The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has two story expansions: Hearts of Stone from 2015 and Blood and Wine from 2016. Play them in release order, so Hearts of Stone first and Blood and Wine second. Since 25 August 2026, everyone who owns the base game gets both for free. Below you’ll find how to start them, how much content they offer according to Steam and what we know about the third expansion, Songs of the Past. Status as of 19 October 2026.
Both expansions are free
At gamescom 2026, CD PROJEKT RED announced that every owner of the base game gets Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine for free. This has applied since 25 August 2026, and you don’t need to buy or redeem anything: just update the game. On PS4 and Xbox One, both expansions are a free download.
Since the Remastered version launched on 29 September 2026, it has also replaced the Complete Edition on supported platforms and includes both expansions as standard. You can no longer buy the base game without expansions, and the standalone expansions have been delisted. Anyone buying The Witcher 3 today gets everything in one package. What else Remastered brought and how much it costs is in our Remastered guide.
Which order to play them in
| Order | Expansion | Released | Length according to Steam | Link to the main story |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hearts of Stone | 12 October 2015 | over 10 hours of new content | standalone story |
| 2. | Blood and Wine | 30 May 2016 | “20+ hour adventure” and “over 30 hours” | continues Geralt’s story, final expansion |
Hearts of Stone is a self-contained story, separate from the main storyline. Blood and Wine, on the other hand, is the final expansion of the original game and continues Geralt’s story, so it makes the most sense after you’ve finished the main quest.
There’s one more reason to play the main game first and save Blood and Wine for last. If you finish Blood and Wine after the main game, a character will visit you at Geralt’s vineyard depending on how you played the main story. What your decisions affect is covered in our guide to the game’s endings (spoilers).
Hearts of Stone: what it’s about
Hearts of Stone launched on 12 October 2015 and, according to Steam, offers over 10 hours of new content. Geralt takes a contract from the mysterious Gaunter O’Dimm to deal with the immortal Olgierd von Everec. The story is set in Velen and Oxenfurt.
The expansion adds a new romance, new Gwent cards and new contracts. If you play Gwent, the new cards come in handy, and you’ll find the rules and tips in our Gwent guide.
Blood and Wine: what it’s about
Blood and Wine launched on 30 May 2016 and added a whole new region, Toussaint. Geralt gets his own vineyard, and armor dyeing was added too. Dyes from Blood and Wine also carry over into the new Reforge system that came with Remastered.
Steam doesn’t agree with itself on the length: the expansion page mentions a “20+ hour adventure” and also “over 30 hours of new adventures”. Either way, Blood and Wine is clearly longer than Hearts of Stone.
How to start the expansions
After you update the game, the content of both expansions is part of the base game. You have two ways to jump in:
- In your existing playthrough. The expansions are part of your game, and your saves stay compatible.
- Separately as a new game. Both expansions can be started on their own from the main menu as a new game. This is handy if you finished the main game long ago or no longer have your old save.
If you play on a last-gen console (PS4, Xbox One), download the expansions for free from the store. On PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2, they’re already part of the game in Remastered.
Songs of the Past: the third expansion in 2027
After Blood and Wine, a third paid expansion is on the way. It’s called Songs of the Past and, according to CD PROJEKT RED, it launches in 2027 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2. Here’s what we know so far:
- It adds a new region, Letten.
- It’s co-developed with the studio Fool’s Theory.
- It’s meant to be comparable in scope to Blood and Wine.
- You can already add it to your Steam wishlist.
- It won’t come out on PS4, Xbox One or the original Switch.
CD PROJEKT RED hasn’t announced an exact release date or price yet. Where Songs of the Past fits into the studio’s plans and what we know about the next game is covered in The Witcher 4.
Join our Discord to ask how other players tackled the expansions and whether they played them during the main game or after it: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Hearts of Stone (2015) first, then Blood and Wine (2016). Hearts of Stone is a standalone story, while Blood and Wine continues Geralt’s story and is the final expansion, so play it after the main game.
Yes. Since 25 August 2026, every owner of the base game gets them for free, you just need to update the game. The Remastered version includes them as standard, and on PS4 and Xbox One they’re a free download.
Yes. Both expansions can be started separately from the main menu as a new game. Hearts of Stone also sits outside the main storyline.
According to Steam, Hearts of Stone has over 10 hours of new content. For Blood and Wine, Steam lists 20+ hours in one place and over 30 hours in another.
In 2027, with no exact date announced yet. It’s coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2, but not to PS4, Xbox One or the original Switch.
Information verified on 19 October 2026. Find more guides in our Witcher 3 guides section.