Do my Witcher 3 saves work with the Remastered version?

Yes. CD Projekt Red says existing Witcher 3 save files should work with no issues after the upgrade, so you can continue from where you stopped. You do not need to start a new game. Your skills and settings are the exception and will be reset.

Do I lose my trophies or achievements in Witcher 3 Remastered?

No. The remaster shares its trophy and achievement list with the current version of the game, so anything you have already unlocked stays unlocked. There is no second platinum to earn on PlayStation 5, and your Xbox and Steam achievement totals are unaffected.

Is Witcher 3 Remastered a free upgrade?

It is free if you already own The Witcher 3 on PC, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, including copies from GOG, Steam and the Epic Games Store. On PS5 and Xbox it arrives as an update to the game you own rather than a separate store listing. Nintendo Switch 2 gets a native release instead, not a free upgrade.

When does Witcher 3 Remastered come out?

It launches on 29 September 2026 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. On console the free upgrade is delivered as a patch, so there is nothing to claim in advance if you already own the current-generation version.

Why does Witcher 3 Remastered reset my skill points?

The remaster reworks the skill tree and adds new and revised abilities, so an old build cannot be carried across cleanly. CD Projekt Red says you can reallocate your points immediately after the upgrade. Your character level and progress are not affected.

Witcher 3 Remastered Keeps Saves, Resets Skill Points

What happens to your Witcher 3 Remastered saves

CD Projekt Red's wording is specific. Current Witcher 3 save files "should work with no issues", but skills and settings are wiped because of the changes the upgrade introduces. You get the points back immediately, so a 100-hour Geralt does not restart at level one — he restarts with an empty skill tree and the same character level.

There is a reason for that. The remaster reworks the skill tree itself, adds new and revised abilities, and changes how progression slots together. A build assembled against the 2015 tree would not map cleanly onto the new one. Settings going back to default is the smaller annoyance, but worth knowing before you load in and wonder why your controls feel wrong.

Trophies and achievements carry over on every platform

The remaster shares its achievement and trophy list with the current version of the game. Unlock something already and you do not unlock it again. On PlayStation 5 that means no second platinum to chase, and on Xbox and Steam your existing achievement count stays as it is.

That is a direct consequence of how the upgrade ships. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S it is a patch to the game you own rather than a separate product with its own list — closer to how a normal title update works than to a re-release. Anyone hoping to earn the platinum a second time is out of luck.

Saves: carry over, no new game required
Skills: reset on upgrade, reallocate immediately
Settings: reset to default
Trophies and achievements: shared list, already-unlocked entries stay unlocked
Expansions: Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are now included in the base game at no extra cost

Which platforms get the free upgrade

The free upgrade covers PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. On PC that includes copies bought through GOG, Steam and the Epic Games Store, and the remaster also arrives on Battle.net. On Xbox the remaster adds Xbox Play Anywhere support, so a PC and console copy share the same entitlement.

Nintendo Switch 2 is the exception. The remaster launches there on the same 29 September date as a native release with pre-orders already open, not as a free upgrade from an older Switch copy. CD Projekt Red has said details on the Switch 2 physical edition will come later, so whether it uses a full cartridge or a game-key card is still unconfirmed. If you want a sense of how big these ports get on Nintendo's hardware, our breakdown of the Oblivion Remastered file size on Switch 2 covers a comparable case.

What the remaster actually changes

The technical list is long. CD Projekt Red has named upgraded visuals with a rebuilt rendering pipeline, enhanced combat, improved traversal and movement, new witcher sign effects, revamped mount handling for Roach, enhanced monster behaviours, the skill tree revamp, transmogrification, an expanded photo mode and new finishers. PlayStation 5 Pro support is part of the package, alongside the base PS5 version.

Transmog is the quiet crowd-pleaser: keep an item's stats while wearing the look of another. It is the kind of quality-of-life fix modders shipped years ago on PC and console players never got. For anyone tracking how PS5 Pro patches have landed elsewhere this year, our coverage of the Silent Hill 2 patch 1.07 on PS5 Pro is a useful comparison.

When to claim it, and where the game stands now

The upgrade goes live on 29 September. Because it is delivered as an update on console, there is nothing to claim in advance if your copy is already the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S version — the patch simply appears. Players still on a PS4 or Xbox One copy should make sure they have moved to the current-gen version first, since the update targets that entitlement.

The Witcher 3 also just left Xbox Game Pass, as we covered in the August Game Pass wave, so subscribers who were playing it there will need to own a copy to get the remaster. Switch 2 owners weighing the native release should note the console's recent price change, detailed in our report on the Switch 2 price increase in the UK. And if you are looking for something to play on a phone in the meantime, our list of the best offline RPG games for Android is a good place to start.