The Witcher 3 Remastered: Release Time, Price, and PC Specs at a Glance

On September 29, 2026, all owners of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will receive the complete remaster upgrade for free. GamePro has now clarified the remaining open questions – we'll summarize exactly when it launches, what the update costs, and whether your PC can even run it.

A few weeks ago, we reported on the hefty discount for the Wild Hunt Complete Edition and the announced remaster unlock. Now, we have the specific technical details.

When Exactly Does the Free Remaster Upgrade Launch on September 29?

According to GamePro, CD Projekt Red will release the update globally at the same time: The global unlock is scheduled for 10:00 AM UTC, which is 12:00 PM Central European Summer Time. The remaster will launch simultaneously for PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, as well as for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. If you already own the Standard or Complete Edition, you don't need to do anything extra: The upgrade will automatically appear as an update in your respective library, with no additional fees. New buyers will continue to pay the regular price for the Complete Edition, currently 49.99 Euros on Steam, and will also receive the remaster for free thereafter.

What are the PC System Requirements and Download Size for the Remaster?

PC players should take a look at the hardware requirements beforehand, as they are noticeably higher than for the 2015 original. GamePro lists the following values:

• Minimum: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• Minimum Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 1660 (6 GB), Radeon RX 5500 XT (8 GB), or Intel Arc A580
• Minimum RAM: 12 GB RAM
• Recommended: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
• Recommended Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 2060 Super, Radeon RX 6600 XT, or Intel Arc B580
• Recommended RAM: 16 GB RAM
• Storage: 70 GB free, mandatory on an SSD
• Operating System: Windows 11 (64-bit) is a must
• Update Download Size: approx. 45 GB, a preload is not planned according to GamePro

Important for anyone with an older PC: Windows 11 is mandatory; the remaster will not launch on Windows 10, according to official statements. An SSD is also no longer a recommendation but a requirement.

What Do Standard Edition Owners Need to Do to Get the Upgrade?

Here's the part we're adding from our own research, as it's not explicitly stated in the source: If you own The Witcher 3 on Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store, PS5, or Xbox Series X|S, you don't need to buy or unlock anything at all. CD Projekt Red designed the remaster as a pure update to the existing copy, similar to the free next-gen patch released for current-gen consoles back in late 2022. As an additional bonus to the announcement, all owners of the base version will also permanently receive the two major expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, for free if they didn't already have them. In short: just wait, let the update download, and you're good to go.

How Does This Remaster Fit into Wild Hunt's Next-Gen History?

For context: The Witcher 3 originally launched in 2015 and has since received several technical refreshes, most recently the 2022 next-gen update with ray tracing support for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. According to previous announcements, this current remaster goes a step further and brings with it, among other things, a revamped graphics engine. The fact that CD Projekt Red is now even making Windows 11 mandatory for it shows how significantly the technical foundation has been renewed – this is no longer a simple graphics patch, but closer to a true remaster.

For those interested in the future of the brand: While Wild Hunt is currently receiving its technical update, CD Projekt Red is simultaneously already working on the next major installment. We took a closer look at how the developers are approaching the story in our dedicated article on The Witcher 4.

Source: GamePro

Have you already pre-ordered, or are you waiting for reviews of the remaster? Let us know in the comments!