The Witcher 4 Aims for 2028 Launch, But Gamescom Spotlight Goes to a New Witcher 3 Expansion

In a short video posted on social media, CD Projekt Red (CDPR) co-CEO Michał Nowakowski confirmed that The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release. The franchise's next installment was officially confirmed to exist back in 2022, but it wasn't until The Game Awards at the end of 2024 that the first trailer dropped. Now, with the official timeline pushed back nearly another full year, players will need to wait even longer to actually get their hands on it.

"Simply put, this is our biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game to date," Nowakowski said in the video. "I know the wait has been a bit long, and I know you'd love to play it sooner, but please let the team finish it properly." In a way, this message is also aimed at longtime fans who remember the rocky launch of Cyberpunk 2077.

It's worth noting that CDPR chose to release this message just days before Gamescom kicks off, seemingly to manage expectations in advance. Gamescom opens on August 26, and CDPR's official account had earlier posted an invitation for fans to come "hear about the future of the Witcher series" at the event. But Nowakowski has already made it clear: The Witcher 4 won't be appearing on the Gamescom show floor.

What will actually take the stage is Songs of the Past, the third official expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It's been a full decade since the 2015 action RPG's first two expansions launched, making this the series' third expansion in ten years. CDPR says it will reveal "a substantial amount of content" from the expansion at Gamescom, including a glimpse of its dark storyline and an early look at the new additions, with a planned release in 2027.

In other words, players hoping for the latest Witcher 4 updates at Gamescom will instead walk away with a clear notice to keep waiting, plus a new expansion for an old game. For CDPR, this arrangement effectively separates "the future" from "the present": the new title stays in development, being polished at its own pace, while the older game gets a decade-in-the-making expansion to keep players' attention in the meantime.

CDPR has not yet revealed a specific release date or further details for The Witcher 4.