CD Projekt Red is set to release The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered tomorrow, Sept. 29, delivering a comprehensive modernization of its 2015 RPG masterpiece across PC and all current-generation consoles. Alongside the launch, the studio published the game’s full patch notes, revealing a far-reaching set of changes that extend well beyond the visual upgrades that have dominated early previews. For players who already own the original game, the remaster arrives as a free upgrade that also bundles both the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions, while clearing the path for Songs of the Past, an all-new expansion slated for release next year.
The remaster represents CD Projekt Red’s most ambitious pass at its flagship title in over a decade, and the scope of the update is evident in the length and granularity of the patch notes. Rather than treating the project as a simple graphics bump, the studio has reworked foundational systems including the skill tree, combat, user interface, and accessibility options, while adding a dramatically expanded Photo Mode and cross-platform mod support. The result is a version that aims to honor the original’s narrative depth while bringing it in line with the expectations of modern players.
A Visual and Technical Overhaul
Perhaps the most visible aspect of the remaster is its rendering overhaul, which introduces native DirectX 12 rendering with multithreading for improved performance and visuals. The studio has implemented a new shading model, updated tone mapping for richer colors and contrast, and added Ray-Traced HairWorks for more natural lighting on characters. Textures and models were refined using assets drawn from the community-driven The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project, while new Image-Based Lighting, GTAO, and improved subsurface scattering bring greater realism to environments and skin rendering.
On PC, the remaster pushes further with support for Path Tracing, NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 with Ray Reconstruction, AMD FSR 4 with Frame Generation and Anti-Lag 2, and Intel XeSS 2.0. Console players benefit from dedicated PlayStation 5 Pro support, multithreaded rendering on PS5, Xbox Play Anywhere, and, notably, full Nintendo Switch 2 support featuring four playstyles, motion controls, gyroscope aiming, and VRR and HDR.
Systems Reimagined from the Ground Up
Beyond the visuals, the remaster fundamentally reshapes several core systems. The skill system has been reimagined into a proper skill tree, with each skill now carrying three ranks and unlocking through prerequisite skills rather than the consumption of a fixed pool of skill points. CD Projekt Red flagged an important caveat: because of these changes, players’ accumulated skill points have been reset. The skill tree was also rebalanced, with refined bonus values, effects, and synergies, and some skills were renamed to better reflect their effects.
Combat received a broad polish, including refined attack patterns, counterattacks, movement, and reactions for all non-boss monsters. A new Reforge system lets players change an item’s appearance without affecting its stats, available only from master craftsmen Yoana and Hattori, with dyes from Blood and Wine carrying over to reforged items. Movement animations for Geralt and Roach were polished throughout, from jumping and climbing to mounting and dismounting, while combat can be exited more easily through a new quick disengage mechanic.
The team has reworked nearly every layer of the experience, from the skill tree and combat to the interface and accessibility options, with the goal of honoring what made the original so beloved while making it feel fresh for a new generation of players.
CD Projekt Red 
A New Standard for Photo Mode and Accessibility
Photo Mode has been vastly expanded, now supporting multiple placeable characters, poses and expressions, adjustable lighting, camera presets, weather and time-of-day controls, rule-of-thirds guides, and even placeable props for building elaborate scenes. A first-person camera mode and the ability to toggle camera collisions give creators greater freedom, while a confirmation prompt helps prevent accidental exits.
The remaster also introduces a dedicated Accessibility section in Settings, along with a new Bard’s Ballad preset designed to reduce cognitive load for players who experience mental fatigue. This preset streamlines gameplay through options such as infinite breath, unlimited item and boat durability, ignored item weight, faster boats, and a toggleable Witcher Sense. Ukrainian text localization was also added.
Looking Ahead
With these improvements, CD Projekt Red has updated the game’s system requirements, urging PC players to install the latest graphics drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel before launching. The remaster’s free upgrade ensures that existing owners automatically receive Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine, and the enhanced base game, while the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion promises to extend the world further into next year. As the studio opens the door to cross-platform modding via mod.io and improves REDkit for modders, the long tail of community content for The Witcher 3 appears poised to grow even larger.
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