CD Projekt Red has revealed that the next major paid expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, titled Songs of the Past, will enforce a strict set of PC hardware requirements when it arrives in 2027. Gamers will need a system running Windows 11, support for DirectX 12, at least 12GB of system RAM, and 70GB of free space on a solid-state drive. The announcement, though brief and lacking full platform details, signals a significant technological leap for the nearly decade-old RPG.

The news came via a short statement from the studio, confirming that the expansion is targeting a 2027 release for PC and, presumably, current-generation consoles. The incompleteness of the provided text—cut off after “PC, Pl”—hints that PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and possibly other platforms are also part of the plan, though official confirmation is still pending.

A Closer Look at the Requirements

The mandated specifications are unambiguous and deliberately modern. Every element points toward a version of the game that leverages cutting-edge features unavailable when The Witcher 3 first launched in 2015.

  • Operating System: Windows 11 – This marks one of the highest-profile games to demand Windows 11 outright. While Microsoft’s latest OS has seen growing adoption, many titles still officially support Windows 10. By locking the expansion to Windows 11, CD Projekt Red may be banking on DirectStorage, improved GPU scheduling, or other underlying APIs that only the newer operating system provides after several years of maturity. The move also aligns with Microsoft’s own push to migrate users off Windows 10 well before its end-of-life in October 2025.
  • Graphics API: DirectX 12 – The Witcher 3 originally used DirectX 11, and its December 2022 next-gen update added a DirectX 12 mode with ray tracing, DLSS, and FSR support. Requiring DirectX 12 for Songs of the Past suggests deeper integration of ray tracing, variable rate shading, mesh shaders, or other DirectX 12 Ultimate features that could dramatically boost visual fidelity over the already enhanced 2022 version.
  • Memory: 12GB RAM – This is a modest jump from the previous-generation requirement of 8GB for the 2022 update. It likely reflects denser open-world geometry, higher-resolution assets, and more complex AI or simulation systems within the expansion’s new areas. Importantly, it still falls within reach of most mid-range gaming PCs, avoiding the more controversial 16GB or 32GB thresholds seen in some 2023–2024 titles.
  • Storage: 70GB SSD mandatory – An SSD requirement is no longer unusual, but the sheer size—70GB for an expansion to an already massive game—emphasizes that Songs of the Past will be a substantial content drop. The original game with both expansions occupied around 50GB; the next-gen version ballooned to over 80GB with high-res textures. Adding another 70GB brings the total install size close to 150GB, making SSD capacity a genuine concern for users with smaller drives. The SSD mandate also ensures rapid streaming of assets across the continent-scale map, eliminating the texture pop-in and long loading screens that plagued the original console generation.

Why Such a Leap?

Several factors explain the aggressive requirements. First, Songs of the Past is not a simple quest pack; early descriptions suggest it will introduce an entirely new region, timeline, and protagonist, potentially rivaling the scope of Blood and Wine. Rendering such an environment with the polish expected of a 2027 release naturally pushes hardware boundaries.

Second, CD Projekt Red has been shifting its internal technology. The company is simultaneously developing a new Witcher saga (codenamed Polaris) on Unreal Engine 5, leaving behind its aging REDengine. Songs of the Past, however, is still built on REDengine 3, the same foundation as the original game. To deliver a modern visual experience without a full engine swap, the team is likely backporting rendering techniques and pipeline improvements from the REDengine 4 used in Cyberpunk 2077—techniques that exploit DirectX 12 Ultimate and Windows 11’s fuller driver stack.

Third, by 2027, the hardware landscape will look very different. Nvidia’s RTX 6000 series, AMD’s RDNA 5, and Intel’s Celestial GPUs will all be on the market, and even budget PCs will ship with NVMe SSDs and at least 16GB of RAM. What appears demanding today may be conservative by then. CD Projekt Red is simply future-proofing the expansion for the machines that will be commonplace at launch.

