Geralt Is Coming Back — CDPR Reveals Third Witcher 3 Expansion
On May 27, 2026, CD Projekt Red officially announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Songs of the Past, the third full expansion for their 2015 masterpiece.
The expansion launches in 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It is co-developed by CD Projekt Red and Fool's Theory, a studio comprised of industry veterans who previously worked on The Witcher 3, and who are also building The Witcher 1 Remake.
""It is with great pleasure that I can confirm we are working on Songs of the Past. This third full-fledged expansion for The Witcher 3 is currently at an advanced stage of development. The return of Geralt after more than a decade will be an excellent adventure." — Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO, CD PROJEKT
At a Glance
| Detail | Info | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Songs of the Past | |
| Developer | CD Projekt Red + Fool's Theory | |
| Release Window | 2027 | |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X\ | S, PC |
| Scope | Comparable to Blood and Wine (large expansion) | |
| Protagonist | Geralt of Rivia | |
| Developer Team Size | ~190 people (primarily Fool's Theory) | |
| More Info | Late Summer 2026 (Gamescom likely) |
This is notably a Blood and Wine-scale expansion, not a smaller Hearts of Stone-level DLC. Blood and Wine remains the benchmark for DLC quality — roughly 15 hours for the main story, up to 40 hours for completionists.
"A Prologue to Witcher 4" — CDPR's Franchise Strategy
Songs of the Past isn't just DLC. CDPR's leadership has framed it explicitly as a narrative bridge to The Witcher 4, which will follow Ciri as its new protagonist.
Speaking to investors, CDPR Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski said:
""It is, in a way, a prologue, although it's not a prologue in a verbatim way of being a prologue for the actual Witcher 4. You can look at it as a way to maintain certain chatter around Witcher 3 — all of those are side effects. The core thing, from our perspective, is really delivering a high-quality, fun experience to the existing fans of The Witcher." — Michał Nowakowski
The expansion follows the events of The Witcher 3 as a standalone story, giving Geralt a final sendoff before Ciri takes center stage. CDPR confirmed the expansion was originally planned for 2026 but was pushed to 2027 to achieve the best possible quality.
Within 24 hours of the announcement tweet, Songs of the Past had 16 million impressions and became the second-most-liked and shared tweet in the series' official account history — trailing only The Witcher 4 announcement.
📸 Screenshots
The 6-Year Roadmap: Three Witcher Games
Alongside the expansion, CDPR confirmed an ambitious plan: three Witcher games within a six-year period.
| Order | Title | Expected Window | Protagonist | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past | 2027 | Geralt | CDPR + Fool's Theory |
| 2 | The Witcher 4 (New Trilogy Part 1) | ~2028 | Ciri | CDPR (513 devs) |
| 3 | The Witcher 1 Remake | ~2028–2029 | Young Geralt | Fool's Theory |
CDPR confirmed it would be "very difficult" to add expansions to the new Witcher trilogy. Don't expect a Blood and Wine equivalent for Witcher 4 — the studio's full slate through 2032 includes Witcher 4/5/6 and Cyberpunk 2 (Project Orion). Some analysts have questioned whether the timeline is realistic.
Witcher 3 Surpasses 65 Million Copies Sold
The announcement came alongside Q1 2026 earnings, which revealed Witcher 3 has now crossed 65 million copies sold since its 2015 release. That milestone, combined with the Songs of the Past announcement, is likely to drive another round of new players to the game before the expansion arrives.
Community Reaction
""Songs of the Past being Blood and Wine scale is the best news I've heard in years. I was ready for Geralt's story to be over, but one more massive adventure before Ciri takes over? Take my money." — Reddit r/witcher
""The fact that CDPR hasn't even set a Witcher 4 release date and they're already talking about 4, 5, and 6 plus a remake and Cyberpunk 2 is incredible. I hope they don't burn out." — Steam Community Hub
""Fool's Theory working on both Songs of the Past and the Witcher 1 Remake is a massive workload. These are the people who gave us some of the best moments in Witcher 3 — I trust them, but the schedule is tight." — IGN Community
What's Next
More details on Songs of the Past will be released in late summer 2026. Gamescom in August (Cologne, Germany) is widely expected to host the next major reveal, likely in a guided demo format — CDPR has historically avoided public hands-on demos for its RPGs.
GamePeak will cover the Gamescom reveal and any additional announcements as they come.