Fans of The Witcher franchise have received some exciting yet bittersweet news as CD Projekt RED officially confirms that The Witcher 4 will not arrive until 2028 at the earliest. The announcement came via a video message from Michal Nowakowski, CEO of CD Projekt, who assured fans that the extended development time is necessary to deliver the studio’s most ambitious project to date. With over 500 talented developers working on the title, the Polish game studio is pulling out all the stops to create a worthy successor to one of gaming’s most beloved RPG franchises.
The timing of this announcement is particularly strategic, arriving just before the Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live presentation hosted by industry veteran Geoff Keighley. However, fans hoping to see The Witcher 4 gameplay at the event will need to temper their expectations, as the studio has confirmed the upcoming title will not be present at this year’s convention. Instead, the spotlight will shine on “Songs of the Past,” a newly announced expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt scheduled for release in 2027.
A New Saga with Ciri at the Helm
The Witcher 4 represents a significant departure from previous entries in the series, with Ciri taking over as the main protagonist. This transition was first revealed during The Game Awards 2024, where the initial announcement trailer generated tremendous excitement among the gaming community. Ciri, who served as a deuteragonist in The Witcher 3, has been a fan-favorite character since her introduction, and her promotion to lead character opens up exciting narrative possibilities. Her unique abilities, including the power to traverse time and space, could potentially introduce gameplay mechanics never before seen in the franchise.
According to Nowakowski, the development team is crafting “an immense immersive open world, intense action-rich gameplay, and a deep, impactful story that will hopefully remain in your memory for a long time.” These ambitious goals explain the extended development timeline. CD Projekt RED learned valuable lessons from the troubled launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020, which was released in a notoriously buggy state and required years of patches and updates to reach its full potential. The studio appears determined not to repeat those mistakes with The Witcher 4.
Building on a Decade of Success
The Witcher franchise has come a long way since its humble beginnings. The original Witcher game launched in 2007, establishing CD Projekt RED as a serious player in the RPG genre. However, it was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015 that catapulted the series to global phenomenon status. The game sold over 50 million copies worldwide and won numerous Game of the Year awards, setting a new benchmark for open-world RPG design. Its two expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, were praised as some of the finest DLC ever created for any video game.
The franchise’s influence extends beyond gaming. Netflix’s The Witcher television series, starring Henry Cavill and later Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, introduced the world of the Continent to millions of new viewers. The show’s success, combined with ongoing interest in the games, has kept The Witcher brand relevant throughout the years. With The Witcher 4’s 2028 release window, the franchise will have been without a mainline entry for over 13 years—making the anticipation among fans all the more intense.
Songs of the Past: Bridging the Gap
While the wait for The Witcher 4 continues, CD Projekt RED is ensuring fans have plenty of content to enjoy in the meantime. “Songs of the Past” will serve as the third major expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, arriving in 2027—a full twelve years after the base game’s release. This unprecedented support for an aging title demonstrates both the enduring popularity of The Witcher 3 and CD Projekt RED’s commitment to its fanbase. Details about the expansion’s story and gameplay will be revealed during Gamescom 2026, giving players their first substantial look at this upcoming content.
“I know the wait is a bit long and you would like to play it sooner, but let the team polish the game. The wait will be worth it,” Nowakowski assured fans in his video message. This promise carries significant weight given the studio’s track record of eventually delivering exceptional experiences, even when initial launches have been rocky. The commitment to having over 500 developers working on The Witcher 4 represents one of the largest teams ever assembled for a single video game project, signaling the enormous scope of CD Projekt RED’s vision for this new chapter in the beloved franchise.
Expert Opinion: CD Projekt RED’s decision to delay The Witcher 4 until 2028 represents a mature approach to game development that prioritizes quality over rushing to market. Given the studio’s painful lessons from Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, this extended timeline suggests we may finally see a CD Projekt title launch in a polished, complete state. With Ciri as the new protagonist and the full weight of next-generation hardware to leverage, The Witcher 4 has the potential to redefine open-world RPGs once again—provided the team can deliver on their ambitious promises.
