CD Projekt Red has confirmed that The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window. Joint Chief Executive Officer Michał Nowakowski shared the timeline in an official video update while clarifying that the project will skip gamescom presentations. Instead the studio is shifting immediate attention to Songs of the Past, a new expansion for The Witcher 3 planned for 2027.
To our beloved fans, players, and community:
— The Witcher (@thewitcher) August 24, 2026
As we near #gamescom in just a few days, CD PROJEKT RED Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski would like to personally invite YOU to join us there, and hear about the future of The Witcher franchise! pic.twitter.com/Jyam30SrQH
The next mainline entry in the fantasy franchise remains deep in production under the internal codename Polaris. A team of over 500 developers is building the title from scratch using Unreal Engine 5. CD Projekt Red leadership wants to give the team adequate time to refine the massive scope of the game rather than rushing an early reveal. Nowakowski outlined the scale and artistic direction directly in his video message to the community.
The Witcher 4 features a huge and immersive open world, intense and action packed gameplay, and a deep, impactful story that we hope will stay with you for a long time. Simply put, this is our biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game to date.
Targeting a 2028 launch window means fans will wait several more years for the next chapter. But the studio plans to deliver consistent content in the interim. Nowakowski explained that the long schedule allows the production team to cook until the experience meets internal quality benchmarks.
To bridge the multi year gap before the next saga, CD Projekt Red is releasing a brand new storyline for The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. Titled Songs of the Past, this release serves as the 3rd large scale expansion following Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Development is being handled in partnership with Fool's Theory, a team staffed by veteran designers who contributed to the original game.
The expansion returns players to the boots of Geralt of Rivia for a standalone adventure that also serves as a thematic prologue for future narrative arcs. Early promotional art hints at an ornate 3rd sword carried by Geralt alongside the return of the bard Dandelion during a Belleteyn festival gathering. The package will include new Gwent cards, updated quests, and full cross platform mod support for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S platforms.
The Witcher 4 is only 1 part of a broader corporate expansion strategy. Fool's Theory is also recreating the original Witcher game from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. A separate spin off project codenamed Sirius is in the works at The Molasses Flood, which will blend classic narrative quests with cooperative multiplayer systems.
Beyond the realm of monster slayers, CD Projekt Red is expanding its North American operations to build Orion, the upcoming sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. That production effort will eventually scale to between 350 and 500 staff members. For now, the focus centers on delivering Songs of the Past in 2027 before kicking off the next major Witcher saga in 2028.
