Ethan Crossfield 
CD Projekt Red has officially ended Windows 10 support testing for The Witcher 3, and the timing matters: the studio’s next major expansion is targeting 2027. For players still on Windows 10, the change could be the first real barrier to launching the third expansion when it arrives.
What happened: Windows 10 is no longer guaranteed for The Witcher 3
CD Projekt Red has ended support for Windows 10 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The headline risk is straightforward—players on Windows 10 may not be able to run future updates—but the studio’s explanation adds nuance. According to CDPR, the end of “support” means the developer has stopped testing the game on Windows 10 rather than immediately breaking compatibility.
That distinction matters because it suggests Windows 10 users may still be able to play today, but CDPR is no longer promising that the game will continue to work reliably on the older OS going forward. In other words, support has shifted from “works and is verified” to “may work, but compatibility isn’t guaranteed.”
The change lands in the lead-up to CDPR’s third expansion, The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, which was formally announced in late May 2026 with only a broad 2027 release window. At the same time, CDPR’s published system requirements for the base game now list Windows 11 as the minimum.
There was some confusion among fans about the wording on the support page: the update used future-tense phrasing to describe an OS change that had already occurred. The underlying message remains consistent, though—Windows 11 has become the new baseline for what CDPR will test and support.
Why it matters: the 2027 expansion could create a Windows 10 gap
CDPR’s Windows 10 testing stop could become a real obstacle specifically when Songs of the Past launches. While Microsoft’s regular Windows 10 security updates ended in October 2025, the company has continued Extended Security Updates through October 2027, meaning Windows 10 remains usable for security purposes during that period.
CDPR, however, says the ESU timeline does not change its plans. The studio does not intend to resume testing future Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 updates on Windows 10.
As for current compatibility, the source confirms that the latest Witcher 3 version at the time—patch 4.04—still runs on Windows 10 as of July 2026. The concern is future updates: once another update lands, Windows 10 users could find themselves unable to launch the game if the update officially assumes Windows 11.
The scale of the potential issue is tied to PC market share. The source estimates PC accounts for nearly half of The Witcher 3’s 65 million lifetime sales. Steam’s hardware survey (as of June 2026) suggests roughly 23.56% of users are still on Windows 10. Applying that share to an estimated “just under half” of lifetime sales yields a rough figure of more than 7 million potential Witcher 3 owners still using Windows 10.
CDPR also indicates there will be an escape hatch: if some Windows 10 players can’t run Songs of the Past, they will be able to downgrade to an earlier version that remains compatible with their OS.
What to watch next: patches, OS requirements, and downgrade access
The immediate watch item is whether CDPR issues any Witcher 3 updates that effectively require Windows 11. The source notes that The Witcher 3 is the only one confirmed to receive another update due to its 2027 DLC, while Cyberpunk 2077 is tied to other plans that could affect when Windows 11 becomes a hard requirement.
Players on Windows 10 should also pay attention to how CDPR handles versioning around Songs of the Past—specifically whether downgrade options remain available and what “compatible” means in practice for older OS setups.
Finally, the wording around minimum requirements is likely to be a continuing signal. The base game’s current minimum specification lists Windows 11, and that baseline may become the practical cutoff once the expansion update is rolled out.
Practical takeaways for players
- If you’re on Windows 10, assume future Witcher 3 updates may be untested and could eventually block launches.
- Current Witcher 3 patch 4.04 is confirmed to run on Windows 10 as of July 2026, but that status can change with later updates.
- When Songs of the Past releases, watch for official Windows 11 requirements tied to the expansion update.
- CDPR says you may be able to downgrade to an earlier compatible version if the expansion can’t run on Windows 10.
Expert View
This is less about an instant shutdown and more about a slow policy shift: CDPR is moving from compatibility assurance to “best effort” by ending Windows 10 testing. For the PC audience, that’s a meaningful difference—especially with a 2027 expansion looming. The studio’s downgrade promise helps, but it also underlines the uncomfortable truth for long-time players: platform transitions don’t arrive with a single patch—they arrive when studios stop verifying the old environment, then quietly let requirements catch up.
