The Witcher 4 finally has a target year, and Ciri’s next chapter is officially looking like a 2028 adventure. CD Projekt Red has confirmed that its massive new RPG is targeting a 2028 release window, giving players the clearest timeline yet for the next mainline Witcher game.

The update arrived on August 24, 2026, ahead of Gamescom 2026, through the official The Witcher social media accounts, including X/Twitter and YouTube. Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski addressed the wait directly, revealing that more than 500 developers are currently working on the new saga with Ciri at its center.

There is one catch: 2028 is a target, not a locked launch date. CD Projekt Red has not announced a specific month, quarter, or day. The studio is also keeping The Witcher 4 away from Gamescom 2026, meaning players hoping for new Ciri gameplay will have to keep waiting. Instead, the spotlight is going to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past, an upcoming expansion scheduled for 2027.

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Ciri’s New Witcher Saga Is Now Targeting 2028

Nowakowski’s message was basically the update Witcher fans have been waiting for: the game is moving forward, the team is huge, and CD Projekt Red finally has a target year in sight.

“Our team here at CD PROJEKT RED HQ is hard at work on a brand new saga, one with Ciri at the helm. We have more than 500 incredibly talented developers working to create something truly special for you. 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. Now I know you’re eager to learn when it’s coming. That’s the question we’re hearing from you all the time. So while we’re not showing The Witcher 4 at the event and we’re not ready to share an exact date, I can tell you this: The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window. I know it’s a bit of a wait and you’d love to play it sooner, but let the team cook. It will be worth the wait. Until then, there will be plenty more of The Witcher to come, including Songs of the Past when it launches in 2027.”

That “targeting” wording matters. The Witcher 4 is not confirmed to launch on a specific date in 2028. CD Projekt Red has only established 2028 as its current development target, so the launch could still move depending on how production progresses.

That approach also makes sense considering the studio’s history. Previous major projects, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077, experienced delays. For now, players should view 2028 as the studio’s current ambition rather than an unchangeable promise.

And honestly, there is plenty happening behind the scenes.

More than 500 developers are working on The Witcher 4, making it one of CD Projekt Red’s largest productions ever. The studio is building the game in Unreal Engine 5, moving away from its proprietary REDengine that powered The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt Red previously showed a technology demonstration running on a base PlayStation 5, offering an early look at the technology being developed for the new Witcher project.

The goal is ambitious: a huge and immersive open world, intense action-focused gameplay, and a deep story designed to leave a lasting impression.

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A New Saga, With Ciri in the Driver’s Seat

This time, Geralt is stepping aside as the central protagonist. Ciri is the lead character of The Witcher 4, which will begin an entirely new saga for the franchise.

The project is expected to launch a new trilogy made up of The Witcher 4, The Witcher 5, and The Witcher 6. CD Projekt Red has previously discussed ambitions to complete that trilogy within roughly a six-year period, although there is still no detailed release schedule for the three games. Importantly, that six-year period refers to the planned window for the trilogy after The Witcher 4 launches, rather than six years from the current date

That means The Witcher 4 is not simply another Geralt adventure. It is the opening chapter of what CD Projekt Red intends to become the next major Witcher storyline.

And with more than 500 developers attached to the project, the scale is already massive.

The switch to Unreal Engine 5 is another major part of that transformation. CD Projekt Red has entered a broader technological partnership involving Epic Games’ engine, replacing the REDengine technology used for its previous major RPGs.

The earlier PlayStation 5 technology demonstration gave players a glimpse at what the new technical foundation could bring to the franchise, although it did not represent a final gameplay showcase.

For now, the studio’s description of the finished product is clear: players can expect a large open world, action-heavy gameplay, and a story intended to have significant emotional impact.

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Gamescom 2026 Won’t Be the Big Witcher 4 Reveal

For anyone walking into Gamescom 2026 expecting Ciri to suddenly appear on the big screen, there is some bad news.

The Witcher 4 will not be shown at Gamescom 2026.

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the event will contain no Witcher 4 trailer, gameplay footage, or other game content. The studio is instead using Gamescom to showcase The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past.

The expansion is scheduled to launch in 2027 and will receive a major presentation during Gamescom Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley. It will also appear at CD Projekt Red’s booth in Hall 8.

The Gamescom entertainment area is located in Hall 8, while the business area is in Hall 4.2, making Hall 8 an appropriate shorthand for the public-facing showcase.

CD Projekt Red has promised a look at the expansion’s story and content. Nowakowski has teased “a taste of its dark story, and the new content it will bring.”

Other reporting has specifically referred to a “new continent” coming with the expansion.

This will be the first time CD Projekt Red publicly shows Songs of the Past. The studio has also teased “one or two surprises” elsewhere at Gamescom, although it has not revealed what those surprises will be.

So, yes, the Witcher 4 drought continues. But players are still getting something new from the franchise.

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Songs of the Past Is the 2027 Witcher Fix

While Ciri’s new adventure is aiming for 2028, CD Projekt Red has another major Witcher release lined up for 2027.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past will expand the world with new content and keep the franchise active while the next saga continues through development.

The expansion is being developed alongside CD Projekt Red by Fool’s Theory, and the project itself is far from a small side experiment. Around 190 developers are involved, with the vast majority working at Fool’s Theory and CD Projekt Red providing creative oversight.

That puts its development team roughly in the same territory as The Witcher 3. The original game averaged around 160 developers during development and reached approximately 205 developers near launch.

