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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 clear, spoiler-conscious recommendation—not a required sequence. CD PROJEKT RED says either expansion can also be started separately from the main menu.
What each Witcher 3 expansion adds
Hearts of Stone
Hearts of Stone sends Geralt into No Man’s Land and Oxenfurt on a contract from the mysterious Man of Glass. The job develops into a story of deceit, making this the more focused contract adventure of the two. CD PROJEKT RED described it at launch in 2015 as a “10-hour-plus adventure”; that was an estimate, not a guaranteed completion time. CD PROJEKT RED’s 2015 announcement
Blood and Wine
Blood and Wine takes Geralt to Toussaint, a new in-game region whose knightly rituals and carefree surface conceal an ancient secret. It is the more expansive regional adventure and makes a satisfying final chapter after Hearts of Stone. CD PROJEKT RED called it a “20-hour-plus tale” in its 2015 launch announcement; this is likewise an estimate, not a promise about an individual playthrough. CD PROJEKT RED’s 2015 announcement
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The publisher describes both as major expansions with new characters, places, and stories. CD PROJEKT RED co-founder Marcin Iwiński said at the time: “With the development of Wild Hunt coming to an end, the team has embarked upon the creation of two new really big adventures set in The Witcher universe,” the official announcement.
#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.
When to play them, and in what order
- Finish the base game’s main story. This gives you a straightforward first-run sequence before moving into the expansions.
- Play Hearts of Stone. Its focused contract plot works well as the first expansion adventure.
- Play Blood and Wine last. Its new region and self-contained story make it a fitting final chapter for this pair.
This order is a spoiler-conscious recommendation, not an official story-order requirement. The two expansions are distinct adventures, and the publisher also allows players to start either one separately from the main menu. CD PROJEKT RED support FAQ
Use quest-log levels as a guide, not a rule
A third-party guide reports recommended in-game quest levels of 32 for Hearts of Stone and 34 for Blood and Wine. The official sources cited here do not confirm those figures. Check the recommendations displayed in your own quest log and treat them as guidance rather than a mandatory order. IGN’s Hearts of Stone guide
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
Starting an expansion separately and checking ownership
If you want to jump into an expansion without continuing your existing story, CD PROJEKT RED says both can be started separately from the main menu. This option does not change the recommended first-playthrough order above. CD PROJEKT RED support FAQ
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The support FAQ says the Complete Edition replaces the base-game storefront offering and includes both expansions. Existing owners can update the game to install them. Because the FAQ treats previous-generation console handling separately, exact download steps depend on platform; check the instructions for your version rather than assuming one process applies everywhere. If you already own The Witcher 3, check for the expansion update before buying anything. CD PROJEKT RED support FAQ
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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