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The Witcher 4 is "targeting" a 2028 release, CD Projekt Red announces: "I know it's a bit of wait"

CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michał Nowakowski announced in a video that The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window. The game, which will star Ciri and feature over 500 developers, won't appear at Gamescom 2026, but the studio will showcase The Witcher 3's expansion, Songs of the Past, at the event.

By Tertius News AI Desk 3 outlets · 3 articles Version 2 Coverage Aug 24, 2026 Published 23h ago

CD Projekt Red confirms The Witcher 4 release window

CD Projekt Red has announced that its upcoming action RPG, The Witcher 4, is now targeting a 2028 release. Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski shared the news in a video message to fans, acknowledging the long wait with a direct appeal: "I know it's a bit of a wait and you'd love to play it sooner, but let the team cook. It will be worth the wait."

The announcement clarifies previous statements, as the company had earlier indicated the game would not arrive before 2027 but had not specified a concrete year. Now, players have an official target to look forward to, though the studio remains tight-lipped on an exact date.

A new saga with Ciri at the helm

Nowakowski used the video to offer some tantalizing details about the project. "Our team here at CD Projekt Red HQ is hard at work on a brand new saga, one with Ciri at the helm," he said, confirming that the game will feature Ciri as the protagonist and kickstart a new trilogy. The studio describes the title as its "biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game to date," a sentiment echoed in its official materials.

The development team is substantial, with over 500 developers currently working on the project. Nowakowski highlighted the game's scope, promising "a huge and immersive open world, intense and action-packed gameplay, and a deep, impactful story that we hope will stay with you for a long time." The Witcher 4 is described as a single-player open-world RPG running on Unreal Engine 5, set in a brutal dark-fantasy world.

Not at Gamescom 2026

Despite the excitement, fans won't see The Witcher 4 at this week's Gamescom 2026. Nowakowski confirmed the game's absence from the show, meaning no new trailer or gameplay presentation will be unveiled there. However, he hinted that there could be a few surprises at the event, though likely not related to The Witcher 4.

Instead, CD Projekt Red will focus on showcasing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past, an upcoming expansion scheduled for 2027. The expansion will be highlighted at Gamescom's Opening Night Live on August 25, as well as at the studio's booth. Nowakowski also mentioned that the team would host several REDstreams throughout the event.

The Witcher 4's official page currently features only the cinematic trailer and the Unreal Engine 5 technology presentation, offering little else for eager fans to explore.

Background and other projects

CD Projekt Red has been working on The Witcher 4 for years, having previously released videos showcasing early development. The studio is also involved in other projects within the Witcher universe, including a multiplayer spinoff codenamed Project Siris. Earlier in August, the company confirmed layoffs affecting staff working on that project.

As the release window draws closer, more details are expected to emerge, but for now, players will have to trust the team's promise that the wait will be worth it.

How each outlet told it

AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC

Framing: The headline emphasizes the release window and the 'long wait', framing the news as a confirmation of a delay for fans. — Eager and slightly disappointed, but reassuring ('Don't worry too much, though').

Facts Included:

CEO Michał Nowakowski revealed the 2028 release window in a video.
Over 500 developers are working on the game.
Ciri will take centre stage and the game will kickstart a new trilogy.
CD Projekt RED describes the new entry as its largest and most ambitious game ever.
The Witcher 4 won’t appear at Gamescom 2026.
Songs of the Past, an expansion for The Witcher 3, is set for 2027 and will be highlighted at Gamescom Opening Night Live and at CD Projekt RED’s booth.
The company previously said the game wouldn’t arrive before 2027 but hadn’t mentioned 2028.
The game is a single-player open-world RPG running on Unreal Engine 5.
Nowakowski said there could be a few surprises at the show.
The official page currently only has the cinematic trailer and the Unreal Engine 5 technology presentation.

Read the source article →

GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

Framing: The headline focuses on the 2028 target and includes a direct quote acknowledging the wait, framing the news as a fan-facing announcement. — Excited and empathetic, engaging with fans ('I know it's a bit of a wait').

