CD Projekt RED is giving The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt another major upgrade. The studio has announced a new remaster of the RPG that will improve combat, character progression and several core gameplay systems.
The remaster will be free for everyone who already owns The Witcher 3. It will launch on September 29 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store and Battle.net.
This is separate from the next-gen update released in 2022. That update mainly focused on visual improvements and modern platform features, while the new remaster is making deeper changes to how the game plays.
CD Projekt RED says the remaster will make combat feel faster and more dynamic. The update includes new animations, more finishers and an adaptive camera designed to make fights feel more responsive.
The studio has not yet revealed every combat change, but the focus appears to be on making sword fights and Signs feel more impactful.
The character progression system is also being redesigned. The skill tree is getting an overhaul to give players more flexibility when building Geralt. This should make different playstyles more meaningful instead of simply encouraging players to follow the most effective combination of skills.
CD Projekt RED is also making The Witcher 3‘s two major expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, free for all players. That means new players getting into the game will be able to experience the main story and its major post-launch expansions without buying them separately. For existing players, the remaster effectively adds another reason to return to a game that has already received a major next-gen upgrade.
CD Projekt RED also showed new gameplay from Songs of the Past, the upcoming story expansion for The Witcher 3. The expansion will follow Geralt on what is described as his final adventure before the story eventually passes to Ciri. Geralt will travel to the peaceful realm of Letten, where he will uncover its secrets. The expansion will also introduce a new weapon for Geralt. Alongside his familiar silver and steel swords, he will use a chain weapon, which is a reference to the opening of the original The Witcher game.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Songs of the Past is scheduled to launch sometime in 2027.
