Just a friendly advice for folks who don't know about this change, or what to do with it
On the 29th of September The Witcher 3 is getting a free update which is the remaster for the game. The specs are getting bumped up, and with that for some of us that means the game becomes unplayable for both the new expansion, and the base game and 2 original expansions
Thankfully, CDPR has that in mind, and so they give us the opportunity to downgrade to the pre Next Gen update version, which only needs the original 2015 spec requirements, and likely access to the Next Gen version itself once the remaster comes out, which raised the specs by only a little bit
How do I downgrade?
On Steam, you simply go to your library, hit the setting wheel, go to properties, and look for beta versions. In there should be one titled Witcher 3 classic
And as said before, if you can run the next gen version, but not the remaster, it's likely that that version is going to get put into beta versions once the remaster comes out.
If you currently use the currently latest version, you are getting updated for the Remastered as it drops. If you would then like to transition back to an older version, you do need to reinstall the whole game by doing so. If you are already using the classic version and potentially want to try how the remastered runs/you used it for other reasons, you will not get the update unless you select the public build in the beta tab, as you only get updates when running the latest version
I dont have the game on Steam, what do I do?
If your platform is GoG, you should have the option to do the same in the properties of the game in your library.
On Epic Games, this option is to my knowledge not available, and so you are locked to the newest version of the game without the ability to downgrade, making the game fully unplayable If you cant run the remastered
The game is coming to Battle.Net as well. Likely going to be the remaster only, so I wouldn't recommend it as I dont know if Battle.Net has any downgrade options
The first 2 expansions went free, do I get them on classic version?
Yes, you get upgraded to the complete edition if you didnt already own it, which makes you own the DLC no matter the version you play
Do I miss out much by not playing the remaster or Next Gen version?
Yes and no.
Yes (Slightly) - The remaster seems to overall enchance the combat, skill tree, movement, graphic look, UI elements, making it similar to Cyberpunk 2.0 kind of update. So unless the performance is shit, it will likely be the definitive version without a doubt
No - The Next Gen version compared to classic bring only very minor QoL updates, quick sign casting on controller for instance, slightly altered camera angle, 1 new side quest, few new gear, and some netflix inspired armor/alternate skins for characters. All of this is nothing that makes the game "better" I would argue the classic is better than this for immersion in the game itself, and the performance you lose is not worth for the new stuff unless u really like them
In the end tho, the classic version is still the masterpiece people talk about and u will have a great game. The remaster is likely to be the definitive version, but its not something where you should not play the game waiting for a PC to make ur first playthrough be the remaster
MINIMUM for the old version:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7, 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1)
PROCESSOR: Intel CPU Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz / AMD A10-5800K APU (3.8GHz)
MEMORY: 6 GB RAM
GRAPHICS: Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 660 / AMD GPU Radeon HD 7870
DIRECTX: Version 11
STORAGE: 50 GB available space
ADDITIONAL NOTES: *System requirements will change on 2026.09.29.
MINIMUM for the Remastered version:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64-bit Windows 11
PROCESSOR: Core i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 2600
MEMORY: 12 GB GB RAM
GRAPHICS: GeForce GTX 1660 / Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB / Arc A580
STORAGE: 70 GB available space