Patch 4.040.200 for The Witcher 3 released, giving away the first two expansions for free, plus a full list of remaster features
CD Projekt RED released update 4.040.200 for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt right after announcing the free remaster at Gamescom Opening Night Live. The patch is already live, while the remaster itself won't arrive until September 29.
The update installs on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series. Last-gen console versions didn't get the patch, and don't expect them to, since support for older platforms has ended the same way it did with Cyberpunk 2077.
The biggest change affects every base game owner. Once the patch installs, the version automatically becomes the Complete Edition, unlocking both story expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.
CD Projekt RED announced this move on stage at Gamescom, so the giveaway wasn't a surprise. Both expansions add dozens of hours of content, including the Toussaint region with its own storyline and the tale of Olgierd von Everec.
None of the remaster new features are in this patch yet. The free upgrade to the Remastered version for owners on qualifying platforms will bring improved visuals and performance, a reworked combat system, a reimagined skill tree, plus changes to movement and animations along with new magic abilities.
List of remaster features:
Cross-platform mod support
Immersive meditation
Improved animations
New quest tracking system
UI improvements
Reworked loot gathering
Updated motion blur
New accessibility features
Updated textures
Reworked vegetation shading
Modernized tutorial
HDR improvements
GTAO shading
Improved menu navigation
Ray tracing improvements
Reworked global illumination
New shading model
Subsurface scattering
New tone compressor
PS5 Pro support
Xbox Play Anywhere support
Exclusive features for Nintendo Switch 2
NVIDIA DLSS 4.5
AMD FSR 4
Intel XeSS 2.0
Path tracing on PC
Ray reconstruction on PC
Hair ray tracing
Native DX12
Rendering parallelization
CD Projekt RED confirmed separately that cross-platform mod support is still in development. This refers to the ability to use custom mods not just on PC but on consoles too.
CD Projekt RED hasn't published a full changelog for the August patch yet. Giving away the expansions looks like preparation for the paid Songs of the Past DLC, coming next year and tying the story to The Witcher 4.
According to the studio, the scale of Songs of the Past is comparable to Blood and Wine. The Witcher 4 is set for release in 2028. CD Projekt RED confirmed there won't be Russian voice acting in the DLC.
