The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered has a confirmed launch date, and it lands on the same day everywhere. CD PROJEKT RED set a single worldwide unlock rather than staggering the update by region, so the moment it goes live in one country, it goes live in all of them.
Quick answer: The remaster unlocks globally on September 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC (3:00 AM PDT / 6:00 AM EDT / 11:00 AM BST). Existing owners on qualifying platforms install it as a free update.
Release time: September 29, 2026, 10:00 AM UTC
Release status: confirmed for September 29, 2026
The status is Confirmed. CD PROJEKT RED announced the remaster during gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026, and locked in September 29 as the release date. Unlike many launches that roll out at local midnight, this one uses a fixed global unlock at 10:00 AM UTC, meaning most players outside the UTC zone will see it arrive at a different local hour that same day.
For owners of the base game, there is nothing to buy. The remaster arrives as a patch, so once it is live for your region you download and install the update to get the upgraded version.
Launch times by region on September 29
Every region unlocks at the same moment. The list below converts the 10:00 AM UTC unlock into local times across major cities. All entries fall on September 29.
| City | Time zone | Local time (Sept 29) |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | PDT | 3:00 AM |
| Mexico City | CST | 4:00 AM |
| Bogotá | COT | 5:00 AM |
| Boston | EDT | 6:00 AM |
| Brasília | BRT | 7:00 AM |
| Accra | GMT | 10:00 AM |
| London | BST | 11:00 AM |
| Warsaw | CEST | 12:00 PM |
| Cape Town | SAST | 12:00 PM |
| Kyiv / Cairo | EEST | 1:00 PM |
| Almaty | ALMT | 3:00 PM |
| Singapore | SGT | 6:00 PM |
| Beijing | CST | 6:00 PM |
| Seoul | KST | 7:00 PM |
| Tokyo | JST | 7:00 PM |
| Melbourne | AEST | 8:00 PM |
| Auckland | NZDT | 11:00 PM |
Who gets the free upgrade
The remaster is a free upgrade for players who already own The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on qualifying platforms. You do not need to repurchase the game to get the new visuals and gameplay changes.
- Free for owners on GOG, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
- Free for owners on PlayStation 5.
- Free for owners on Xbox Series X|S, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
- Owners of the original Nintendo Switch version can claim the native Switch 2 release at no extra cost.
New buyers can pre-purchase the game on Nintendo Switch 2 and on Battle.net, which is joining the PC storefront lineup for the first time.
Both expansions are included
The remaster bundles Hearts of Stone with Blood and Wine. Players who already owned the base game received both expansions at no cost before launch, and both stories now form part of the Remastered base game. Digital stores are removing the expansions as separate listings and replacing the base game with the Complete Edition, which combines both expansions.
What the remaster changes
The remaster is a technical and gameplay overhaul, not a new story. It does not add narrative content, so there is nothing to spoil by playing on day one.
- Reworked lighting, rendering, and ray tracing, plus improved textures and foliage.
- Revamped combat animations, new finishers, an adaptive camera, and updated Witcher Sign effects.
- Improved traversal and movement, revamped mount handling, and enhanced monster behaviors.
- An overhauled skill tree, transmogrification, immersive meditation, and an expanded photo mode.
- Mods support cross-platform play, and PC upscaling is available through NVIDIA DLSS version 4.5, AMD FSR version 4, and Intel XeSS version 2.0.
Save files and cross progression
Existing save files stay compatible. If you have a save from the 2015 release, it works once the remastered patch is applied, so you can pick up where you left off. Cross Progression continues to function as before, and Xbox Play Anywhere lets console players carry story progress over to PC.
You will know the upgrade is applied when the game shows the Remastered version on launch and the new features, such as the expanded photo mode and revamped skill tree, appear in the menus. On consoles and PC storefronts, the update installs automatically for eligible owners once it is live in your region at the times listed above.
