If you own only the base game of The Witcher 3, you already own both story expansions. CD PROJEKT RED gave Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine to every base-game owner on August 25, 2026, a month before the Remastered launched on September
29. The confusion comes from those being two separate events: the expansion grant and the remaster download. This guide separates them, shows you how to claim and verify the expansions on each platform, and lists the failure cases that actually happen.
Quick answer
Who qualifies: anyone who owns the base game, on any supported store, within the same platform ecosystem. There is no claim deadline.
What you get: Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, together roughly 50 hours or more of additional content.
On PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, updating the game is normally enough. The expansions arrive with the update.
If they do not appear, the usual causes are family sharing, the wrong store account, or a region-mismatched key. The checklist in section 5 covers each.
Songs of the Past is not part of this. It is a separate expansion planned for 2027, with its price still unannounced.
At a glance
Grant date: August 25, 2026 (expansions free for base-game owners).
Remaster launch: September 29, 2026 (separate download, also free for owners).
New purchase: 49.99 dollars on Steam, whole package including both expansions.
Not included: Songs of the Past (2027, price unannounced).
Old saves: existing saves and expansion saves remain intact.
Last verified: October 31, 2026.
1. What exactly became free, and what did not
Official: CD PROJEKT RED announced at gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026 that Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are free to all current owners, effective immediately, well ahead of the remaster. The studio also restructured the store: the standalone expansions were removed from sale and the previous base-game listing was replaced by the Complete Edition, with both expansions incorporated into the package. Existing owners keep any expansion licenses they already had.
What did not become free: Songs of the Past, the new expansion announced for 2027 and co-developed with Fool's Theory, is a separate product. It is not part of the August grant and not part of the Remastered package. Its price is unannounced, so any listing claiming otherwise is wrong.
2. Steam, GOG, and Epic: update, then check the DLC list
On PC the normal case is simple: update the game and the expansions come with it. The grant is tied to the store account that owns the base game, so the account check matters more than any button hunt.
Update The Witcher 3 to the current version, with automatic updates on if you use them.
Open the game in your library and look at its DLC or add-on list. Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine should both be listed and installed, or available to install.
On Steam, open the game properties and check the DLC section: both entries should show as owned and checked. An unchecked entry downloads nothing, which is the quietest failure of all.
If an entry is missing, verify game files, then sign out and back into the store client and confirm you are on the same account that owns the base game.
3. Confirm inside the game: the two notice-board quests
The library check proves ownership. The in-game check proves the content is actually there. Each expansion opens through a notice-board quest, and both can be started from an existing save. You do not need to finish the main story first, but the recommended levels are real: Hearts of Stone is aimed around level 32, Blood and Wine around level 34.
Hearts of Stone: read the notice posted at the Seven Cats Inn notice board. It starts the quest Evil's Soft First Touches. Blood and Wine: read the notice posted on any notice board, which starts the quest Envoys, Wineboys and sends you toward Toussaint. If neither notice appears, the expansions are not installed on that save's build, and the library check in section 2 is where you go back to.
4. Consoles and Switch: the platform differences that matter
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S: the same rule as PC. Updating the game delivers the Remastered build and both expansions. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are the exception: owners on those machines receive Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine for free, but not the Remastered build, which is limited to PC and current-generation consoles.
Xbox specifics, from the launch reporting: digital owners had both expansions added to their libraries automatically, while disc-based owners claim them from the Store at no extra cost. One careful distinction: that claim confirmation covers the expansions, and it should not be read as a promise of a Windows PC license for every physical copy under Play Anywhere. If your library looks wrong on console, restore licenses on PlayStation or sign out and back in on Xbox, and confirm the account that owns the base game.
Nintendo Switch: owners of the original Switch edition can claim the native Switch 2 Remastered version at no extra cost, but it is a separate eShop claim, not a software update to the Switch 1 game. If you are looking for an update button on the old version, you are looking in the wrong place.
5. Failure checklist: symptom, cause, fix
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Expansions missing from the library | Wrong store account, or family sharing | Sign out and back in on the owning account. Family-shared copies do not carry the grant; the owner account does. |
DLC listed but not downloading | Entry unchecked in the DLC section | Check both entries in the DLC section and let the download run. |
Quests do not appear in game | Expansions not installed on this build | Go back to the library DLC check, verify files, and confirm the install completed. |
Store still shows a price | Viewing the old standalone listing, or a third-party key page | Standalone expansions were removed from sale. Use the Complete Edition listing or your library DLC section. |
PS4 or Xbox One has no remaster | Not a bug: the remaster is current-generation only | Those machines get both expansions free, not the remaster build. Play the expansions there, or move to a current platform for the remaster. |
6. After claiming: what to play first
The short version: Hearts of Stone first if you want a tight, dark story that fits inside the main game world, Blood and Wine first if you want a new region and a change of air. Timing against the main story, recommended levels, and how New Game+ carries each expansion over are covered in our expansions and New Game+ guide, so this guide does not repeat that detail.
FAQ
I bought only the base game years ago. Do I really get both expansions free?
Yes. The August 25, 2026 grant covers every base-game owner, whenever they bought it, on any supported store, within the same platform ecosystem. There is no claim deadline.
I bought the game after September 29. Do I still get the expansions?
Yes. A new purchase is the whole package: the base game plus both expansions, 49.99 dollars on Steam. You do not need a separate grant.
Do my old saves still work with the expansions installed?
Yes. Existing saves and expansion saves remain intact, and both expansions can be started from an existing save at their recommended levels. Note that the 5.0 skill tree rework resets allocated skill points, which is a remaster change, not an expansion one.
Does this include Songs of the Past?
No. Songs of the Past is a separate expansion planned for 2027, co-developed with Fool's Theory, and its price is unannounced. It is neither part of the August grant nor part of the Remastered package.
Can I play the expansions without finishing the main story?
Yes. Both open through notice-board quests from an existing save. The recommended levels, around 32 for Hearts of Stone and around 34 for Blood and Wine, are the real gate, not story progress.