CD Projekt Red Targets 2028 for The Witcher 4, Maps Out Near-Term Witcher Roadmap
CD Projekt Red is targeting a 2028 launch for The Witcher 4, according to joint CEO Michał Nowakowski, who confirmed the release window in a video ahead of Gamescom The Verge. The studio also used the Gamescom spotlight to lay out a fuller near-term Witcher roadmap, including a new expansion for The Witcher 3 and fresh details about its multiplayer spinoff.
The Witcher 3 expansion, titled Songs of the Past, is scheduled for release sometime in 2027 and will be featured as part of Gamescom's Opening Night Live event hosted by Geoff Keighley, which kicks off at 2PM ET on Tuesday The Verge. The expansion continues post-launch support for a title that has remained central to the studio's identity and revenue.
On the multiplayer front, CD Projekt Red is developing a spinoff set in The Witcher universe, codenamed Project Siris The Verge. The project's status is complicated by recent staffing changes: in August, CD Projekt Red confirmed layoffs affecting personnel working on the spinoff The Verge. The studio has not detailed how the reductions affect the project's scope or timeline.
The 2028 target for The Witcher 4 fits into a broader release pipeline that CD Projekt Red has been gradually disclosing over the past year. In November 2025, Nowakowski stated that The Witcher 4 would not receive a new trailer at The Game Awards GamingBible. At the same time, CFO Piotr Nielubowicz indicated that the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel would not launch until 2028 at the earliest GamingBible.
The Cyberpunk 2077 launch continues to cast a shadow over the studio's public posture. In June 2026, Nowakowski said the studio has yet to complete a "full redemption arc" after what he described as the "heartbreaking" launch of Cyberpunk 2077 IGN. The 2020 title's release was marked by significant technical issues on last-generation consoles, leading to widespread refunds and a period of extended post-launch repair work.
That history is relevant context for how the 2028 Witcher 4 target will be received. CD Projekt Red's credibility with players and investors took a measurable hit after Cyberpunk 2077, and Nowakowski's language suggests the studio's leadership is aware that a strong Witcher 4 launch is as much about restoring trust as it is about shipping a game. A 2028 window gives the studio roughly two years from the current date, which is not unusual for a major AAA RPG (the tier of game with the largest budgets and longest development cycles) but leaves little margin for slippage if the studio wants to avoid further reputational damage.
The parallel release structure is worth noting. With Songs of the Past arriving in 2027, The Witcher 4 potentially following in 2028, and a Cyberpunk sequel no earlier than that same year, CD Projekt Red is attempting to sustain engagement across two flagship franchises while also building out a multiplayer component that has already experienced development disruption. The layoffs on Project Siris add an additional variable: multiplayer development is resource-intensive, and studios that reduce headcount mid-cycle often face either scope reductions or delays, sometimes both.
None of these targets are firm release dates. CD Projekt Red's language has consistently used words like "target" and "aim," and the studio's own recent history with Cyberpunk 2077, which was delayed multiple times before its troubled launch, is a reminder that announced windows can shift. The Gamescom announcements establish a framework for expectations, but the execution across multiple simultaneous projects will determine whether that framework holds.
