The Witcher 4 will not be among the list of released games for 2026, confirmed developer CD Projekt. Read on to find out more about updates regarding the game and its development.
The Witcher 4 Will Not Come Out In 2026
No Specific Release Window Yet
Fans of The Witcher video game series may have to wait just a bit longer for the fourth installment as developer CD Projekt Red revealed that the game is not slated for release any time soon—not within the next two years.
In the studio’s fiscal year 2024 earnings presentation, they mentioned that they had certain financial goals to achieve through share-based incentive programs for the next fiscal year, which was then followed by an all-telling comment: "Even though we do not plan to release The Witcher 4 by the end of 2026, we are still driven by this financial goal."
Later on during the Q&A segment of the forum, one of the attendees brought up the comment again for more clarification. However, CD Projekt Red remained tight-lipped about the specific release window or release year after 2026. Chief Financial Officer Piotr Nielubowicz answered that "We are not going to announce the precise launch date for the game yet. All we could share now to give more visibility to investors is that the game will not be launched within the time frame of the first target for the incentive program, which ends December 31, 2026."
Full Speed Ahead In Production
With this news now in light, The Witcher fans can manage their expectations on the game’s full launch. Nevertheless, the fourth entry into the acclaimed series is already in the works, entering "full production" as reported in the CD Projekt Q3 financial update last year. "Of all our projects, this one [Project Polaris/The Witcher 4] is currently the most far along, and we're starting the most intensive phase of development. I wish to thank the team for its effort and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for further progress," Nielubowicz shared.
First announced as Project Polaris in 2022, the project was given its full title during The Game Awards 2024 after a six-minute-long cinematic trailer surprised viewers with its sudden reveal. The Witcher 4 (stylized as The Witcher IV) says goodbye to famed protagonist Geralt of Rivia and re-introduces another beloved character in the franchise as its main character—Geralt’s adoptive daughter, Ciri, now older and more mature, evidently following in her predecessor’s footsteps.
Based on CD Projekt’s previous announcements on X (Twitter) in October of 2022, this will be the first title in a new Witcher trilogy. The two other titles in the trilogy, called Project Canis Majoris and Project Orion respectively at this point, are expected to follow suit in a six-year period after The Witcher 4 is released.
Source:
[EN] CD PROJEKT Group FY 2024 earnings conference - audio webcast
