A note on Windows 10 support from the Player Experience Director

[Vinthir]

Folks, we hear your questions whether The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will even run on Windows 10 with our new minimum requirements. And I’d like to give you more context.

• As we stated, we will no longer test our games on Windows 10 because of the lack of official support for it, including security updates. That’s one thing: both our and our players’ security is crucial to us. We do not use Windows 10 anymore in our company.
• Another thing is that it is our goal to always push and expand the limits of what we can offer you technically and visually. This means we need the latest graphics drivers in our actively developed games. And soon one of our partners, Nvidia, will end Windows 10 support.
• And there’s one more thing. When we support something, we include it in our testing pipelines, and check multiple times on the relevant software and hardware. Our aim is to give you the best possible experience. And we just cannot ensure it for an operating system which we do not use.

In short, this change does not mean that the game will not run on Windows 10. It means we cannot ensure that it will. Our goal is not to take something away from you. Our goal is to give you what is best the best way we can.

Finally, please note that it is possible to revert to an earlier version of the game (1.32, listed as Classic). And, when the time comes, it will be possible to revert to the current, 4.04, version.

 

[Franpa]

Windows 10 is still getting security updates, for both consumers and enterprise users until October 2026 when it stops for consumers.

Video card driver updates for Windows 10 are still being released by (I believe) all major graphics card vendors. Your link explicitly states Nvidia is continuing consumer support through to October 2026.

Given the large number of GeForce users currently using Windows 10, NVIDIA has opted to extend support for an additional year.

Q: When will the final Game Ready Driver that supports Windows 10 go public?
A: October 2026

Please don't be like all the other companies that are joining Microsoft's attempts to push everyone on to a worse operating system [...].

 

[Draconifors]

Windows 10 is still getting security updates, for both consumers and enterprise users until October 2026 when it stops for consumers.

Video card driver updates for Windows 10 are still being released by (I believe) all major graphics card vendors. Your link explicitly states Nvidia is continuing consumer support through to October 2026.

The expansion comes out in 2027.

Which, doubtless, is why the OP states the new minimum requirements will start to apply "when the time comes". As in, not today, and all but certainly not until next year.

CDPR's statement in no way contradicts that of Nvidia.

 

[Franpa]

The expansion comes out in 2027.

Which, doubtless, is why the OP states the new minimum requirements will start to apply "when the time comes". As in, not today, and all but certainly not until next year.

CDPR's statement in no way contradicts that of Nvidia.

I feel like that's something that should be mentioned in the Op, assuming they aren't introducing the new requirement via a patch before then.

 

[EzioMaverick]

I hope it remains playable, win 11 is a buggy mess that has bricked pcs, each untested update is like playing minesweeper. Not to forget that the AI driven, spyware of a system is opposite of consumer protection. I would voluntarily help test the game on win10. I have been playing since tw1 days, so i would prefer cdpr reconsiders this. Don't drop support until Microsoft sorts their mess.

 

[Seager1993]

Can you use NVIDIA's NTC? It could make demand for VRAM less, i can't play games with demanding more than 4 and so as half steam users. It's not going to be that successful like prev dlcs in selling because of it

 

[bartek321]

Seager1993 it's time to change the graphics card, there's no point in bothering with a 4gb vram card​

 

[Seager1993]

Seager1993 it's time to change the graphics card, there's no point in bothering with a 4gb vram card​

Not an option, and as i said half of players can't as well, according to steam statistics. Also, i did a few years ago RTX 3050ti and games immediately start demanding more

 

[Franpa]

The expansion comes out in 2027.

Which, doubtless, is why the OP states the new minimum requirements will start to apply "when the time comes". As in, not today, and all but certainly not until next year.

CDPR's statement in no way contradicts that of Nvidia.

I may've been a bit too hot headed with my original message, I'm just annoyed at various companies pushing the narrative that security updates for Windows 10 has already ended when that's very definitely not the case.

And CDProjectRed is also saying Nvidia support is soon to end, and I guess maybe we're (them and I) each looking at the situation from notably different time scales.

 

[seregil]

I'm extremely happy to see that it should still work on Windows 10, but you just won't be testing it there after the updated minimum requirements. And that we can return to the old version to play that in the event that the new version doesn't play well with 10.

My only other question would be: Is there anything that you are adding with the new expansion in 2027 that is included with Windows 11 that is not part of Windows 10, that would absolutely prevent those of us still using 10 to play it?

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Reminding people - you aren't stuck with Windows 11 to play the game, you can always use Linux. CDPR should have mentioned that.

Have fun!

 

[SigilFey]

If it makes anyone feel better, I can still run TW3 on Windows 8 using a 14-year-old laptop with no glaring issues.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Reminding people - you aren't stuck with Windows 11 to play the game, you can always use Linux. CDPR should have mentioned that.

Have fun!

To be fair, I'm pretty sure they would have the same statement > "Linux isn't supported"
It doesn't mean the game can't run on Linux, simply that they didn't test the game on this OS and so, they can't guarantee you won't encounter issues, crashes or bugs... In short, if you're using another OS, you're on your own (like if you're using mods).
If I remember, it's pretty much the same situation at time, with Windows 7 and Cyberpunk.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

To be fair, I'm pretty sure they would have the same statement > "Linux isn't supported"
It doesn't mean the game can't run on Linux, simply that they didn't test the game on this OS and so, they can't guarantee you won't encounter issues, crashes or bugs... In short, if you're using another OS, you're on your own (like if you're using mods).
If I remember, it's pretty much the same situation at time, with Windows 7 and Cyberpunk.

Not exactly fair. Windows 10 isn't supported because it's basically abandoned and Microsoft wants dispose of it. Linux is "not supported" because CDPR don't spend resources on testing things. Other people are doing it for them however, unlike with Windows 10.

So I'd bet its potential to work on Linux is way better than on old Windows.

Side comment - CDPR can afford testing their games on Linux themselves and I think it's the right thing for them to do. They aren't some small studio.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Not exactly fair. Windows 10 isn't supported because it's basically abandoned and Microsoft wants dispose of it. Linux is "not supported" because CDPR don't spend resources on testing things. Other people are doing it for them however, unlike with Windows 10.

Yes, you're totally right
It's not for the same reason, but the message from CD Projekt Red will be the same. It's not supported. i.e "we didn't test the game on this OS.

 

[radosuaf_]

I'm pretty sure ESU will be extended for another year or two, just like it was with Windows 7.

 

[SigilFey]

I'm pretty sure ESU will be extended for another year or two, just like it was with Windows 7.

Always possible, but I doubt it. Microsoft has been pushing things along lately.

Still, aside from occasional driver glitches or the occasional random crash, I really don't foresee any major issues. It's just like all the other games released for Windows 7-8 that still work mostly fine on modern systems.

As stated, "No longer officially supported," doesn't mean, "WIll not work."