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For the smoothest first playthrough, finish The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s main story, then play Hearts of Stone, followed by Blood and Wine. That order preserves the main campaign’s urgency and leaves the Toussaint adventure as a satisfying final chapter. It is a story recommendation, not a required unlock sequence: the expansions can be started separately from the main menu in the game context covered by CD PROJEKT RED’s support FAQ.
Recommended Witcher 3 story order
- Complete the main campaign of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
- Play Hearts of Stone.
- Finish with Blood and Wine.
CD PROJEKT RED released Hearts of Stone before Blood and Wine, and described both as major adventures expanding Geralt’s story. Playing them in that release sequence after the main campaign is a straightforward way to experience the original game and its two expansions. The developer’s announcement for Hearts of Stone and announcement for Blood and Wine establish the order; the choice to wait until after the main story is a narrative recommendation, not a developer-mandated rule.
Should you finish the main story before Hearts of Stone?
For a first playthrough, usually yes. Hearts of Stone is a distinct story, but the official material cited here does not pin it to a definitive point in the main campaign’s chronology. You can encounter it while the campaign is underway, but postponing it avoids stepping away from the main story’s urgent search-and-rescue plot.
If you already know the main campaign or prefer to alternate stories, starting Hearts of Stone earlier is an option. Treat that as a flexible play choice rather than a canonical timeline: the available official sources do not settle its precise mission-by-mission placement.
#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.
Should Blood and Wine be last?
It works especially well as the final expansion. Blood and Wine takes Geralt to Toussaint, a new region presented as relatively insulated from the war-torn setting of the main game. CD PROJEKT RED announced it as the second expansion and described it as “a 20-hour tale”; that is the publisher’s announced scope, not a guaranteed completion time for every player. A developer interview published by Push Square likewise characterizes the expansions as separate stories and distinguishes them from the ending of Wild Hunt.
Its separate setting and later release position make it a natural adventure to save until last, especially if you want the largest expansion and a change of scenery after the main campaign. This is a useful story-flow choice, not a claim that every event has a precisely established date.
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
Can you start the expansions separately?
Yes, in the supported game context described by CD PROJEKT RED’s expansion-start FAQ, either expansion can be started separately from the main menu. That provides an access shortcut; it does not mean that beginning there is the best first-time narrative order. Choose a separate start if convenience or replaying an expansion matters more to you than experiencing the main campaign first.
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What about the announced Songs of the Past expansion?
CD PROJEKT RED has announced Songs of the Past for 2027, though its exact release timing may change. A September 30, 2026 GamesRadar report quoting Fool’s Theory creative vision director Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz says players will be able to start it after the main story without completing the previous expansions. The report also says its narrative timeline follows those earlier expansions. That is a reported description of the new content’s access and broad placement, not a detailed chronology independently established here. The order above applies to the original main campaign and its two classic expansions.
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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