If The Witcher 3 has been sitting on your backlog for years, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered has been live on Battle.net since 29 September 2026. The game is available now on Battle.net. Already own the original on Steam, GOG, or PlayStation 5? You get the remaster as a free upgrade, which makes this a rare re-release that asks nothing new of the people who bought in the first time.
For anyone meeting him for the first time, Geralt of Rivia is a witcher, a professional monster slayer for hire. He is the hero of CD PROJEKT RED‘s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a sprawling role-playing game (RPG) that many players still use as the yardstick for open-world storytelling. The Battle.net release comes from a new partnership between CD PROJEKT RED and Blizzard Entertainment, which runs the platform. The result is a big-name RPG from outside Blizzard sitting in the same launcher as Blizzard’s own games.
Combat Gets the Biggest Rework
The change that returning players will feel first is the revamped combat and progression. Movement is smoother, there are new finishers, and enemies are more reactive, so fights should respond more to what you do instead of playing out the same way each time.
The part that matters most for a second playthrough is the updated skill tree, which Blizzard’s announcement says offers greater build flexibility. For a game this long, that is a real reason to go back, because a sign-heavy magic build and a sword-first brawler could play like two different games. Purists should know the numbers have moved, though. If you loved the original balance, expect to relearn a few habits before your old muscle memory kicks back in.
Prettier, and Easier to Live In
Visually, the remaster adds enhanced textures, lighting, and ray tracing, with Path Tracing on PC for players whose graphics cards can handle it. An expanded Photo Mode rounds out the visual upgrades, and screenshot hunters will spend hours in it once they reach the more scenic regions.
Quality-of-life fixes might end up mattering more over a 100-hour save file. Quest tracking is improved, the interface has been refreshed, and looting is streamlined, so there’s less menu-diving between monster contracts. The sleeper hit is weapon and armour transmogrification, which lets you keep your favourite look while swapping in better gear. No more choosing between the stronger chestpiece and the one that doesn’t make Geralt look like he raided a scrapyard!
Rounding things out are cross-platform mod support and new accessibility features. Together they widen who can comfortably finish the story and how much tinkering you can do along the way.
Two Expansions Already Inside
According to CD PROJEKT RED’s announcement, the remastered base game now includes both existing expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Current base-game owners gain access to both at no extra cost. That’s the headline value here: a newcomer buying on Battle.net starts with the full story package, including two add-ons that fans still bring up whenever someone asks what to play next.
Who Pays and Who Doesn’t
The rules depend on where you bought the game. Existing owners on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S receive the remaster free, but the upgrade stays within the same platform ecosystem. A Steam copy upgrades on Steam, for instance, and doesn’t unlock a copy anywhere else.
Battle.net is a new storefront for the game, so buying there is a fresh purchase. The remaster is on Nintendo Switch 2 too, alongside PC and the other consoles. The practical advice is simple. If you already own it on Steam or PlayStation, claim your upgrade there and skip rebuying. If the Blizzard launcher is where you spend your evenings anyway, the Battle.net edition keeps everything under one roof.
Songs of the Past Arrives in 2027
The bigger surprise sits a year out. Songs of the Past, which CD PROJEKT RED and Blizzard describe as The Witcher 3‘s third full-fledged expansion, is planned for 2027 as a paid add-on and is available to wishlist now on Battle.net. CD PROJEKT RED says it will be set in a new region called Letten. Release windows often shift between announcement and launch, so treat 2027 as the studio’s plan rather than a locked date.
A full new chapter for a game from the previous console generation is unusual, and it’s the strongest reason to start the remaster now instead of later. Clearing the base game and both existing expansions takes time, and anyone who begins this week has a comfortable runway before Letten opens up. The expansion is headed to GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 as well, so no platform is left out.
The Hunt Starts Now
Whether you’re a first-timer who kept putting off Geralt’s story or a veteran looking for an excuse to test that rebuilt skill tree, the timing works. Read Blizzard’s announcement on the Battle.net launch for the full rundown, then head to the Battle.net store page for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered to buy the game and add Songs of the Past to your wishlist, so you’ll hear the moment Letten gets a release date. Sharpen your silver sword, witcher!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment and CD PROJEKT RED.
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