The Witcher Officially Returns Next Week

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@ 22/09/2026

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Published Sep 21, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT

Gabriel is a contributer at Polygon who writes about video games from their home in Baltimore. They enjoy horror games, story-driven RPGs, and Bloodbourne.

The Witcher is getting a makeover on September 29

Geralt (Liam Hemsworth) wanders through a swamp in The Witcher season 4

Announced at gamescom Opening Night Live, The Witcher 3 Remastered is set to release next week on September 29. The remaster will be available as a free upgrade for all owners of the game on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. With the free upgrade, players will gain access to the two original expansions, "Hearts of Stone," and "Blood and WIne." A third expansion, titled "Songs of the Past," is also coming in 2027.

While there is no upgrade of The Witcher 3 for the Nintendo Switch 1, the game is coming to the Switch 2 on September 29. Owners of a Switch 1 copy of the game will be able to get a free upgrade of The Witcher 3 Remastered for the Switch 2. In addition, players can now buy The Witcher 3 Remastered on Battle.net in a partnership between CD PROJEKT RED and Blizzard Entertainment. A purchase on Battle.net will unlock a Geralt-themed skin in Diablo 4.

The Witcher 3 Remastered will have a whole host of changes, including upgraded visuals, animations, and combat, better movement and mount handling, and improvements to enemy behaviors. Some of the other changes the remaster will also feature are a skill tree revamp, new witcher signs effects, and an expanded photo mode. Cross-platform mod support is enabled in the remaster, and there are changes to quest tracking, accessibility features, and UI, along with HDR and ray-tracing improvements.

"Songs of the Past" is in co-development with CD PROJEKT RED and Fool's Theory and is a paid expansion for The Witcher 3 Remastered. The Opening Night Live teaser trailer revealed a new region, Letten, new weapons, including a chain, and new monsters to defeat. This expansion is Geralt's last ride and the final expansion for The Witcher 3 before Ciri takes over in the sequel. CD PROJEKT RED has said that this expansion will be about the size of "Blood and Wine," which hopefully will be enough to tide players over until The Witcher 4.