The 2024 Game Awards announced The Witcher 4 to be in production, easily making it one of the most anticipated RPGs for the next few years. The promise of Unreal Engine 5 graphics, an expansive fantasy story, and an ambitious open world easily make this title one everyone will be waiting for. While eager fans want this game asap, some previous trends with its developer might mean that the wait is far longer than they might expect.
The already disappointing Witcher 4 release window wasn’t too surprising, especially considering that it aims to surpass one of the best games to have been released from the last decade. Creating another open-world RPG with as much detail as Wild Hunt will take time, regardless of player opinions. However, the last game developer CD Projekt Red released might hint at extra measures being taken to ensure the game comes out as polished as possible.
The Witcher 4 Already Has A Far-Off Release Window
Currently, the release window for the follow-up to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is expected to be around 2027, unfortunately putting some distance between it and players. The title features Ciri as the main character, marking the series’ first departure from Geralt as the main character players control. Through an early tech demo, the impressive visuals of this title make it one of the most impressive next-gen games, whenever it does get into player hands.
Comments from joint CEO Michał Nowakowski state that “we’re not launching in 2026” and “full scale production proceeding at its pace, as per our internal plans.” This at least can be a source of relief, with the knowledge that The Witcher 4 is coming along day by day. Yet, it’s hard to not feel slightly starved for news regarding the game, as technical and design details are deliberately being kept hidden for the time being.
This release date also comes with news regarding CD Projekt Red’s future plans with The Witcher series as a whole. Based on the same interview where the 2027 release window was inferred, plans for The Witcher 5 and 6 were revealed to still be a big part of the developer’s future schedule. They aim to make development time between The Witcher 4 and its sequels shorter and shorter, allowing themselves to create a trilogy without taking 10+ years to do so.
Past Mistakes Will Likely Cause CD Projekt Red To Enact Multiple Delays
As of right now, the only major news about The Witcher 4‘s release is that it won’t be in 2026. The assumption that it’ll come out in 2027 is only natural, but CD Projekt Red has a track record of significant delays for its games, going as far back as The Witcher 3 itself. In fact, The Witcher 3 was slated to have major updates in 2025, but even those were delayed to 2026 just recently.
This isn’t exclusive to The Witcher series, though, as the most infamous example of CD Projekt Red’s delays lies in Cyberpunk 2077. Few fans will have forgotten about the truly disasterous launch of that game, but this was after several prior delays that stalled the game’s release for an astounding 238 days. Initially planned for April 2020, the incredibly ambitious Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t actually come out until 2021, nearly a year later.
While the Phantom Liberty DLC for Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t get delayed, the initial release date changes of the base game still mark a sore spot for many players who’ve followed CD Projekt Red. The final delay for Cyberpunk 2077 was even less than 30 days before one of its launch dates, indicating that the development team might announce a delay at any time should the situation require it.
This history of delays bodes poorly for The Witcher 4, no matter when its release date gets announced. One, two, or even three delays would not be uncommon for a CD Projekt Red title, pushing back The Witcher 4 even into 2028 if circumstances are dire. This could make players wait upwards to four years after the game’s initial reveal, either raising the hype to something the final product can’t deliver or extinguishing the excitement over an agonizing amount of time.
Pushed Back Release Dates Might Be Healthy For The Witcher 4
Although any delay to The Witcher 4 would be discouraging, they might be necessary for the final product to be great. Delays to polish the single-player RPG could lead to an important problem being fixed, or to ensure there aren’t as many issues that plagued Cyberpunk 2077 on its launch. CD Projekt Red is likely not eager to repeat their mistakes, especially for an established and beloved series from their library.
No bad news for The Witcher 4 will fully derail hardcore fans from wanting the latest entry, even if they have to wait a few more months. Hopefully, any delay that comes in the future is to perfect an already great game that will entice players like The Witcher 3 did over a decade ago.
As long as communication is clear from developers, players can set realistic expectations based on other information that was given to them. Gameplay trailers, new in-game looks, and other marketing can make the blows of delays softened somewhat. Regardless of potential delays to The Witcher 4, no such news for now can keep rabid fans held back, at least for now.
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