Josh, writing for PC Gamer, still believes The Witcher 3 was the greatest game of 2015. CD Projekt Red has now remastered it, and he’s celebrating the result.
The Case for The Witcher 3
Josh argues that nostalgia alone isn’t enough to justify calling The Witcher 3 the best game of 2015. He has a specific reason beyond fondness: the game’s world became a fixed space in his mind, like a place from his past. Its battlefields, its main city, and the clean, icy Skellige region, which arrives late in the game after tens of hours of oppressive play, feel like walking streets that belonged to a younger self.
He describes returning to the game as like going back home, but with a twist. Someone has been in and aired the place out, run a duster around, and reupholstered the furniture. The remaster enhances the look while leaving the core of the game intact.
What The Remaster Adds
The remaster includes several small but welcome improvements. Players can now see all their quest objectives on the world map, and flipping between focused quests happens with a squeeze of a gamepad trigger. The HUD is less cluttered, and a new loot feed tracks items picked up or received, which helps with the countless quests that end with someone saying “Here, take this” without ever explaining what “this” is.
Combat has also received some fiddling to smooth out old rough edges. Josh admits the changes aren’t noticeable to him, and he wonders if CDPR’s stated goal of making the game feel like it released in 2026 was pushing too hard. He wouldn’t want the game to lose its identity, but he doesn’t think the remaster achieves that ambitious mechanical reset anyway.
The Song of the Past Expansion
With a brand-new expansion called Songs of the Past penciled in for some time in 2027, Josh sees the remaster as an excellent excuse to return. Both of the other expansions are now free, so the timing works out well. He admits he needs to generate a new, 100%-complete save to take into the new DLC.
His plan for the autumn involves warm, placid nights curled up on a sofa, making his way through Geralt’s Big Adventure again. It’s like 2015 never really went away.
Key Facts Box
- Game: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
- Original release: 2015
- New expansion: Songs of the Past, penciled in for sometime in 2027
- Other expansions: Both are free
Release Schedule
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Original release of The Witcher 3 |
| Sometime in 2027 | Songs of the Past expansion |
The Look of The Remaster
Josh stops to admire the sunset skies and the light slipping through Geralt’s beard, even if he admits he hasn’t actually been doing that second one. He ignores the people who talk about the graphical enhancements as if they had torn the game’s heart out.
The remaster is a lovely little present, and the upcoming expansion gives him a reason to return.
Source material: “Forget what PC Gamer said: The Witcher 3 will always be my 2015 GOTY,” PC Gamer.
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