Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsContinue your old save if you still care about its unfinished story, quests, or choices. Load it, review the active quest log and map, and play a short session before deciding. Choose a regular New Game when you want to replay with clean progression and make different decisions. Choose New Game+ when you have finished the main storyline and want another campaign with skills and items from a previous playthrough.
The right choice depends less on how long you have been away than on what you want the next playthrough to accomplish. Restarting is worthwhile when the old run feels like a chore or you deliberately want a new role-playing arc; it is usually wasteful when you have merely forgotten your place.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
![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)
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NAMCO - CD Projekt Red - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, Playstation 5 [English Edition] | $36.93 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - Xbox One | $27.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Choose the mode that matches your goal
| Your situation | Best choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You still want to finish the current story or side quests | Continue the old save | It preserves the decisions, quest state, and character development of that playthrough. |
| You want to experience the narrative again with a clean progression | Regular New Game | It gives you a fresh start instead of building on an earlier campaign. |
| You completed the main storyline and want to keep skills and items | New Game+ | This is the mode CD PROJEKT RED describes for carrying skills and items into a new campaign. |
| You are changing supported platforms | Save transfer or Cross Progression | Use the procedure for your specific platform pair rather than assuming every transfer works identically. |
| You are restarting because you think an edition change broke your save | Check compatibility first | CD PROJEKT RED says saves remain compatible after the current edition change. |
When continuing the old save is the better decision
An old save is usually worth keeping when its unanswered questions still matter to you. You may have invested dozens of hours in relationships, contracts, exploration, and a particular interpretation of Geralt. Continuing lets those choices reach their consequences instead of discarding them for a similar opening sequence.
A long break does not automatically make a save unusable. Treat the first return session as an orientation exercise rather than a commitment to the entire campaign.
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Reorient yourself before restarting
- Load the most recent usable save, but keep an earlier save available in case the latest one leaves you somewhere confusing.
- Open the quest log and identify the active main quest, secondary quests, contracts, and failed or time-sensitive objectives.
- Check the map for your current location, nearby signposts, unexplored quest markers, and the destination attached to the selected quest.
- Review your inventory and character screen so you remember your equipment, skills, level, and available crafting or alchemy materials.
- Play a short session. If the controls and story come back naturally, continue. If every task feels like homework, a restart is giving you useful information.
That checklist is practical guidance, not a developer-confirmed feature of the save system. Before a major edition or platform change, keep a separate backup or another usable save instead of relying on one file.
When a regular New Game makes sense
Start a regular New Game when the point is to experience the opening, progression, and decisions again from the beginning. This is the clean-narrative route: you are not trying to preserve the old character’s momentum, and you can deliberately take different routes through quests.
Good reasons to restart normally
- You remember the plot but want to see how different choices alter your journey.
- You stopped caring about the old character’s build, equipment, or quest order.
- You want to relearn the systems gradually rather than dropping into a high-level save.
- Your old run is so fragmented that recovering its context is less enjoyable than replaying the early game.
The cost is time. A regular restart means repeating the early game and rebuilding progression rather than inheriting the previous campaign. Do not choose this mode expecting the benefits of New Game+; it is the fresh-start option.
What New Game+ does—and what it requires
CD PROJEKT RED defines New Game+ as a way to start a new game with skills and items from a previous playthrough. The mode becomes available from the main menu after you finish the main storyline. The official support explanation is deliberately broad: it confirms skills and items, but does not provide an exhaustive list covering every quest flag, diagram, recipe, resource, or individual item.
There is an important save restriction: a save that is already in New Game+ cannot be used to begin another New Game+ journey. You need a regular-game save that meets the completion requirement. If the New Game+ option is missing, check that the main story has been completed and that you are selecting an eligible regular save before troubleshooting anything else. See CD PROJEKT RED’s New Game+ support article for the official restriction.
