Last updated: 5 September 2026

The Witcher 4 Beginner's Guide — Everything to Know Before You Play

The Witcher 4 is still a few years out, but CD Projekt Red has already confirmed a surprising amount about it — who you'll play as, what engine it runs on, how the studio is pacing the new trilogy, and what's staying the same from The Witcher 3. If you're trying to get up to speed without wading through years of scattered announcements, here's everything that's actually confirmed so far.

01What The Witcher 4 Actually Is

The Witcher 4 is the first installment of a brand-new Witcher trilogy from CD Projekt Red, developed for years internally under the codename Project Polaris. It's a single-player, open-world action RPG built on Unreal Engine 5, replacing the studio's proprietary REDengine that powered the original Witcher trilogy and Cyberpunk 2077.

• It is not a remaster or a spin-off — it's a new, full-length RPG continuing the Witcher saga years after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
• The studio has been public about switching to Unreal Engine 5 specifically for better tools, easier cross-team collaboration, and — according to CDPR's own leadership — a faster development cycle for the two sequels planned after it.
• As of the Q1 2026 earnings call, the team working on it had grown to 513 developers as of the end of April 2026, roughly twice the size of the team that shipped The Witcher 3.

02Release Date and Platforms — What's Actually Confirmed

This is the most searched-for detail, and also the one with the least certainty. CD Projekt Red confirmed on August 24, 2026 — via a video message from joint-CEO Michal Nowakowski, posted ahead of Gamescom 2026 (where the game was not shown) — that The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release window. No specific date, quarter, or season has been announced.

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. On PC, CDPR has confirmed the game will be available on Steam — this is not an Epic Games Store exclusive.
• No confirmed date beyond the 2028 target window — treat any specific month or season you see elsewhere as speculation until CD Projekt Red says otherwise.
• No PC system requirements have been published yet. Ignore any spec lists circulating online; none of them come from CDPR.

For the full timeline of what's been confirmed and when, see our dedicated release date and development guide.

03Meet Ciri, Your New Witcher

The biggest change from the original trilogy: you don't play as Geralt of Rivia this time. The Witcher 4 is played entirely as Cirilla "Ciri" Fiona Elen Riannon, Geralt's adopted daughter, some years after the events of The Witcher 3.

• The Witcher 4 picks up after Ciri has already gone through the Trial of Grasses — the brutal mutation process that turns ordinary humans into witchers — as backstory between The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 4. Game director Sebastian Kalemba has confirmed Ciri underwent the Trial, but the game begins with her already a fully-fledged witcher, complete with witcher signs, a silver sword, and enhanced senses, rather than putting players through the transformation itself.
• She was also born with innate magical ability tied to her Elder Blood — in Witcher lore, someone born with this gift is called a 'Source' — on top of her witcher training. The December 2024 reveal trailer showed her combining a classic Witcher sign, Igni, with broader sorcery beyond Geralt's toolkit, including converting water into electricity mid-fight.
• Her combat has been rebuilt around a more mobile, fluid style — CD Projekt Red's Senior Communications Manager Pawel Burza described her as feeling "liquid" compared to Geralt, who "feels like a block, in some sense," on the studio's AnsweRED Podcast.
• Full breakdown of her powers and moveset is in our combat and signs guide.

04Do You Need to Play the Previous Witcher Games First?

Not strictly, no. CD Projekt Red has designed The Witcher 4 as a new entry point with Ciri as protagonist, so you shouldn't need a Witcher 3 replay to follow along on a basic level.

• That said, playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt first will make Ciri's relationships, her Elder Blood power, and the state of the Continent land with a lot more weight — this story continues directly from where that game left off.
• Geralt is confirmed to appear in some capacity — series voice actor Doug Cockle is reprising the role — but CD Projekt Red has deliberately not detailed what his role actually is.
• Whether your specific Witcher 3 choices or save file carry over in any way has not been confirmed or denied by CDPR. Don't assume either way until the studio says something official.

05What's Different About How CDPR Is Approaching This Launch

One of the more surprising confirmations came from CDPR's own leadership rather than a trailer: the studio is planning to release all three Witcher trilogy games within roughly a six-year period — a much tighter cadence than its usual release schedule.

• To make that pace realistic, co-CEO Michal Nowakowski said at the Q1 2026 earnings call not to expect large paid expansions on the scale of The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine or Hearts of Stone for this game. Smaller, free post-launch content hasn't been ruled out.
• This is a genuine shift from CDPR's past pattern of supporting a single game for years with big DLC — worth knowing going in if you're expecting a Blood and Wine-sized follow-up.