After that blunder with Highguard, you just knew that Geoff Keighley would open Gamescom with a bang. And open he did, announcing that The Witcher 3, one of the most beloved RPGs of all time, would drop completely remastered on September 29.
Moreover, the remaster will be free for all who already own the base game. With the date fast approaching, let’s see what novelties await at the new go-around with Geralt.
Improved Visuals
The most obvious improvement is in the eye-candy department. The game did receive a few graphics updates since release (most notably with the next-gen update in December 2022), but that’s nothing compared to what’s coming at the tail end of September.
Global Lightning rework, Improved Ray Tracing, Ray Reconstruction, Native support for DLSS (both 4.5 and 5) and, most importantly of all, Geralt’s running animation are just some of the graphical updates. The list goes on and on.
New Gwent Cards
“How about a round of Gwent?”
You read that right: 20 new Gwent cards are set to hit the board alongside the remaster and the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion. CD Projekt Red hasn’t confirmed the exact drop schedule for every card, nor what cards we’d get for that matter (Shani, anyone?). We’ll just have to wait and see.
You don’t have to wait that long to play mini games, though. Until that time arrives when you once again eye everyone with a Gwent deck up their robe, you can visit Fortunes Ultimate Slots to enjoy free online slot games. They’re free, much easier than Gwent, and will put you in the right mood to face the challenge of innkeepers.
Combat & Transmog
If there’s one stick you could use to beat the original game with, it’s the clunky combat. Not anymore, because the remaster improves on every facet of the combat that felt outdated and, according to the CDPR executive producer Jakub Kutrzuba, the game will feel like it came out in 2026.
Together with their pals over at Fool’s Theory, CDPR is adding more weapons, more fluidity in duels, more finishes, more of everything. On top of that, a long-requested transmogrification system is finally arriving, allowing you to wear your highest-stat Witcher armor and choose how it looks.
Skill Tree Rework & Immersive Meditation
The Witcher 3 Remastered brings a bunch of quality-of-life improvements like faster looting, refined UI, smoother menu navigation, new quest tracking, and all sorts. But the biggest one has to be Immersive Meditation.
Instead of jumping to a static menu screen to pass time, players can now watch Geralt set up camp in real time. Fire crackles, time passes dynamically, and Geralt can brew potions, apply blade oils, and manage equipment right from the campfire ground.
Accompanying this feature is a complete Skill Tree Rework. Synergies between alchemy, sign casting, and combat talents have been rebalanced to eliminate mandatory filler perks, providing far more freedom to craft hybrid Witcher builds without sacrificing raw power.
Save the Date
There’s plenty more changes like monster behavior, mount improvements, 90 FPS for PS5 Pro, and so on.
Indeed, returning to Velen for the hundredth time and facing the Wild Hunt has never felt more alluring. CD Projekt Red is on the hunt of its own, making sure this definitive
