The Witcher 3 Remastered patch notes touch almost every part of the game. CD Projekt Red released the remaster on September 29, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, as a free upgrade for owners on most stores. The changes cover the base game and both expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Below is every change from the official notes in plain English, grouped by what you will notice first, with a link to the full guide for each one.
Witcher 3 Remastered patch notes at a glance
| Area | What changed | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | A real tree with three ranks per skill; skill points reset on every save | Skill tree and skill reset |
| Gear | Reforge changes how gear looks while it keeps its stats | Witcher 3 Remastered transmog |
| Saves | Saves, achievements and trophies carry over | Save transfer |
| PC | Path tracing, DLSS 4.5, FSR 4, XeSS 2.0 and higher requirements | Best PC settings |
| PlayStation | PSSR, VRR and uncapped frame rates on PS5 Pro | PS5 and PS5 Pro |
| Switch 2 | Native version with mouse, motion and gyro controls | Switch 2 version |
| Extras | Bard's Ballad preset, mods on every platform, a bigger photo mode | Bard's Ballad, mods |
New skill tree and skill point reset
Skills now sit in a real tree. Every skill has three ranks, and you unlock a skill by owning the skills before it instead of spending a set number of points in its branch. Bonus values, effects and synergies were rebalanced and some skills were renamed. Because of this, the skill points on every existing save were reset. The Witcher 3 Remastered skill tree guide covers how the ranks work and how to rebuild Geralt.
Reforge: the new transmog system
You can now change how a piece of equipment looks without touching its stats. Only the master craftsmen Yoana and Hattori offer it, appearances unlock as you collect gear and crafting diagrams, and Blood and Wine dyes carry over. Where to find both craftsmen and how to unlock them is in the Reforge transmog guide.
Witcher 3 Remastered combat changes, movement and camera
- Non-boss monsters got updated attack patterns, counterattacks, movement and reactions.
- Geralt has new finishers, new idle animations, smoother gap closing and a reworked jump animation (jump height and distance are unchanged).
- Climbing ledges and ladders and vaulting are faster and smoother.
- A new exploration camera has a wider field of view, and a dynamic combat camera keeps more enemies in sight. Switching the locked target while moving the camera works better.
- Roach handles better: mounting, cantering and galloping were polished, and a horse control sensitivity slider sits in Settings, Controls.
- To leave a fight, hold dodge to drop the target lock, then sprint away.
Map, quest and loot changes
- The map screen makes switching the tracked quest easier, and untracked quests get their own marker.
- You can place more map markers, and herbs, boats and corpses can be hidden from the minimap.
- Quest updates combine into a single notification.
- Nearby loot can be grouped into one window (turn it on in Settings, Gameplay), a loot feed lists what you just picked up, and tooltips preview items before you take them.
- You can loot without getting off Roach, and meditation now plays a timelapse instead of opening a menu.
Photo mode, Bard's Ballad and mods
The expanded photo mode adds placeable characters, poses, weather and time controls and a first-person camera. A new Accessibility menu holds the Bard's Ballad preset, which lowers the game's cognitive load with options like infinite breath and no weight limit. An in-game browser powered by mod.io brings Witcher 3 Remastered mods to consoles as well as PC.
Graphics changes on PC, PS5 and Switch 2
All versions get a new shading model, better grass and foliage lighting, new tone mapping, reworked bloom and image-based lighting, and textures and models based on assets from The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project.
- PC: path tracing, DLSS 4.5, FSR 4, XeSS 2.0 and ray-traced HairWorks. The Witcher 3 Remastered system requirements went up, and the PC settings guide shows what each feature costs.
- PS5 Pro: PSSR, VRR and uncapped frame rates; the PS5 guide compares the graphics modes.
- Switch 2: mouse, motion and gyro controls, HDR and VRR in handheld mode; see the Switch 2 guide.
Bug fixes and other changes
- In the Eternal Fire's Shadow: the Forgotten Wolf School gear diagrams now show in the interface after the reward.
- Wine is Sacred: fast traveling out of Toussaint during the wine cellar objective no longer blocks the quest. The fix does not repair saves that are already stuck; the save transfer guide explains what that means for old saves.
- Right stick sensitivity can be changed from the main menu again, and HDR settings no longer go missing on consoles.
- Ukrainian text, Xbox Play Anywhere support and shorter tutorials were added.
Witcher 3 Remastered patch notes FAQ
What are the biggest changes in the Witcher 3 Remastered patch notes?
The new skill tree with its skill point reset, Reforge transmog, combat and camera updates, an expanded photo mode, cross-platform mods and new graphics features, led by path tracing on PC.
Do the changes apply to Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine?
Yes. CD Projekt Red says the remaster improves the base game and both expansions.
Is the remaster a free update?
For owners on Steam, GOG, Epic, PlayStation and Xbox, yes, and Switch owners get the Switch 2 version free. Battle.net and Microsoft Store buyers pay.