More than ten years after release, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt just had the biggest day in its Steam history. After The Witcher 3 Remastered went live on September 29, 2026, the number of people playing at the same time on Steam went past 120,000, according to SteamDB. Early reports put the peak at around 120,300, and it kept climbing to roughly 121,000 as the evening went on.
The record it beat
The previous high was 103,329 players, set on January 5, 2020. That spike came right after the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher premiered, which sent a wave of new fans to the game. The record held for more than six years. For comparison, the original launch in May 2015 peaked at just over 92,000 players on Steam.
These figures only count Steam. The Remastered update also arrived on GOG, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, so the real number of people who returned to the Continent this week is much higher.
Why so many players came back
The main reason is simple: the update is free for anyone who already owns the game. It also includes both expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, even for players who only bought the base game. On top of that come reworked combat, a new skill system, new animations, path tracing on PC and cross-platform mod support. That is a strong reason to start a new run as Geralt, or to try the game for the first time.
Xbox also gets something new. The Remastered edition is part of Xbox Play Anywhere, so one purchase on Xbox covers the PC version through the Microsoft Store as well.
Not a perfect launch
The first day did have problems. Some PC players reported low frame rates even on powerful hardware, along with bugs and glitches. If you run into trouble, update your graphics drivers first. Also keep in mind that older mods may not work until their authors update them for the new version.
Starting a new playthrough?
If you are one of the 120,000, we have a few things to help you. Read our Beginner’s Guide to Witcher 3 Remastered before you leave White Orchard, and use the White Orchard Map to find every location in the opening area. Plan your potions and bombs in the Alchemy Workshop. When the big decisions arrive, the Ending Calculator and our guide to every Witcher 3 ending show where your choices lead.
More is on the way, too. Songs of the Past, the third expansion, is planned for 2027. With this many players back, it is likely to get a lot of attention when it arrives.
Sources: SteamDB, CD Projekt Red, Dot Esports.
