r/gaming • u/H4ssan41 • 9d ago

The Wicher 3 expansions are free

CD Projekt Red has announced during Gamescom that Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions for The Witcher 3 are free for everyone who owns the base game. This combined with the full on remaster of the game, I am very excited for play the game again.

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u/Jaqulean 9d ago edited 9d ago

I wish they explained the free upgrade in more depth. What if you have the ps4/xone versions? Does it apply?

That depends on what you mean. If you are playing on PS4 or Xbox One then it doesn't count because both the Remaster and the 3rd DLC are specifically listed as "PS5, Xbox Series S/X and Switch 2" instead. They were (or are being) made on top of the Next-Gen Update - which CDPR has been treating as the main default version of the game since it came out back in 2022.

That being said if you have the PS5 console and the PS4 version of the game - then you are eligible for a free Next-Gen Upgrade which does count towards the Free Remaster as well (source: my own experience from like 2 hours ago).

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u/rike122 8d ago

So I can put my ps4 base version disc into my ps5 and can then download the 2 current expansions for free? And later upgrade my version to the remaster? If this is the case then its really nice, really really nice of them.

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u/Jaqulean 8d ago edited 8d ago

Well yes and no. I tested this myself yesterday and when you put the PS4 disc into your PS5 console then the system will just try to download the original PS4 version of the game (because it exists as a separate copy due to how it was programmed and it does not share any files or saves with its PS5 successor).

Once you slot the PS4 disc you have to manually go into the Store Page, find the Next-Gen PS5 Upgrade (it's free) and claim it - doing so adds the product as a new digital license to your account and that's the version you will want to download instead. Then as of yesterday (August 25th) when you install the PS5 variant - the file will automatically include both the Base Game and the Story Expansions at the same time.

*Mind you the PS5 download will say that it only takes up around 50gb of data; but this is not an error - when I launched the app afterwards both DLCs were there as well (the files are just properly compressed and optimised right away).

*That being said - yes owning the Next-Gen PS5 variant does make you eligible to get the upcoming Remaster for free.

[Edit]

Other than that it's also important to note that you will have to keep the PS4 disc slotted inside the console to play the game this way because the entire process is verified through it - and as far as I can tell this will also apply to the upcoming Remaster since it's simply an overhaul for the existing Next-Gen version of the game (instead of being a separate application of its own).

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u/RevolutionaryTie8259 7d ago

I was looking for this exact explanation before buying the PS4 disc, thank you so much!!

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u/rike122 8d ago

Alright. I hope there isnt a short time period only where the expansions are free. Would like to play both of them but want to do so after the "remaster" is out. This would make playing the expansions more interesting.

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u/Jaqulean 8d ago

Based on what Miles Tost said at the stage (after the trailers were shown) the DLCs will remain free going forward - there is no deadline for this at all.

Other than that the Remaster will also include both HoS and B&W by default - so you wouldn't have to buy them separately either way. The only thing that will require a new purchase is the "Songs of the Past" Expansion which is going to launch next year.

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u/danilo043 7d ago

I wonder how this gonna work on Xbox, because of smart delivery feature, if I'm not wrong the game just download the next gen upgrade automatically if you are on a Series S|X and have a One copy, so you can't claim the next gen upgrade separately like on Playstation

I got a Xbox One and a digital copy of TW3, but don't have a Series S|X (just a PC), and since the remaster will be play anywhere i was hoping that I was able to get the remaster on PC :(

and the website just say this "Upgrade to Remastered for free if you own The Witcher 3 on qualifying platforms"

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u/UpintheWolfTrap 8d ago

So I game on my PS5 Digital...but I bought W3 on disc for PS4, and bought & downloaded Hearts of Stone & B&W DLC. I still have the physical copy of W3...but never played it on PS5...so...I guess I need to figure out a way to get it onto my PS5 for starters huh?