The big next-gen update for The Witcher 3 dropped on December 14, and with it comes a special new card for the Gwent minigame. However, getting this card involves a bit more than just reloading an old save.
Aside from massive updates to the graphics that take advantage of new technology, the developers of The Witcher 3 have added a few in-game changes that affect the gameplay. Some of them are improvements that players have always asked for (like a new fast-travel point close to the Bloody Baron's keep), and others are nods to CD Projekt Red games that have come out since The Witcher 3's release. The new Roach Gwent card is in the second category.
How To Get It
The new update provides two sets of rewards. The first is the Thousand Flowers and White Tiger of the West armor and weapon sets, and players can get these at any point by reading a letter from Yennifer that's automatically placed in their inventory and then going to the Royal Palace of Vizima. However, getting the Roach card involves doing something outside the game.
To get the Roach card, players must download and play the stand-along game Gwent, which was also developed by CD Projekt Red. The game is free to play (unless players want to buy in-game trading cards), and so downloading it and starting up the game once costs nothing but disc space.
The only snag is that players must create or log into an account while using CD Projekt Red's GOG Galaxy program. GOG Galaxy should come up even for those who play The Witcher 3 through Steam or other applications, and existing accounts with GOG.com will work for GOG Galaxy. Once players log in and play Gwent for any amount of time, the Roach card should appear in Geralt's inventory during existing and future playthroughs.
Is The Card Worth It?
Ultimately, the Roach card in The Witcher 3 is less than amazing. Like other characters connected to Geralt, Roach is a neutral card that players can add to any faction's deck. However, her value is 3, which is low even for a starting deck. The Ciri and Geralt cards can now summon Roach out of the player's deck or hand when played, but as the two most powerful cards in the game they typically don't need the help.
Still, if a player loves the Gwent minigame enough to gather all the cards and play against every available opponent, then Roach is a nice card to round out a collection. The card art is a direct reference to the Roach card in the Gwent stand-alone game, and the art is itself a reference to Roach's buggy antics that many players of The Witcher 3 have experienced. Just don't expect the new card to break the game.
The Witcher 3 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.