Fans eagerly anticipating The Witcher 4 will need to exercise patience, as CD Projekt has announced that the game won't hit the market until 2027 at the earliest. In a recent financial call, the developers outlined their projections and stated, "Even though we do not plan to release The Witcher 4 by the end of 2026, we are still driven by this financial goal. And although it’s very ambitious, we stand a chance of achieving it within the given timeframe." This statement effectively eliminates any possibility of a launch in 2024 or 2025, setting the stage for a 2027 release at the soonest. However, given the unpredictable nature of the video game industry, a delay into 2028 remains a possibility.
With a 2027 release window, The Witcher 4 is poised to target the next generation of gaming consoles. Sony is likely developing plans for the PlayStation 6, while Microsoft is rumored to be aiming for a 2027 launch of its Xbox Series X successor and an Xbox handheld. This raises the question of whether The Witcher 4 will be a cross-gen title, similar to Cyberpunk 2077, which launched on both current and last-gen consoles in December 2020. If it is a cross-gen game, could it also find its way to the Nintendo Switch 2? While it seems unlikely, the precedent set by The Witcher 3 on the original Switch suggests that anything is possible.
What we do know is that The Witcher 4 marks the beginning of a new trilogy set after the events of The Witcher 3. This time, the spotlight shifts from Geralt to Ciri, who takes on the role of the protagonist. In an exclusive interview with IGN before the game's reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga explained the decision, saying, "It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her."
In January, during a broader interview with IGN about Netflix's upcoming animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle expressed his support for the shift to Ciri. "I'm really excited," he said. "I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the Saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done."
In February, the director of The Witcher 4 clarified that a new video featured the same in-game model of Ciri, dispelling rumors that her appearance had changed.
The Witcher IV Game Awards Trailer Screenshots
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For more in-depth coverage on The Witcher 4, be sure to check out our exclusive content, including a detailed trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt, where the developer discusses strategies to avoid a launch disaster similar to that of Cyberpunk 2077.
