Witcher 3 Remastered Is Out: Everything That Changed (Patch Notes, PC Specs, Mods)

Updated September 29, 2026. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered is out now as a free upgrade for existing owners on PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. CD Projekt Red has published the full patch notes, and the headline changes are a new skill tree with three ranks per skill (your skill points are reset), a native DirectX 12 renderer, path tracing on PC, a Reforge appearance system, a much bigger Photo Mode and in-game mod.io mod support. Below is everything officially confirmed, the final PC specs, how to go back to the Classic version, and what it means for your mods.

If you want the background on how we got here — the announcement, the free upgrade terms and the pre-launch feature list — our Witcher 3 Remastered release date and free upgrade explainer covers it. This article focuses on what actually shipped today.

Launch Confirmation: Platforms, Times and Who Gets It Free

CD Projekt Red's official announcement confirms the Remastered upgrade is live on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. The remaster was developed "in close collaboration with the team at Yigsoft," according to the CDPR press release.

Who pays and who doesn't

• Existing owners on Steam, GOG, Epic, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S: free upgrade, delivered as an update to your existing install.
• Base-game-only owners: CDPR's press release says Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are "also included in the upgrade, even for players who only ever owned the base version of the game." That is the biggest bonus in the whole package if you never bought the expansions.
• Nintendo Switch owners: CDPR's official FAQ says Switch owners can claim the Remastered version free on Switch 2. It is a separate product on the eShop, not an automatic patch, so you have to download it manually. CDPR's FAQ notes the free Switch 2 upgrade is not available in Russia and Belarus.
• Battle.net and Microsoft Store: the press release says Remastered is also available to purchase there, with the Microsoft Store version being an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
• PS4, Xbox One and original Switch: CDPR's FAQ says the upgrade covers "all current-generation platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2)." Last-gen versions are not on that list.

Your saves and achievements

According to CDPR's Remastered FAQ, existing saves work with the new version, but "due to the overhaul of the skill system, your skills will be reset." Achievements already earned in the base game, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine carry over. Reporting from Push Square adds that on PS5, CDPR confirmed save and Trophy data remain intact.

Patch Notes: The Official List of What Changed

The full patch notes are published on thewitcher.com. CDPR does not attach a version number to the patch notes page itself, although Nexus Mods and other outlets refer to the Remastered build as 5.x (with the Next-Gen update being 4.x and the original 3.x). The table below condenses the official notes by category; we have only included changes CDPR explicitly lists.

Fixes worth knowing about

The notes also list a short "Fixes" section. Among them: a quest-blocking issue in Wine is Sacred when fast travelling (CDPR notes the fix is not retroactive, per RPG Site's summary), a UI problem with the Forgotten Wolf School Gear diagrams in In the Eternal Fire's Shadow, stick sensitivity settings, and HDR settings display on consoles.

The Skill Tree Revamp: What It Means for Your Build

This is the change that will affect every returning player. The old system of spending one ability point per skill level is gone. In its place, skills sit in a tree, each skill has three ranks, and you unlock deeper skills by meeting prerequisites. CDPR also says it rebalanced "skill bonus values, effects and synergies."

Because the underlying structure changed, every existing save has its skill points reset. In practice that means your first stop after loading an old save should be the character screen to rebuild your Geralt. Your gear, quest progress and inventory are not affected; only the skill allocation is.

Older build guides with skill-by-skill point costs no longer apply as written, and CDPR hasn't published per-skill rank values outside the game. Our best early-game skills guide explains which abilities matter and why, but check in-game ranks and prerequisites before you commit points.

Reforge is effectively transmog

The other gameplay addition returning players will notice is Reforge. The patch notes say you can "Reforge your equipment to change its appearance without affecting its stats." If you have always wanted to wear a witcher school set for looks while keeping a better set's numbers — our witcher school gear guide covers where each set comes from — this is the feature for you.

Final PC System Requirements

The Steam store page now lists 64-bit Windows 11 for both minimum and recommended specs, with 60GB of SSD space. CD Projekt Red also shared a more detailed chart covering ultra, ray tracing and path tracing targets, which PC Gamer and eTeknix reproduced on launch day. The table below combines both.

All tiers list 64-bit Windows 11 and a 60GB SSD (eTeknix reports 95GB for the Epic Games Store version). Two practical takeaways:

• The floor went up. Windows 11 and an SSD are now in the official minimum spec, and DirectX 12 is the renderer. If you were running the old DirectX 11 build on a hard drive, check your setup before updating.
• Path tracing is a halo feature. The 4K/60 path tracing target assumes an RTX 5080 with DLSS upscaling and Frame Generation. CDPR's chart does not specify which upscaling quality level that assumes, so treat it as a best case.