New Game+ DLC and editions
On the base version, the official support article says the New Game+ DLC must be downloaded on your platform. The Complete Edition and Game of the Year version include that DLC. A 2015 announcement described New Game+ as the game’s 16th and final free DLC at that time and provided platform-specific download directions; current menus and store handling can differ by platform, so use the support instructions for the edition you own. The announcement is archived at CD PROJEKT RED’s New Game+ announcement.
What not to assume
Do not infer from the phrase “skills and items” that every quest state, collection, recipe, diagram, or category of inventory will transfer exactly as you remember it. The official description does not enumerate those cases. If a particular item or completion flag is essential to your decision, check the current platform and edition documentation rather than treating an online player list as universal.
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Could an edition change have made your old save unusable?
CD PROJEKT RED’s current Witcher 3 FAQ says save files remain compatible and Cross Progression remains functional following the current edition change. The same FAQ explains that Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are included in the base game for players who did not already own the expansions, while existing owners keep their library entitlements. Standalone starts for the expansions remain available from the main menu. Read the current information on the official Witcher 3 page and the expansion FAQ.
That means an expansion-policy or edition concern is not, by itself, a reason to abandon a working campaign. First verify that the save appears in the correct edition and that your account and platform installation are using the expected content.
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Moving a save to another platform
Transfer instructions are platform-specific. Do not copy the PlayStation procedure to another platform pair without checking its own support page.
Documented PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 example
For the documented PS4-to-PS5 transfer, CD PROJEKT RED requires the PS4 game to be updated to patch 4.04, both versions to be connected to the same CD PROJEKT RED account through My Rewards, and a save to be created and uploaded before it is loaded in the PS5 version. The complete procedure is on the official save-transfer support page.
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- Update the PS4 installation to patch 4.04.
- Connect the PS4 and PS5 versions to the same CD PROJEKT RED account through My Rewards.
- Create the save you want to move and upload it using the game’s supported save-upload process.
- Open the PS5 version and load the uploaded save.
These steps establish one documented transition, not a universal recipe for PC, Xbox, Switch, or every other platform combination. Confirm the exact instructions for your hardware before deleting a local save or changing editions.
Do not confuse Witcher 2 import with a Witcher 3 continuation
The PC manual’s “Import The Witcher 2 saved game” option imports choices from The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If no relevant Witcher 2 save is found, the Prologue can simulate those choices. This affects the setup of a Witcher 3 campaign; it does not import or resume an earlier Witcher 3 save. The distinction is described in the official PC game manual.
A decision process you can use in five minutes
- Ask whether the old story still interests you. If you want its unresolved outcomes, load it first.
- Separate rust from dissatisfaction. Forgotten controls and plot details can return after a short session; resentment toward the run usually will not.
- Decide whether progression or narrative purity matters more. Choose regular New Game for a clean build, or New Game+ for a post-completion replay that carries skills and items.
- Check the prerequisite before choosing New Game+. You need a completed main storyline and an eligible regular-game save; an existing New Game+ save cannot start another one.
- Protect the save you may regret losing. Keep a backup or separate usable save before a platform transfer, edition change, or deliberate cleanup.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Deleting the old save because the story feels distant
Do not delete it during the first return session. A quest-log review and a short play session may restore enough context to continue, while deletion removes the option to compare both paths.
Choosing regular New Game when you wanted your build
Regular New Game is the clean progression route. If retaining character development is the central goal and the main storyline is complete, investigate New Game+ instead.
Trying to chain New Game+ runs
The official restriction specifically rules out starting New Game+ from a save that is already in New Game+. Preserve a qualifying regular-game save if you may want another New Game+ campaign later.
Assuming a platform transfer is automatic
Account linking, patch requirements, save upload, and loading steps can vary. The PS4-to-PS5 example requires patch 4.04 and the same linked account, so verify your own platform pair before proceeding.
Practical verdict
Start by loading the old save. Continue if its unfinished story still has pull; restart normally if you want to retell the adventure with a clean progression; and use New Game+ after the main story when preserving skills and items is more important than beginning from zero. A restart should solve a specific problem—lost interest, a deliberate alternate role-playing plan, or a desire to carry a completed build—not simply the temporary feeling of being rusty.
Quick Recap
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