Summary: CD Projekt has confirmed that The Witcher 4 won’t be coming out by the end of 2026. The highly anticipated game was revealed to be in full production as of last November, with a cinematic trailer revealed at The Game Awards last December.
The Witcher 4 launch window is a long way off, which should come as no surprise, and while CD Projekt won’t confirm an official release date, it has now given a firm answer on when it won’t be coming out. According to the developer, gamers shouldn’t expect to see the game for at least two years. The Witcher 4 was confirmed to be in full development late last Fall after being confirmed it would start production in 2024, and then it received a surprise reveal announcement trailer during The Game Awards last December.
The trailer didn’t show any gameplay, as it was entirely cinematic footage. It did, however, confirm that Ciri is the main protagonist of the game. It also gives a small hint or two about some of the game’s story. The Witcher 4 will also be the start of a new trilogy in the franchise, meaning gamers will be able to look forward to a suite of new mainline Witcher content for many years to come.
The Witcher 4 launch window won’t be until at least 2027
News of the launch timing, while brief, at least lets gamers know somewhat how long they’ll have to wait before they can play the next mainline Witcher title. According to CD Projekt, the game won’t be coming out by the end of 2026.
“We are not going to announce the precise launch date for the game yet,” CD Projekt chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz says. He continues by stating that the only thing they can share at the moment is that the game won’t be coming out within the time frame for the first target for the incentive program. This ends on December 31, 2026. So that means it will be at least 2027 before the game comes out.
While it’s entirely possible it could come out early that year, it wouldn’t be surprising if it took longer. It also can’t be ruled out that it won’t be released until sometime beyond 2027. After the less-than-desirable launch performance of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt no doubt wants to avoid another situation like that. To prevent this, it has restructured its development strategy. Likely, meaning games will have longer development cycles with less crunch.
The game will challenge players to think about the consequences of their choices
CD Projekt hasn’t really shared any details about The Witcher 4’s story. However, it has confirmed that players will have to make a series of tough choices throughout the game. A few weeks back, CD Projekt’s Narrative Director for The Witcher 4 Philipp Weber said that players will really need to think about the consequences of their choices.
This suggests that much of the game will force players to deal with situations that could considerably impact the narrative of the game. CD Projekt hasn’t announced what platforms the game will be coming to. However, it’s likely to be released for PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as PC.
