pc/ · /platform/xbox-series/ · /platform/playstation-5/ · /platform/nintendo-switch-2/
For The Witcher 3’s full game entry and ongoing news, see /game/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-remastered/.
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