Facts Included:

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that it currently plans to release The Witcher 4 in 2028.
Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski says the game will not be shown at Gamescom this week.
Nowakowski gives superlative teasers about the RPG's scope and ambition.
Quote from Nowakowski: 'Our team here at CD Projekt Red HQ is hard at work on a brand new saga, one with Ciri at the helm.'
More than 500 developers are working on the game.
The Witcher 4 features a huge and immersive open world, intense and action-packed gameplay, and a deep, impactful story.
The Witcher 3's new expansion, Songs of the Past, will be shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25.
Nowakowski confirms that The Witcher 4 will not be at the show.
Quote from Nowakowski: 'Simply put, this is our biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game to date.'
Quote from Nowakowski: 'The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window. I know it's a bit of a wait and you'd love to play it sooner, but let the team cook. It will be worth the wait.'

Read the source article →

The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

Framing: The headline focuses on the 2028 target release, without mentioning the context of other projects or layoffs. — Neutral and matter-of-fact, with a slight note of caution about the layoffs.

Facts Included:

CD Projekt Red is aiming to launch The Witcher 4 sometime in 2028.
Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski says this in a new video.
CD Projekt Red has been working on the title for years and has shown videos of it.
The Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past, will be shown at Gamescom and is scheduled to release in 2027.
Songs of the Past will be part of Gamescom’s Opening Night Live event hosted by Geoff Keighley, starting at 2PM ET on Tuesday.
CD Projekt Red is working on a multiplayer spinoff codenamed Project Siris.
Earlier in August, the company confirmed layoffs of staff working on Project Siris.

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimCD Projekt Red is aiming to launch The Witcher 4 sometime in 2028.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (3 outlets) via The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC, AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC, GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimJoint CEO Michał Nowakowski stated in a video that CD Projekt Red is aiming to release The Witcher 4 in 2028.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (3 outlets) via The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC, AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC, GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimCD Projekt Red has been working on The Witcher 4 for years and has shown videos of it.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past, will be shown at Gamescom and is scheduled to release in 2027.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (3 outlets) via The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC, AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC, GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimSongs of the Past will be part of Gamescom’s Opening Night Live event hosted by Geoff Keighley, starting at 2PM ET on Tuesday.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimCD Projekt Red is working on a multiplayer spinoff codenamed Project Siris.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimEarlier in August, CD Projekt Red confirmed layoffs of staff working on Project Siris.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Verge as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimMore than 500 developers are working on The Witcher 4.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC, GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimCiri will be the protagonist in The Witcher 4, and the game will start a new trilogy.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe Witcher 4 will not appear at Gamescom 2026.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimCD Projekt Red describes The Witcher 4 as its largest and most ambitious game ever.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe Witcher 4 will be a single-player open-world RPG running on Unreal Engine 5.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe company previously said The Witcher 4 would not arrive before 2027 but hadn’t mentioned 2028.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe official page for The Witcher 4 currently only has the cinematic trailer and the Unreal Engine 5 technology presentation.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimNowakowski said there could be a few surprises at Gamescom, but it likely will not include any new info on The Witcher 4.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe Witcher 4 will not be shown at Gamescom this week, as confirmed by joint CEO Michał Nowakowski.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC, AltChar as of Aug 24, 2026, 6:16 PM UTC
ClaimIn a video message shared on social media, Nowakowski said: 'Our team here at CD Projekt Red HQ is hard at work on a brand new saga, one with Ciri at the helm.'	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimNowakowski said: 'The Witcher 4 features a huge and immersive open world, intense and action-packed gameplay, and a deep, impactful story.'	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimNowakowski said: 'Simply put, this is our biggest, boldest, and most ambitious game to date.'	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimNowakowski said: 'The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window. I know it's a bit of a wait and you'd love to play it sooner, but let the team cook. It will be worth the wait.'	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimSongs of the Past will be shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via GamesRadar+ as of Aug 24, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

3 outlets · 3 articles consulted: AltChar, GamesRadar+, The Verge 21 claims extracted Version 2 Written 2026-08-24