Pirates of ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered’ Are Telling Fans to Buy It Instead

When CD Projekt Red released The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered on PC, the game was instantly available on piracy sites — and the usual launch-day piracy backlash never materialized. Instead of celebrating the crack, members of online piracy communities are urging their peers to purchase the game, a reaction that stems from the studio’s deliberate decision to ship the title without digital rights management (DRM) software and its long-standing reputation as one of the most player-friendly publishers in the industry. What might have been a nightmare for most publishers has instead become a testament to how goodwill can reshape even the most cynical corners of the internet.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered, now out on PC now. Its appearance on pirate sites is not the result of a lightning-fast crack, but rather the inevitable consequence of releasing a game without DRM protection. For most companies, this scenario would represent a costly launch-day loss. CD Projekt Red, however, made that choice intentionally — and it has earned immense favor with players who might otherwise have taken the game for free.

Pirates Who Refuse to Pirate

In communities like Crack Watch, where cracked games are routinely shared and celebrated, a notable fraction of users remain unrepentant about taking content without paying. But the prevailing sentiment surrounding The Witcher 3 Remastered is strikingly different. Most participants are using their platforms not to distribute the crack, but to financially support CD Projekt Red and its business practices.

“Honestly CDPR are the most consumer-friendly company around I would encourage everyone to buy it,” one top-voted comment read. “Even the pirates recognize & honor games like these,” another added, while a third simply admitted, “Feels bad to pirate this gem ngl.”

Even the pirates recognize & honor games like these.

Image: CD Projekt Red

Crack Watch community member

The image of CD Projekt Red’s generosity impressing even those who pirate games has spread widely across social media, underscoring how a studio’s ethical track record can influence behavior in ways that anti-piracy technology simply cannot.

A Reputation Built on Consumer Generosity

Beyond the absence of DRM, pirates point to CD Projekt Red’s ongoing generosity toward its fanbase. When The Witcher 3 was first released, the developer made some DLC completely free. Later, when the studio introduced paid content, the expansions were substantial yet surprisingly affordable, leading players to feel they received extraordinary value — especially given that the base game already delivered a massive role-playing experience.

The developer did lose some of that goodwill after the messy release of Cyberpunk 2077. That sour disposition, however, softened as CD Projekt Red spent years reworking the title and delivering strong downloadable content. Years later, when the studio announced The Witcher 3 Remastered, it officially returned to the gaming world’s good graces.

It helps that, for most people, the new version of the game and its astonishing number of quality-of-life improvements will be a completely free download for existing owners. And for those who do not yet own it, pirates are quick to point out that this is no excuse to steal the game.

The Discount Debate

“I would encourage everyone to buy it there’s a 50% sale on right now,” one pirate noted, referencing the current promotional pricing. Many players say they will not download the crack at all because they pirated the original before — and the experience was so positive that they eventually chose to buy in. In fact, the game has been so heavily discounted over the years that some pirates express genuine surprise that anyone has not already purchased it.

“IS THERE A SINGLE PERSON on the planet, who doesn’t have this in some form?” one pirate wrote. “Like the game is constantly on heavy, like HEAVY discounts.”

Even with such aggressive discounting, buying the game remains out of reach for some. And with the current state of PC gaming, some of these players may struggle to run the title at all, regardless of whether they can afford it.

“Now I just need to be able to pirate a 5080 or better to even run this with the recommended specs,” one pirate joked — a wry nod to the demanding hardware requirements that accompany even the most beloved remasters of the modern era.

Looking Ahead

As The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered continues to find new audiences on PC, the phenomenon surrounding its piracy has become as much a story about consumer trust as it is about game distribution. CD Projekt Red’s willingness to forgo DRM and lean on its reputation appears to have paid off, transforming a scenario that typically haunts publishers into a rare example of a studio and its community aligning — even among those who would normally take without paying.