The Witcher 3’s 2027 DLC Creates a Major Hardware Divide

As major game releases continue to move toward newer hardware, older platforms are facing a difficult choice: upgrade or lose access to new content. CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past is scheduled for 2027, but its platform plans already exclude several systems that still support the original game. That leaves a large portion of the game’s audience facing an upgrade requirement, with PC players on Windows 10 potentially facing compatibility concerns as well.

A decade-old game is moving beyond its original audience

The Witcher 3 has been available on a broad range of hardware, including PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. Its existing expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are also available across those platforms. Songs of the Past will have a much narrower launch footprint: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

That means PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch owners will not have a supported way to play the new expansion on their current systems. PlayStation and Xbox users can move to current-generation hardware, but Switch owners have no equivalent upgrade path within Nintendo’s platform family. The source notes that The Witcher 3 can perform better on Switch 2 through backward compatibility, but Songs of the Past is not confirmed for the original Switch.

PC support may depend on the operating system

The compatibility issue is not limited to consoles. CD Projekt Red is no longer supporting Windows 10 for The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077. Both games currently run on Windows 10, but future updates could create problems for players who do not move to Windows 11.

It remains unclear whether Songs of the Past itself will immediately end Windows 10 compatibility. However, the lack of ongoing support introduces uncertainty for PC users. Even if the expansion works at release, later patches could potentially make the operating system a more significant factor.

The timing makes the upgrade barrier more noticeable

The decision to leave older platforms behind is understandable for a game originally released years ago, especially if the new content is intended to connect with the broader future of The Witcher franchise. The expansion is also confirmed for Gamescom, giving the project a prominent opportunity to build interest before its 2027 release.

The difficult part is the cost of reaching the supported hardware. The source points to higher component prices during the RAM crisis, along with rising costs for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. As a result, players who have not already upgraded may not view this as a simple preference. For some, the choice could be whether to spend more on hardware or skip new Witcher content altogether.

What players should expect before 2027

The confirmed platform list is the clearest guide for now: Songs of the Past is planned for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, while the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and original Nintendo Switch are excluded. PC users should also watch for more information about Windows 10 compatibility and future technical requirements.

CD Projekt Red could provide additional details before launch, but the current situation already shows how long-running games can develop sharply divided audiences. The Witcher 3 remains widely played and has sold very well, yet its popularity does not guarantee that every existing player will be able to access its next expansion.

Key points

• Songs of the Past is planned for release in 2027.
• The expansion is confirmed for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
• PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch are not supported platforms.
• Windows 10 players may face future compatibility issues because CD Projekt Red no longer supports the operating system for The Witcher 3.

Confirmed platform situation

Expert View

Songs of the Past reflects a wider industry problem for long-running franchises: technical progress can expand what developers build while shrinking the audience that can access it. From a business perspective, supporting newer hardware may be necessary for a 2027 release. From the community’s perspective, however, the result is a split between players who can follow The Witcher’s next chapter and those who are priced out or left on unsupported systems. The expansion’s platform strategy is therefore more than a technical footnote; it is a sign that even popular games with millions of owners eventually force their audience to make an expensive upgrade decision.