When CD Projekt Red moves forward with The Witcher 3‘s Songs of the Past DLC in 2027, it will be doing so without players on key storefronts across PC, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox platforms. The argument can be made that this was always bound to happen since The Witcher 3 is 11 years old, as of this writing, but the counterpoint is simple: millions of players are being asked to upgrade to more expensive hardware if they haven’t already.
Right now, that’s some incredibly bad timing. Because of the RAM crisis, several hardware components are more expensive. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S also cost more than ever, meaning anyone who hasn’t already adopted modern enough hardware for 2027 isn’t really being given a choice on how (or if) to play The Witcher 3‘s new Songs of the Past DLC. The existence of the DLC is exciting, particularly as a bridge for The Witcher 4, but the hardware and economic situation surrounding it isn’t.
The Witcher 3’s Songs of the Past Skips 3 Platforms, May Have Issues on Another
For clarity, The Witcher 3 base game (as well as the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine DLC) is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. The Witcher 3‘s Songs of the Past DLC will only be released for PC (with a major caveat), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4, Switch, and Xbox One owners will have no option to play the game unless PlayStation or Xbox gamers upgrade to the current generation. Switch players have no alternative options other than a completely different brand and platform. For some folks, the initial response is that modern hardware has been out for 6 years and many have already adopted the newer gen. That’s true. But many have not, they are being priced out as new console prices surge, and as the economic and hardware situation worsens—perhaps mandating developers move on to more contemporary hardware—they are being left behind.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
It’s not even exclusively a console problem. The PC version of The Witcher 3‘s Songs of the Past may run into trouble for anyone running Windows 10. CDPR is no longer supporting Windows 10 for The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077, and while both games run just fine on Windows 10 now, future patches or updates can create issues that make it incompatible without an upgrade to Windows 11. Songs of the Past may not be the end of compatibility, it’s hard to say, but every subsequent update could be if it gets that far.
Across two console platforms that are becoming more expensive to upgrade (the Xbox Series X25 is reportedly $900), a console platform that has no alternative upgrade options (despite Witcher 3 playing better on Switch 2 via backward compatibility), and a PC OS that is no longer supported, that’s millions of players easily. The Witcher 3 is incredibly popular and sold incredibly well, and of that possible 65 million folks, not everyone is going to have the hardware to play Songs of the Past.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Yes, it is not CDPR’s fault. It’s understandably time for the game to move on. But between its development and release timing, the economic situation of the world right now, and the hardware situation/RAM Crisis not getting any better, too many people are going to see this new DLC and say, “I can’t play that.”
