The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered

Story and setting

You play as Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer travelling through the war-torn Northern Kingdoms. His central contract is personal: find his adopted daughter Ciri before the spectral Wild Hunt captures her and takes control of her extraordinary power.

The adventure spans cities, villages, wilderness, ruins and islands across the Continent. Geralt’s decisions can alter quests, relationships and the wider story, with consequences that are often less straightforward than choosing between good and evil. Remastered includes Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, adding two substantial story campaigns, new locations, characters and choices. Songs of the Past is not part of this release; it is a separate paid expansion planned for 2027.

How it plays

This remains a third-person, single-player action RPG built around exploration, investigation and choice-driven quests. Geralt fights with steel and silver swords, Signs, bombs, potions and blade oils, while earning money and materials to improve his equipment. The open world also includes activities such as horse riding, card games, fist fighting and horse racing.

The remaster’s confirmed changes go beyond sharper textures. Environments, non-player characters and monsters receive visual upgrades, alongside improved foliage, lighting, shadows, rendering and ray tracing. Combat and movement have been revised with smoother animations, new finishers and an adaptive camera that adjusts its distance according to the fight. The skill tree has been redesigned with new and reworked abilities, while transmogrification, immersive meditation, cross-platform mod support and an expanded photo mode add further quality-of-life changes.

Trailers and showcases

Remastered was revealed during gamescom Opening Night Live on 25 August 2026, accompanied by its official announcement trailer. The footage presented Geralt’s familiar world with upgraded lighting, textures and foliage, while highlighting revised sword combat, new finishing moves and the more dynamic camera. The presentation also confirmed the free-upgrade model and the inclusion of Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.

The same showcase gave viewers their first substantial look at Songs of the Past, which takes Geralt to the new region of Letten alongside an old friend. That footage belongs to the 2027 expansion rather than Remastered. It showed Letten’s apparently peaceful setting, a darker threat beneath it and new monsters, but it did not establish that any of those locations or enemies will appear in the September release.

Platforms, UK price and subscriptions

Remastered is confirmed for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. Existing owners on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S receive the upgrade at no extra cost. Owners of The Witcher 3 on Nintendo Switch can claim the Switch 2 version when it launches; Nintendo says the upgraded game is a separate download with its own Home-menu icon.

At the time of writing, the confirmed UK prices are £39.99 for the PC version on Battle.net and £45.99 on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop. CD PROJEKT RED has not published a separate UK RRP for a Remastered edition on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Epic Games Store or GOG, where buying the existing game is primarily an upgrade route. Current saves should work, although skills and settings will be reset for the redesigned systems. Existing achievements and trophies carry over.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered left Xbox Game Pass on 31 August 2026 and is not currently listed as part of the UK Game Pass catalogue. No current PlayStation Plus inclusion has been confirmed.

Should you pre-order?

If you already own The Witcher 3 on a qualifying platform, there is no reason to pre-order Remastered: the upgrade is free, and the two original expansions are being made available to base-game owners at no extra cost. Buying the existing game before launch should therefore be enough on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, subject to the relevant storefront and ownership rules.

For new players, Switch 2 and Battle.net are the clearly confirmed pre-purchase options. The sensible reason to wait is not the release date, which is fixed, but the remaining gaps around final PC requirements, launch timing, physical availability and platform-specific pricing. The remaster’s engine has also not been officially named, so REDengine should not be treated as confirmed.