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For a first playthrough, finish The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s main story, then play Hearts of Stone, followed by Blood and Wine. That is a spoiler-conscious recommendation, not a required order: the expansions can be started separately, and the official materials do not mandate when they belong in the story.
Recommended order for a first playthrough
- Finish the main story of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
- Play Hearts of Stone.
- Play Blood and Wine last.
This sequence lets the main adventure conclude before Geralt takes on an additional contract, then saves the expansion that introduces a large new region for a final journey. It is a pacing choice rather than a story-unlock rule. CD PROJEKT RED’s announcement describes the expansions as the first and second expansions, but does not say players must complete them in that order. CD PROJEKT RED’s expansion announcement
Where each expansion fits
Hearts of Stone: an additional contract
Hearts of Stone sends Geralt to No Man’s Land and Oxenfurt to take a contract from the Man of Glass. Its setting and premise make it feel like a substantial side adventure, so it fits naturally after the main story. Players who want to mix it into their campaign can treat it as another contract once Geralt is developed enough for its challenges.
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Blood and Wine takes Geralt to Toussaint, a land portrayed as seemingly untouched by war, where knightly ritual and carefree indulgence conceal a secret. Its distinct setting gives the expansion room to feel like a new chapter rather than another stop in the main campaign. Saving it until last works especially well if you want the Witcher adventure to end with a large change of scenery.
#1 Best Overall
- Trained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.
- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity.
- Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world.
Level guidance: recommendations, not entry requirements
The game’s quest-log recommendations are reported as level 32 for Hearts of Stone and level 34 for Blood and Wine by the nonofficial Witcher 3 Remastered Wiki. Treat those as orientation, not a guarantee that every build will find the quests equally manageable. Check the recommendations in your own quest log and consider your equipment, skills and comfort with the game’s difficulty. Witcher 3 Remastered Wiki’s expansion guide
There is also historical developer guidance for starting Blood and Wine on its own: in a 2016 interview reproduced on CD PROJEKT RED’s forum, game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz said that a standalone start sets Geralt to level 34, but that he personally considered level 36 or 37 more appropriate because level 34 could be difficult. That advice concerns the standalone start, not a universal minimum or a rule for every progression path. 2016 Blood & Wine discussion thread with the interview
Rank #2
![NAMCO - CD Projekt Red - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, Playstation 5 [English Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dWUfwFl5L._SL160_.jpg)
- 1205504
- High-quality material
- Durable
- robustness
How much content are the expansions?
At announcement in 2015, CD PROJEKT RED described Hearts of Stone as a 10-hour-plus adventure and Blood and Wine as a 20-hour-plus tale. These are publisher scope estimates, not promised completion times; the time you spend will vary with how you play. CD PROJEKT RED’s 2015 announcement
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Accessing the expansions in 2026
CD PROJEKT RED’s 2026 support FAQ says owners of the base game can update to install both expansions at no extra cost, and can still start each expansion separately from the main menu. Availability and store arrangements vary by platform, so check the official FAQ for your system before following platform-specific steps. CD PROJEKT RED support FAQ The publisher’s September 29, 2026 press release also confirms that the Remastered release includes both expansions. CD PROJEKT RED Remastered release announcement
Quick Recap
Rank #3
- If you buy this game, you will receive a free next-gen update on December 14th!
- Play as a highly trained monster slayer for hire.
- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth and complexity.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year edition brings together the base game and all the additional content released to date.
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