The Witcher 3 PC system requirements raised ahead of next-gen expansion

CD Project Red has increased The Witcher 3’s PC system requirements for their “Songs of the Past” expansion

CD Project Red has released updated PC system requirements for The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt’s PC version to “ensure smooth performance and compatibility going forward”. This confirmation comes after the unveiling of the game’s upcoming “Songs of the Past” expansion, which is set to release in 2027.

This new expansion is exclusively for current-generation platforms. This includes PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. This DLC is not coming to Switch, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One consoles. As such, the new DLC will target higher-end hardware configurations and may be more demanding than the game’s existing content.

With new content coming to the game, we need to update our system requirements to ensure smooth performance and compatibility going forward for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Songs of the Past.

Below, we can see significant increases in The Witcher 3’s PC system requirements. Windows 11 is now the game’s minimum supported OS. The game now requires SSD storage, and gamers are expected to have more GPU and system memory.

The game’s new minimum GPUs are now AMD’s RX 5500 XT and Nvidia’s GTX 1660. Note that these GPUs are higher-end than the GPUs previously recommended for The Witcher 3. DirectX 12 will also become the only supported graphical API. Only GPUs with active driver support on Windows 11 will have official support.

Is The Witcher 3 getting another next-gen update?

If you consider factors like software/hardware support, these changes make a lot of sense. CD Project Red shouldn’t test their new software and verify its functionality on operating systems and hardware that is unsupported by their manufacturers. Regardless, these altered system requirements imply that The Witcher 3’s new expansion may be more demanding than the game’s existing content.

Note that CD Project Red says that “ongoing technical improvements” are coming to The Witcher 3. Furthermore, the game will run on “modern hardware more effectively”. It’s likely that The Witcher 3 is getting another “next-gen” update alongside the game’s new DLC.

These minimum requirements reflect how hardware capabilities and software usage have evolved since we last changed the system requirements. In particular:

• Windows 11 will be the minimum required OS for both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 following Microsoft’s end of support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Without ongoing security updates, official platform support, and continued GPU driver support, we will no longer test our games on Windows 10.
• HDDs will no longer be supported, as SSDs offer faster load times, smoother asset streaming, and improved overall performance.
• The game will exclusively run using DirectX 12, which allows us to support ongoing technical improvements and modern hardware more effectively.
• Only processors supported on Windows 11 will be supported by us.
• Only graphics cards with ongoing active driver support for gaming on Windows 11 will be supported.

Please note that it’s possible to revert to an earlier version of the game, see how to do it here.

If The Witcher 3 gets another next-generation update, what should this update include? Modern upscaling support and Frame Generation on PC is a must. If the game gains support for FSR 4, XeSS, and the latest version of DLSS, the game would look much better on PC. Additionally, Frame Generation would be a welcome feature for users of high-refresh-rate monitors. Furthermore, integrating Halk Hogan’s updated HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition 2026 mod would enhance the base game’s visuals.

You can join the discussion on The Witcher 3’s updated PC system requirements on the OC3D Forums.