The Witcher 3’s expansions combined are almost the size of The Witcher 2

By Kris Wouk Published July 10, 2015

The Witcher 3-Wild Hunt — Image used with permission by copyright holder

As big as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was at launch, developer CD Projekt RED has been hard at work on two expansions to add even more content to the game. Considering the size of the base game, it was easy to assume that the expansions would be sizable as well, but until now we haven’t had any idea how much content would be included in them.

As it turns out, it’s a lot. CD Projekt RED’s Konrad Tomaszkiewicz clarified just how big the two expansions would be in an interview with GameReactor yesterday. Both expansions will be whole new storylines, with new characters, items, and of course, Gwent cards.

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“The first expansion will be around 10 hours and the second expansion will be around 20 hours,” Tomaszkiewicz told GameReactor. “And even now, if you sum up this 10 to 20 hours and you compare it to The Witcher 2, it’s almost the size of The Witcher 2. And it will be cool, it will be new stories, it will be very emotional stories and I think that people will be happy.”

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To help pass the time until the expansions come out, CD Projekt RED has been steadily releasing free DLC for the game. This DLC has included new items like armor and Gwent cards, but has also added more quests for players who have already blown through the game’s story.

In addition to DLC, The Witcher 3 has been patched fairly steadily to fix various issues and improve performance. The next patch, which will bring the game to 1.07 and should launch soon, even includes an alternate movement mode for Geralt, adds a player stash, and should make it easier to actually find Geralt’s horse, Roach, when you call him.

The first expansion, Hearts of Stone, is set to release in October of this year The second, titled Blood and Wine, is planned for an early 2016 release.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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God of War Ragnarok shares a key strength with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Hafgufa flies away in God of War Ragnarok.

God of War Ragnarok’s main story is memorable, but some of the smaller moments are what have stuck with me most since completing it. I'm not just talking about its moments of quiet, but its optional Favors as well. These sidequests can be entirely ignored, but skipping them is a mistake as they contain some of the game’s best scenes. It's a trait that God of War Ragnarok shares with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, one of the best RPGs of the last decade.
In some large RPGs, sidequests can often boil down to boring fetch quests, or they simply may not have as much polish put into their writing. As a result, they can feel like content bloat that does more harm than good to the game’s pacing. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and God of War Ragnarok avoid this problem by elevating these sidequests, making the entire adventure feel more cohesive and ensuring that the small moments stick out as some of the best.
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Others, like Return to Crookback Bog, turn what could just be some fun supernatural fights into a chilling tale about abuse and broken families. While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s main narrative is strong, these side moments are what make it a game that sticks with you years after release. I can already tell the same will be true of God of War Ragnarok, as some of my favorite missions in the game are entirely optional Favors.
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Geralt fighting an enemy in The Witcher 3.

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The Witcher

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“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red. It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger,” says studio head Adam Badowski in a statement. “Collaborating with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting, as some of the people there have been previously involved in The Witcher games. They know the source material well, they know how much gamers have been looking forward to seeing the remake happen, and they know how to make incredible and ambitious games. And although it will take some time before we’re ready to share more about and from the game, I know it’ll be worth the wait.”