The Witcher 4 targets 2028 as CD Projekt asks for patience with its most ambitious game

2028 is a window, not a locked date

CD Projekt RED now has a public target for The Witcher 4, although its wording matters. Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski says the game is targeting a 2028 release window. There is no day, no month and no promise that the target cannot move if development needs more time.

The update also cools any immediate expectations. The Witcher 4 will not show new gameplay at Gamescom 2026. Nowakowski asks for patience and describes it as the biggest, boldest and most ambitious game the company has made. His closing request is simple, let the team cook because the wait will be worth it.

Ciri leads a team of more than 500 people

Ciri remains the protagonist, now established as a professional monster hunter at the beginning of a new saga. CD Projekt describes the game as a single-player open-world RPG built with a customised version of Unreal Engine 5. More than 500 people are currently working on it, a figure that explains both its scale and the distance to 2028.

The reveal trailer follows a contract against the Bauk, with chains, magic and a village prepared to sacrifice a young woman. It is cinematic rather than live gameplay. The 2025 technology demonstration was also not the final game. It ran at 60 frames per second on PS5 and showed Kovir, but its purpose was to demonstrate the open-world technology being developed with Epic Games.

The Witcher IV reveal trailer

The important questions remain unanswered

A 2028 window gives the schedule some shape while leaving almost everything else open. CD Projekt has not announced platforms, editions, pricing or requirements. It has yet to show one complete mission being played. Anyone expecting Ciri this week will instead have to settle for Geralt's return in Songs of the Past.

The Witcher 4 will enter an RPG generation that also includes The Blood of Dawnwalker, directed by former Witcher 3 leads. Ciri's game still has two years of runway. A 2028 target is important news, but for now it should be read as a direction rather than a ticket already booked.

• No exact date within 2028.
• No confirmed platforms, price or editions.
• No new gameplay planned for Gamescom 2026.