The digital upgrade for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered replaces the original PS5/Xbox versions, leaving Series S owners with a worse way to play the game.
The issue arised from how CD Projekt Red has handled the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered upgrade on current-generation consoles. Rather than keeping the previous PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions available as separate applications, the new version has replaced the earlier release for digital users. Reports indicate that the original PS5 version is no longer accessible as it previously was, while Xbox versions have also been updated to the newer Remastered build.
This is especially problematic for Xbox Series S owners, as reports indicate that the Remastered version can perform and look worse on Microsoft’s entry-level console than the earlier version, with reduced visual quality and less consistent performance. Since the previous version has effectively been replaced, Series S players who only own the digital game don’t have a way to return to the version they preferred.
The situation is different from simply de-listing an older game. Players who had already purchased the original version could previously continue using it, whereas this upgrade approach changes the version attached to the existing digital purchase. On the other hand, owners of physical copies are still able to access the earlier PS5 and Xbox Series X|S build that’s on the disc.
PC players have more flexibility, with previous versions available through platform-specific versioning or rollback options via GOG and Steam’s beta branch. It’s worth noting that the PS4 and Xbox One versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered remain separately accessible on the PlayStation and Xbox stores, just like the Nintendo Switch version, which continues to be available alongside the new Switch 2 remaster. As such, the issue strictly concerns the loss of the earlier PS5/Xbox versions after the new update.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered was released on September 29, 2026, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC.
