The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered released on September 29, 2026 at 10 AM GMT (6 AM EDT, 3 AM PDT, 11 AM BST), unlocking at the same moment on every platform: Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store, Battle.net, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. It is out now, and if you own The Witcher 3 on one of those platforms, the Remaster arrives as a free update to the game you already have.
When It Went Live on Each Platform
CD Projekt Red confirmed the timing on September 24 in a global release timings map posted by The Witcher’s official X account, and the launch followed it. The studio’s “available now” announcement went up on Steam at 6:04 AM EDT on September 29, minutes after the unlock, and its launch post on The Witcher’s official site named every storefront as live:
| Platform | When it went live (September 29) |
|---|---|
| PC: Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Battle.net | 10 AM GMT |
| PlayStation 5 | 10 AM GMT |
| Xbox Series X and S | 10 AM GMT |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | 10 AM GMT |
There was no staggered console rollout and no midnight Eastern release, despite some pre-launch estimates guessing one. CD Projekt Red did not announce a platform-specific delay.
Launch Time in Your Region
These are the local times from CD Projekt Red’s map, all on September 29:
| City | Local time |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 3 AM PDT |
| Mexico City | 4 AM CST |
| Bogota | 5 AM COT |
| Boston (Eastern) | 6 AM EDT |
| Brasilia | 7 AM BRT |
| Accra | 10 AM GMT |
| London | 11 AM BST |
| Algiers | 11 AM WAT |
| Warsaw | 12 PM CEST |
| Cape Town | 12 PM SAST |
| Kyiv and Cairo | 1 PM EEST |
| Almaty | 3 PM ALMT |
| Singapore and Beijing | 6 PM |
| Seoul and Tokyo | 7 PM |
| Melbourne | 8 PM AEST |
| Auckland | 11 PM NZDT |
What Has Happened Since Launch
- Both expansions went free on day one. CD Projekt Red confirmed at launch that Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are “available now to all owners of the game.”
- The player count spiked. The Witcher 3 set a new all-time peak on Steam, which our story on the Steam player record covers.
- Two patches landed on October 1. Patch 5.00b brought lighting fixes to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and the Xbox Play Anywhere PC version, and restored DLSS on that PC version. Hotfix 5.00c fixed the PC saving bug, reverted a HairWorks change and tuned lighting in Velen.
- Patch 5.01 followed on October 8. On October 5, CD Projekt Red listed what it was working on next, including further performance improvements “particularly on PS5”, further visual adjustments and fixes for My Rewards and Twitch Drops. Patch 5.01 reached PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on October 8 with performance optimizations on consoles, a fix for frame rate limits on the base PS5, visual adjustments to lighting, ray tracing and path tracing, a fix for an issue that could affect save file data, and My Rewards and Twitch Drops items now appearing in the chest in Vizima.
- PS5 and Switch 2 got their own updates. Hotfix 5.01b brought “various stability improvements” to PS5 and PS5 Pro on October 13, and Patch 5.01 reached Switch 2 on October 19 in most regions, adjusting image sharpening and resolution for clarity and fixing a rare crash when moving between regions. CD Projekt Red said the Japanese version would follow once it passed certification.
How to Get The Witcher 3 Remastered Now
The Remaster is not a separate purchase. CD Projekt Red says anyone who “purchased any version of the game in the past, physical or digital” can upgrade for free “within the same platform ecosystem.” To get it today:
- Make sure you are on a supported platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S or Switch 2. PS4, Xbox One and Switch 1 do not get the Remaster, though CD Projekt Red says Switch 1 owners can claim it on Switch 2.
- Update the game. On PC it installs as a normal update on Steam, GOG, Epic and Battle.net. On Steam and GOG, check you are not on the Classic branch.
- Download the free expansions from your platform’s store if Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are not already installed.
Our guide to how to get the free upgrade walks through every platform step by step, and if the update is not appearing, see fixing the upgrade not showing up. Returning players should also read whether your saves carry over, since your skill points are reset for the new skill trees.
The separate Songs of the Past expansion was not part of this launch; our Songs of the Past guide has what CD Projekt Red has confirmed. Every guide is on our Witcher 3 hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The Witcher 3 Remastered come out? September 29, 2026, at 10 AM GMT (6 AM EDT, 3 AM PDT), on every platform at the same time.
Did any platform unlock earlier than the others? No. CD Projekt Red’s map listed one simultaneous unlock for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2, and its launch post named every storefront as live.
Is The Witcher 3 Remastered free? Yes for existing owners on the same platform family, along with both expansions. New buyers get the Remaster with Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine included.
Is there a preload now? There is nothing to preload anymore. The Remaster installs as an update to the game you own.
Can I still play the old version? On Steam and GOG, CD Projekt Red lets you switch to the Classic (1.32) branch, and its support pages say a rollback to the pre-Remaster 4.04 build is also offered. Epic only provides the latest version.
Has The Witcher 3 Remastered been patched since launch? Yes. Patch 5.00b arrived on consoles and Hotfix 5.00c on PC, both on October 1. Patch 5.01 followed on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on October 8, Hotfix 5.01b on PS5 and PS5 Pro on October 13, and Patch 5.01 on Switch 2 on October 19.