Fans hoping to see The Witcher IV at Gamescom 2026 got a different kind of news this week. Michał Nowakowski, joint CEO of CD Projekt Red, stepped in front of the camera to personally invite fans to Gamescom Opening Night Live, and in doing so, dropped the release window everyone has been waiting for. The Witcher 4 is officially targeting a 2028 release.
Why Gamescom won't have Witcher 4 footage
CDPR isn't ready to lock in a specific release date, and that's exactly why The Witcher 4 is sitting out Gamescom entirely. Nowakowski was upfront about it: the team needs more time, and they're not going to rush a reveal just to fill a slot at a major event. That kind of discipline is either reassuring or frustrating depending on how long you've been waiting, but it's hard to argue with the logic after seeing what happens when studios announce too early.
Here's the thing, though. The absence at Gamescom doesn't mean silence on the Witcher front. The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, a new DLC set to release in 2027, is getting its first gameplay reveal at Opening Night Live. That DLC is designed specifically to bridge the story gap between The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 4, so it's not filler content. For anyone wanting more context before stepping into Ciri's shoes, Songs of the Past looks like required reading.
What Nowakowski actually said about the wait
The CEO didn't just drop a year and disappear. He addressed the wait directly, saying: "I know it's a bit of a wait and you would love to play it sooner, but let the team cook. It will be worth the wait."
That's a bold promise, but CDPR has the track record to back up some confidence here. The Witcher 4 entered full production back in 2024, so the team has had time to build. Nowakowski also described it as the biggest and most ambitious game CDPR has ever made, which lines up with what the tech demo teased earlier.
2028 puts it in serious company
2028 is shaping up to be a loaded year for adventure games, and The Witcher 4 landing in that window puts it squarely in the conversation for one of the generation's biggest releases. A four-year full production cycle from 2024 to 2028 is actually pretty standard for an open-world RPG of this scale, which makes the timeline feel realistic rather than optimistic.
The key here is that CDPR isn't just replacing Geralt with Ciri and calling it a sequel. Based on everything shown so far, this is a full reimagining of the Witcher formula with a new protagonist whose abilities and story arc differ significantly from the gruff monster hunter fans spent three games with. That transition takes time to get right.
For everything that gets announced between now and launch, the Witcher IV guide collection at GAMES.GG will be the place to track builds, story breakdowns, and anything else worth knowing before 2028 arrives.
