A small note has appeared on The Witcher 3 store page in Steam, easy to scroll past and worth reading if the game sits in your library on an ageing PC. Both the minimum and the recommended blocks now carry a footnote: system requirements will change on 29 September 2026. That is the day the remaster ships.
What the store page says right now
| Item | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 7 or 8.1, 64-bit | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit |
| CPU | Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz or A10-5800K | Core i5-7400 or Ryzen 5 1600 |
| Memory | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| GPU | GeForce GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7870 | GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon RX 480 |
| DirectX | 11 | 12 |
| Storage | 50 GB | 50 GB |
And here are the numbers, because CDPR has now given them.
The new bar: Windows 11, an SSD and 12 GB
| Item | Minimum after 29 Sept | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11, 64-bit | Windows 11, 64-bit |
| CPU | Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 2600 | Core i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600X |
| GPU | GeForce GTX 1660, Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB or Intel Arc A580 | GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, Radeon RX 6600 XT or Intel Arc B580 |
| VRAM | 6 GB | not listed separately |
| Memory | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 70 GB on an SSD | 70 GB on an SSD |
| Graphics API | DirectX 12 only | DirectX 12 only |
Put that next to the table above and the jump is obvious. Memory goes from 6 GB to 12, storage from 50 GB to 70 and it has to be an SSD, and the minimum graphics card moves from a GTX 660 to a GTX 1660 with six gigabytes of video memory. Worth a separate mention: Intel Arc appears in both columns, so Intel cards are now listed as a proper option in a major game's official specs rather than as a footnote.
What gets dropped entirely
- Windows 10. CDPR points at Microsoft ending support for it on 14 October 2025, and says the studio will no longer test on it. The same applies to Cyberpunk 2077.
- Hard drives. SSD only, for load times and asset streaming.
- DirectX 11. The game will run exclusively on DirectX 12.
- CPUs and GPUs without Windows 11 support. The wording is gentle, the meaning is not: if your hardware no longer gets current Windows 11 drivers, it is no longer officially supported.
Why this concerns owners, not just buyers
The remaster does not arrive as a separate game. It is a free update to the same entry in your library, free for owners on PC and on current-gen consoles. Excellent news for the wallet, less so for a machine that was already running the game at its limit: the bar rises under the line you already own.
Good news if your hardware falls short: rolling back to an earlier build is allowed, and CDPR says so on the same support page with instructions attached. A GTX 1060 is not a death sentence then, you simply stay on the old version and skip what the remaster brings.
What else is known after the showcases
- The remaster arrives on 29 September 2026. A free upgrade for owners on PC and current-gen platforms.
- Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine went out to base game owners. Both expansions are also bundled into the remastered base game.
- Songs of the Past is coming in 2027. A new realm called Letten, with Geralt back on the Path alongside an old friend.
- The expansion ships on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. Battle.net is not a typo, CDPR has struck a deal with Blizzard.
Where to watch this week
CDPR brought REDstreams to gamescom: five days running from Wednesday 26 August, live every day from 10 in the morning to 7 in the evening CEST, on Steam, Twitch and YouTube, with daily schedules posted on site. If the new requirements get named anywhere first, that is where.
Sources
System requirements and the 29 September footnote: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Steam, checked 27 August 2026. New minimum requirements, the end of Windows 10, hard drives and DirectX 11 support, and the option to roll back to an earlier version: the CD PROJEKT RED support page. Remaster date and free upgrade terms: the official CD PROJEKT RED announcement. Platforms and release year for Songs of the Past, plus the Blizzard partnership: news on the official The Witcher site. REDstreams schedule: the CDPR announcement on Steam.
