CD Projekt Red Confirms Release Times and File Sizes for Witcher 3 Remastered
CD Projekt Red has locked in worldwide unlock times and download sizes ahead of Tuesday's free Witcher 3 Remastered upgrade for every owner.
CD Projekt Red has locked in the last logistical details for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered, confirming exactly when the free upgrade unlocks and how much players will need to download before Geralt's next contract begins. The remaster, along with a native Nintendo Switch 2 version, goes live worldwide on Tuesday, September 29, at 10:00 UTC — a single simultaneous unlock rather than a staggered midnight-by-region rollout, so switching a console's system region will not move anyone ahead of the rest of the world.
The studio also confirmed there is no preload window this time. The update simply becomes downloadable the moment the global unlock hits, meaning everyone starts pulling the files at once rather than installing early and waiting for a flag to flip.
What actually changes on Tuesday
The official announcement lists more than 30 changes bundled into Remastered, touching nearly every system in the eight-year-old RPG rather than just its textures. Confirmed additions include:
- Upgraded visuals with path tracing and improved ray tracing on supported hardware
- Reworked combat pacing, camerawork and animations for Geralt
- Revamped mount handling and overhauled monster behavior
- A refreshed skill tree, a new transmogrification system and new finisher animations
- An expanded photo mode, reworked quest tracking and a redesigned looting flow
- Cross-platform mod support and general UI improvements
Both expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are folded into the update at no extra cost, and any current owner who never bought them will receive both for free alongside the base game upgrade.
Download sizes by platform
Ahead of launch, CD Projekt Red's community team also published the file sizes players should expect so nobody is caught out by a slow connection on a work night. The update lands at roughly 45 GB on PC through Steam (the exact figure can shift slightly depending on which language packs are installed), 45 GB on PlayStation 5 and 45 GB on Xbox Series X|S. The Nintendo Switch 2 version installs separately at around 50 GB, since it ships as its own native application rather than a patch to the original release.
A free upgrade, not a new purchase
Remastered arrives on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, and for the first time on Battle.net through a new distribution partnership between CD Projekt Red and Blizzard Entertainment. Anyone who already owns The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on a qualifying platform receives the remaster as a free update to their existing copy; nobody has to buy the game again to get the new build. CD Projekt Red spelled out what that free upgrade actually includes when the remaster was first announced, and nothing in this week's scheduling news changes those terms.
The next chapter is already lining up
Tuesday's launch also sets the stage for Songs of the Past, a paid expansion due in 2027 that sends Geralt and Dandelion to a new region called Letten, described as an idyllic land of rural tradition hiding a dark secret beneath the surface. It introduces a new chain weapon, previously unseen adversaries and the return of familiar faces, and it is being co-developed with Fool's Theory, the studio behind The Blood of Dawnwalker.
“The stars had to align and the conditions had to be just right to make this happen.”Jakub Rokosz, Game Director, CD Projekt Red
Game director Jakub Rokosz has said the expansion only became possible because of the remaster work happening in parallel, since Letten leans on the same rebuilt animation, gameplay and quality-of-life systems. Wishlisting is already open on every platform where the expansion is planned.
What owners need to do
Nothing beyond updating the game once Tuesday's window opens. The remaster replaces the existing installation automatically through each platform's own update system — Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store, PSN and the Xbox and Switch 2 storefronts — with no separate redemption code or account link required. Players who want to jump in the moment the servers flip should expect the download itself, not any extra setup, to be the only thing standing between them and Velen.
Official links
Theo covers the business of games for Gamers6: studio moves, platform strategy and the press releases nobody else finishes reading. He files most days before the coffee is cold.
