CD Projekt Red unveils The Witcher 3 remaster for September

CD Projekt Red announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered for release on September 29, 2026, presenting the project during gamescom Opening Night Live. The studio also shared the first preview of Songs of the Past, a new narrative expansion planned for 2027.

Host Geoff Keighley confirmed during the stage broadcast that all existing owners of the base game gain immediate access to the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions without extra payment.

The original role-playing release arrived in 2015 and accumulated over 250 Game of the Year awards during its commercial run. Global sales surpassed 65 million copies across computers and console hardware. The updated release targets modern systems to extend the life cycle of the fantasy title.

Current owners of the game on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S will receive the remastered edition as a complimentary upgrade. New buyers will receive the complete package directly through digital storefronts.

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New mechanics and visual enhancements in the upgrade

The development team restructured multiple underlying systems to modernize how players control Geralt of Rivia across the Northern Realms. Technical adjustments include rebuilt monster behaviors, updated traversal mechanics, and new visual effects applied to magical signs. In addition to graphical improvements across high-resolution displays, the production incorporates rewritten combat animations alongside a revamped skill tree, custom transmogrification features, and upgraded mount steering that completely transforms how horses navigate uneven wilderness terrain throughout the open world.

• Upgraded visual fidelity, expanded photo mode, and enhanced performance modes
• Overhauled combat mechanics, new finishing moves, and custom transmogrification
• Adjusted traversal, revamped horse controls, and aggressive monster behavior
• Restructured skill progression tree and revised magical sign visual effects

Attendees at gamescom can access guided demonstrations of the software inside Hall 8.1 of the entertainment area.

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Broadcasts under the REDstreams banner will air on YouTube and Twitch to show gameplay systems to online audiences. These digital presentations detail specific mechanics developed for the upgrade.

Fresh storyline arrives with Songs of the Past in 2027

Songs of the Past will arrive in 2027 as a paid expansion available across personal computers, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The narrative takes the protagonist to Letten, an unvisited realm characterized by agrarian communities, regional folklore, and abundant seasonal harvests. A concealed threat destabilizes the rural province and forces local residents into conflict.

The campaign pits the monster hunter against unfamiliar adversaries native to the isolated region of Letten.

Combat encounters in the expansion incorporate a chain weapon designed for tactical crowd control against groups of beasts. Geralt of Rivia also encounters former companions while navigating dilemmas with branching consequences across the new territory.

Debut on Nintendo Switch 2 and partnership with Blizzard

CD Projekt Red agreed on a technical partnership with Blizzard Entertainment to publish both The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered and the upcoming expansion on Battle.net on September 29, 2026. The title also launches natively on Nintendo Switch 2 on that same date. This agreement introduces the franchise to two additional digital ecosystems simultaneously.

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Pre-orders are open.

Players who purchase the upcoming story chapter on Battle.net obtain a Geralt-themed cosmetic skin inside Diablo 4. Representatives from both corporate teams plan to present further technical details during BlizzCon in September.

Development teams behind the expanded fantasy universe

Polish studio Fool’s Theory acts as co-developer for Songs of the Past after founding its operations in 2015. The team includes developers who worked on the core production of the original release in Warsaw. The studio previously produced The Thaumaturge and Seven: The Days Long Gone.

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The company also assisted in building Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 while managing work on The Witcher Remake.

Hungarian support studio Yigsoft, established in 2021, co-develops the remastered technical upgrade after assisting CD Projekt Red on Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and the Complete Edition release. CD Projekt Red operates under its parent corporate entity, which trades on the Warsaw Stock Exchange under the registration code PLOPTTC00011.