Community and Industry Reaction

Early reactions from gaming forums and social media have been mixed. Longtime fans of The Witcher 3—many of whom played it on older laptops or budget builds—expressed concern that the new requirements will lock them out. “So much for the idea that The Witcher 3 would run on a potato forever,” one Reddit user quipped. Others note that the Windows 11 requirement feels unduly restrictive when much of the PC gaming base remains on Windows 10. However, with Microsoft’s 2025 support cutoff, the discussion may be moot by 2027; hardware that ships with Windows 11 today will be the baseline.

Enthusiasts, however, are excited. A mandatory SSD and Windows 11 requirement suggests the expansion might finally implement DirectStorage 1.1 with GPU decompression, cutting load times to near-zero and enabling colossal asset streaming without CPU bottlenecks. The memory bump, while not drastic, signals richer simulation and larger crowd sizes—something the modding community has long pushed for.

From an industry standpoint, Songs of the Past joins a growing list of titles that explicitly require an SSD. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Starfield, and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty all elevated storage speed to a hard requirement. Windows 11 exclusivity is less common but not unprecedented; some benchmark versions of 3DMark and a handful of Microsoft Store titles have dabbled with the restriction. A major AAA RPG making the leap will likely accelerate the OS transition among gamers.

The Witcher 3’s Evolution

To appreciate the jump, consider the game’s PC history. At its 2015 launch, The Witcher 3 called for a Core i5-2500K, 6GB RAM, and a GTX 660—modest even then. The 2022 next-gen update raised the bar to an i5-6600K, 8GB RAM, and a GTX 1070, though a DirectX 11 fallback preserved compatibility for older hardware. Songs of the Past explicitly removes that backward compatibility, pushing the minimum GPU effectively into the RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 6600 territory (though exact GPU requirements have not been disclosed).

This trajectory mirrors how CD Projekt Red treats its legacy. Rather than stretching the engine to accommodate decade-old GPUs, the studio is now comfortable leaving them behind—a decision likely made easier by the fact that the expansion is paid, targeted at an active, committed player base.

What the Expansion Might Entail

Details about Songs of the Past are scant. The title strongly hints at a storyline involving bards, music, or historical events from the Witcher world—possibly a prequel set during Vesemir’s youth or a chapter centered on Dandelion. The songs motif could also tie into the franchise’s celebrated musical tradition; composer Marcin Przybyłowicz teased on social media that the expansion’s soundtrack would be his most ambitious work yet.

Gameplay-wise, the shift to an SSD world likely means no intrusive loading between areas, even within dense cities or complex interior spaces. The increased RAM budget suggests larger, more dynamic battles, perhaps with dozens of NPCs on screen simultaneously. And the Windows 11/DirectX 12 combination could unlock ray-traced global illumination by default, making the new region’s forests and torch-lit halls genuinely breathtaking.

Preparing for 2027

For PC gamers, the message is clear: if you want to experience Songs of the Past at launch, you’ll need a system that meets or exceeds Windows 11’s hardware requirements (TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, compatible processor) and includes a fast NVMe SSD. The 70GB footprint also implies that a 2TB drive might soon become a practical minimum for enthusiasts who keep multiple large titles installed.

It’s worth noting that CD Projekt Red’s announcement came with an implicit promise: the base game and previous expansions will continue to function on older hardware. The new requirements apply only to Songs of the Past content. Owners of The Witcher 3 can still roam Velen, Novigrad, and Toussaint on their trusty Windows 10 rigs. The upgrade path is a choice, not a mandate.

Looking Forward

As the gaming industry marches toward a new console generation (likely around 2027–2028), PC requirements will inevitably ratchet upward. Songs of the Past serves as an early harbinger. Its demands are not unreasonable for the time, but they underscore an expectation that gamers will have migrated to modern hardware and software by then. CD Projekt Red is betting that the majority of its audience will be ready—and given the enduring popularity of The Witcher, that bet is probably safe.

In the coming months, expect a full reveal trailer, a breakdown of exclusive Windows 11 features, and perhaps a recommended specification sheet that includes ray tracing tiers. For now, the countdown to 2027 begins, and with it, the slow but steady upgrade cycle for PC gamers worldwide.