The Witcher 3 Remastered: Everything new coming in the big free upgrade
Developing story first seen 5 hours ago
The developing report says CD Projekt Red will release The Witcher 3 Remastered as a free upgrade for existing owners on 29 September. It matters because the update is presented as a substantial modernisation of the 2015 role-playing game, rather than a purely visual refresh, ahead of the new Songs of the Past expansion.
The remaster will add improved textures, rendering, path tracing and foliage, alongside revised combat, camera controls, targeting, animations and finishing moves. It also updates movement, Roach’s handling, monster behaviour, the ability system and photo mode; owners who lack them will receive the Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone expansions free.
- Free remaster arrives for existing owners on 29 September
- Update changes graphics, combat, controls and movement
- Two existing expansions will also be included
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a 2015 fantasy role-playing game made by the Polish studio CD Projekt Red. Players control Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter searching for his adopted daughter, Ciri, across a war-torn world based on the Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski.
It became one of the best-known games of its generation, praised for its large open world, story choices and side quests. Its two earlier expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, added major new stories and areas, while CD Projekt Red is also developing further games in the series.
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CD Projekt Red has announced The Witcher 3 Remastered, a free upgrade due to launch on 29 September. According to IGN, it will be available to existing owners of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, including players whose entitlement comes from the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One editions.
The offer is also intended to cover Nintendo players. Owners of the original Switch release will be able to receive the remastered version on Switch 2. IGN says digital owners should be able to pre-order it without charge through the eShop, while owners of physical Switch copies will need to claim the upgrade after release.
The two existing story expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are also being made free to people who own the base game. IGN reports that they are already listed free on Xbox, including for Xbox One owners, although the Remastered edition itself is limited to Xbox Series X|S on that platform.
There are still platform-specific details to watch. IGN notes that the expansions had disappeared from the PlayStation Store at the time of its report, suggesting that their entitlement or listing arrangement may yet be clarified. Players using physical copies should also check their platform’s upgrade process when the remaster goes live.
Where outlets differ
The supplied PC Gamer extract contains site-navigation and subscription material but no substantive report details, so it cannot be compared on the upgrade terms. IGN provides the release date, platform-by-platform redemption guidance, the expansion offer and observations about current store listings.
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