The expansion will also feature Geralt, creating an interesting contrast with The Witcher 4, where Ciri takes the protagonist role.

Exactly where Songs of the Past sits within the broader Witcher timeline remains unclear. It has not been established whether the story happens after The Witcher 3 or reaches further back into the past.

The title itself naturally raises questions. “Songs of the Past” could involve historical events, flashbacks, or another interpretation of the word “Past,” but CD Projekt Red has not confirmed exactly what it means.

Broader company comments have positioned the expansion as helping bridge the gap toward the new saga. Some descriptions have even characterized it as a kind of narrative prologue, although it is not literally being presented as a prologue.

More answers are expected during the Gamescom presentation.

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The Witcher 4 Has Already Been Cooking for Years

Players have been waiting for this one for a while.

The Witcher 4 was first publicly revealed through a cinematic trailer at The Game Awards 2024. Since then, CD Projekt Red has continued moving the project through development and eventually confirmed that it had entered full production.

The studio had already confirmed that the game was not planned for release by the end of 2026. Earlier company financial updates and reporting had also pointed toward a timeframe beyond 2026, making a 2027-or-later launch increasingly expected among people following the project.

The newly announced 2028 target therefore does not necessarily represent a dramatic change from previous expectations. Instead, it gives players something that was previously missing: a much clearer target.

Still, there is no exact release date.

There is no confirmed 2028 month, quarter, or launch day.

That distinction is especially important for a project this large. CD Projekt Red is working on a new trilogy, using a new engine, and has more than 500 developers involved in the first game. The studio appears to be leaving itself enough room to continue development rather than locking itself into an exact date prematurely.

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Unreal Engine 5, 500+ Developers and CD Projekt Red’s Biggest Game

The technological shift behind The Witcher 4 is one of the biggest changes between this game and the previous generation of the franchise.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 were built using CD Projekt Red’s proprietary REDengine. The Witcher 4 is being developed with Unreal Engine 5 through the studio’s broader technology partnership with Epic Games.

The PlayStation 5 technology demonstration previously released by CD Projekt Red gave players an early look at the technology being developed for the new Witcher project.

The development team is also enormous.

More than 500 developers are currently working on The Witcher 4. Nowakowski has described the game as CD Projekt Red’s “biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game to date.”

That scale helps explain why the studio is resisting the temptation to rush toward an exact launch date.

The game is supposed to deliver a massive open world, intense action, and a deep narrative while launching a completely new Witcher saga with Ciri as its central character.

For players, that means the wait is frustrating, but the studio’s current message is pretty straightforward: the game needs time.

As Nowakowski put it:

“I know it’s a bit of a wait and you’d love to play it sooner, but let the team cook. It will be worth the wait.”

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What Platforms Will The Witcher 4 Be On?

CD Projekt Red did not provide new platform details in its August 24, 2026 update.

The expected platforms are PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, but the latest announcement did not provide a fresh platform confirmation or technical breakdown.

There is also still plenty that CD Projekt Red has not revealed about the game.

The studio has not provided additional detailed gameplay mechanics, specific story information beyond Ciri’s role, or a precise release schedule for 2028.

The confirmed picture is therefore fairly focused: Ciri is leading a new saga, more than 500 developers are working on the game, Unreal Engine 5 is being used, and 2028 is the current release target.

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CD Projekt Red Is Building More Than One Big RPG

The Witcher 4 is not the only major project inside CD Projekt Red’s pipeline.

The studio is continuing development across several projects, including The Witcher 4, Cyberpunk 2, and other games currently in production.

At the same time, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains one of the company’s biggest successes. Recent official company figures confirm that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide. 

That commercial success makes The Witcher 4 an especially important project for CD Projekt Red.

The studio is not simply following up one successful RPG. It is launching the next era of one of its biggest franchises, placing Ciri at the center and laying the foundation for another trilogy.

More Patience-Testing Release Talk: “It’ll be worth the wait” is a phrase fans across the industry know all too well. For more, read our feature on Hidetaka Miyazaki explaining The Duskbloods’ wildest ideas and why FromSoftware isn’t leaving single-player behind.

So, When Can We Actually Play The Witcher 4?

Right now, the answer is 2028 — but keep that asterisk firmly attached.

CD Projekt Red is targeting a 2028 release window. It has not promised that the game will definitely launch during that year, and there is currently no specific month, quarter, or release day.

The studio has also made no commitment that would prevent the target from moving should development require more time.

Before The Witcher 4 arrives, players will get another major piece of Witcher content. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past is scheduled for 2027, with the expansion receiving the Gamescom 2026 spotlight.

So Ciri’s new adventure is still a long way out, but CD Projekt Red is clearly trying to make the wait count.

For now, there is no Gamescom Witcher 4 trailer, no exact release date, and no confirmed launch month.

There is Ciri. There are 500-plus developers. There is Unreal Engine 5. There is a brand-new saga on the way.

Disclaimer

This article is based on the August 24, 2026 update from CD Projekt Red, official announcements, and reputable gaming-media reports. The 2028 release is a target, not a confirmed exact release date. Platform, story, gameplay, team-size, and scheduling details may change as development continues.

Sources

• Official The Witcher X/Twitter post and video — August 24, 2026
• Official The Witcher YouTube — “Join Us at gamescom 2026!”
• CD PROJEKT — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past announcement
• Eurogamer — The Witcher 4 release date 2028
• Video Games Chronicle / PC Gamer — CD Projekt sets The Witcher 4 release target

Featured Image Credit: CD Projekt Red