The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered launched on September 29 as a free upgrade on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. The Battle.net release is live too. CD Projekt Red also folded Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine into the package for owners of the base game, turning the pre-launch platform question into a simpler answer: eligible owners on every current-generation platform can upgrade without buying the remaster again.
This article has been updated after launch. Its earlier version described Switch 2 and Battle.net as outside the free-upgrade wording available at the time. CD Projekt Red’s launch page and current FAQ now confirm the wider rollout, so that distinction no longer applies.
What the remaster changes
The release upgrades environment, character and monster textures, foliage, lighting, rendering and ray tracing. It also revises combat animations and finishers, adds an adaptive camera, reworks the skill tree, improves Roach, supports cross-platform mods and adds transmogrification, immersive meditation and a larger photo mode. Existing saves remain compatible and cross-progression continues to work.
The two major expansions are now included at no extra cost for base-game owners. On older PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hardware the remaster itself is not available, but Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine can still be downloaded for free. Standalone expansion listings are being replaced by the Complete Edition on current storefronts.
Patch 5.00b and Hotfix 5.00c
Patch 5.00b targets PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Play Anywhere on PC. It restores DLSS where it was unavailable in the Xbox PC version, adjusts lighting in interiors that appeared too dark and brings those builds closer to the main PC release.
Hotfix 5.00c is the more important early PC repair. On Steam, GOG, Epic, Battle.net and Xbox Play Anywhere it fixes saves and loads failing when the Documents-folder path contains special characters, quieter voice audio after using pause-menu tabs, missing GOG achievements and an inability to launch the Classic 1.32 build. CD Projekt Red also adjusted Velen’s bloom, vegetation lighting, saturation and path-tracing lighting, and reverted a HairWorks change that caused major visual and performance problems for some users.
Should returning players install it now?
For owners on a supported platform, the price question is settled: the remaster and both expansions are included. PC players who waited because of launch reports should install Hotfix 5.00c before judging performance or save reliability, then recheck mods individually. The update modernizes systems rather than rewriting the adventure, but the revised skill tree, combat presentation and free expansions make this the most complete route back to the Continent.