For settings advice, see our Witcher 3 PC performance guide, and if you're weighing a GPU upgrade for the path tracing mode, our best 4K graphics cards list is the place to start. Steam Deck owners should read our Witcher 3 Steam Deck settings guide; we'd hold off on locking in any settings until you've tested the new renderer on your own unit.

File Size and Download Details

CDPR's Marcin Momot shared the download sizes ahead of launch, as reported by VGC and others:

• PC (Steam): about 45GB
• PS5: about 45GB
• Xbox Series X|S: about 45GB
• Nintendo Switch 2: about 50GB announced; Nintendo Life reports the eShop listing at 48.5GB

On PC, the store page also asks for 60GB of free SSD space, so clear room before the update starts.

The Classic Branch: How to Go Back

Not everyone will want the new version on day one, particularly anyone with a heavily modded install. CD Projekt Red's support page on reverting to an earlier version confirms the options:

1. Steam: right-click the game in your Library, choose Properties, open Betas and select "CLASSIC". Select "None" to return to the latest build.
2. GOG Galaxy: go to Installed, select the game, choose Manage Installation, then Configure, and set Beta Channels to "Classic". Turn off auto-updates. Set it back to "Disabled" to return to the latest version.
3. Epic Games Store: not possible. CDPR says the platform "only provides access to the latest available version."

CDPR's support page also stresses that "only the latest version of the game is fully supported." Nexus Mods, in its pre-launch post, quoted CDPR as saying Classic (3.x), Next Gen (4.x) and Remastered (5.x) builds would all be available on Steam and GOG. The official support page names only the "Classic" option, so check which build that branch delivers before relying on a specific version number.

Back up your save folder before switching builds; saves made in a newer version aren't guaranteed to load in an older one.

Mods: What Works, What Breaks, and the New mod.io Integration

There are now two very different modding stories for Witcher 3.

New: in-game mods via mod.io

The patch notes add "Cross Platform Mod Support, an in-game tool powered by mod.io," letting you browse and install mods from inside the game. CDPR's press release specifically highlights that Mod.io integration has been added to consoles, so PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 players can now use player-made content. REDkit, CDPR's official modding tool, also gets engine and UI improvements.

Existing PC mods: expect breakage

CD Projekt Red's patch notes do not include a compatibility statement for existing Nexus-style mods. Nexus Mods, however, warned in its September 24 post that "most older mods will likely break on day one." Its plan:

• Keep all mods on the existing Witcher 3 game page rather than creating a separate Remastered page.
• Add a "Remastered Compatible" tag, with community moderators checking it.
• Prompt authors to flag compatibility when uploading.

Nexus also quoted CDPR on new "Witcherscript scope-based overrides," meant to let scripts merge automatically and reduce conflicts.

Our advice: if your current playthrough depends on script mods, either stay on the Classic branch until your key mods are tagged as compatible, or start fresh on Remastered with a lighter load. Our guide to installing Witcher 3 mods covers the manual install process and load order basics.

Known Issues at Launch

CDPR's patch notes contain a Fixes section but no known issues list, and we have not seen an official known issues post as of this writing. Some early reports are worth flagging, though they are not officially acknowledged:

• AMD Radeon GPUs: PC Guide reports that owners of RX 9070 XT and RX 9060 XT cards are seeing black artifacts and forests failing to load on the current public Adrenalin 26.9.1 driver. It says reviewers tested with a pre-release driver that did not show the problem. Neither AMD nor CDPR had commented in that report. If you're on Radeon, watch for a new driver before judging the game's performance.
• Switching builds: some players report that older builds fail to start from the launcher after switching branches. This comes from user reports rather than CDPR, so treat it as unconfirmed.

We'll update this section if CD Projekt Red publishes a hotfix or an official known issues list.

Looking further ahead, CDPR's press release says Remastered arrives "ahead of the upcoming 2027 expansion, Songs of the Past." No date or price has been given beyond the year. If you're starting fresh, our Witcher 3 beginner's guide is a good place to begin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources checked on September 29, 2026 against CD Projekt Red's official announcement, Remastered patch notes, press release and support FAQ, the Steam store listing, and the Nexus Mods news post, with launch reporting from PC Gamer, eTeknix, VGC, Nintendo Life, Push Square and PC Guide.