CD Projekt Red has finally put a year on The Witcher 4. In a short video posted ahead of Gamescom, joint-CEO Michal Nowakowski said the studio is "targeting" a 2028 release window for its next big RPG.
The wording matters. As PC Gamer notes, "targeting" leaves the studio plenty of room to move, a habit born from the repeated delays that hit both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Nowakowski stopped short of giving a firm date, which he acknowledged is the question fans keep asking. "We're not ready to share an exact date," he said, before landing on the 2028 window.
What Nowakowski said
The pitch was as ambitious as you would expect. Nowakowski said more than 500 developers are working on the game, describing it as CD Projekt's "biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game to date." He reiterated the usual Witcher pillars: a huge open world, action-packed gameplay, and a story he hopes will stick with players. "I know it's a bit of a wait, and you'd love to play it sooner, but let the team cook," he said. "It will be worth the wait."
The 2028 target isn't a shock. As Rock Paper Shotgun points out, CD Projekt Red's recent financial reports had already pointed toward that direction rather than a 2027 launch. The small piece of good news for fans is that it hasn't slipped further out to 2029 or 2030, at least for now.
The Witcher 4 will be led by Ciri rather than Geralt, kicking off what the studio calls a "brand new saga."
The Witcher 3 gets a new expansion
While players wait, CD Projekt Red is filling the gap with an unexpected new expansion for The Witcher 3 called Songs of the Past. Nowakowski teased a full reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live, promising "a taste of its dark story, and the new continent it will bring."
According to Eurogamer, the expansion is being built by as many people as worked on the original Witcher 3, possibly more. It stars Geralt rather than Ciri, but the timeline is still a mystery. The "Past" in the title could point to flashbacks, or to a story set before the events of the base game. Given its positioning between The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 4, some connection to Ciri would make sense, but nothing is confirmed. CD Projekt Red also teased "one or two surprises" coming elsewhere at the show.
What it means for players
If you've been holding your breath for The Witcher 4, you can exhale and check back in a couple of years. A 2028 target, with the "targeting" caveat, means this is still a long-haul release rather than something to slot into your near-term backlog. The more immediate action is the Songs of the Past expansion for The Witcher 3, which gets its proper unveiling at Gamescom Opening Night Live, with more details expected across the rest of the week.