Get a Free Copy of The Witcher 3 Remastered for Switch 2 With this Clever Hack

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered launched September 29 on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It’s a free upgrade for owners of the original Switch version and $59.99 for everyone else. However, Switch 2 players have found that the free upgrade may not require keeping the original game.

How to Get the Witcher 3 Remastered for Free

While technically, you have to own a copy of the original Witcher 3 game to claim the remaster upgrade for free, this loophole allows you to pick it up without paying a dime.

On Switch 2, the remaster is a separate download. Physical owners claim it by inserting their Switch 1 cartridge, updating the game and choosing the upgrade option in the main menu. However, players have reported that once it’s claimed, the digital remaster stays in their library without the cartridge.

This means that so long as you’re able to insert the cartridge into your console once, you can keep the game digitally forever. To achieve this, you have a few options. You can check with your friends who might already own a copy of the game, or see if your local library has a copy you can borrow. If these routes fail, nothing is stopping you from purchasing the game, unlocking the digital version, then returning the cartridge to the store you got it from.

CD Projekt Red hasn’t commented, and news outlets are speculating that a patch is unlikely. Still, the loophole could close at any time, and it isn’t the intended use of the upgrade.