CD Projekt Red confirms Gamescom reveal for new Witcher 3 expansion
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
CD Projekt Red has settled on Gamescom's Opening Night Live, on 25 August, as the venue for the first proper look at Songs of the Past, the expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The reveal caps months of piecemeal detail since the add-on was announced in May to mark ten years since Blood and Wine, and matters because it extends the commercial life of a decade-old title that has sold more than 65 million copies, one of the best-selling games ever made.
The expansion, co-developed with Fool's Theory, is confirmed for PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X in 2027, having slipped from an original 2026 target so the studio could refine it further. Co-CEO Michal Nowakowski likened its scope to Blood and Wine, which took most players 25 to 40 hours to finish, and said it would follow Geralt of Rivia rather than Ciri, who takes the lead in the upcoming Witcher 4. He characterised Songs of the Past as a "reminder" of the franchise rather than a direct lead-in to that next mainline game.
- Witcher 3's Songs of the Past DLC debuts at Gamescom on 25 August
- Expansion arrives 2027, on par with Blood and Wine in scope
- Follows Geralt, not Ciri; release delayed from 2026 for quality
New here? Start with this
CD Projekt Red is the Polish studio behind The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, released in 2015, is one of the best-selling video games of all time, and its 2016 expansion Blood and Wine is widely regarded as a high point for the studio. Songs of the Past, announced in May 2026 to mark that anniversary, is a new expansion for the decade-old game, being made in partnership with fellow Polish developer Fool's Theory.
The expansion centres on Geralt of Rivia, the game's original protagonist, rather than Ciri, who is set to lead the standalone sequel Witcher 4. It is due out in 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC, having been pushed back from an initial 2026 target. Co-CEO Michal Nowakowski has compared its scale to Blood and Wine, which most players took 25 to 40 hours to complete.
This matters because it shows CD Projekt Red continuing to invest in a ten-year-old title rather than moving straight on to its next mainline release, and because Gamescom, an annual gaming trade fair in Cologne, Germany, is one of the industry's biggest platforms for such announcements.
More coverage
- GamesRadar+ — CD Projekt Red says The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, Geralt's first expansion in a decade, will get a proper reveal next month
- IGN — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Songs of the Past Reveal Date Confirmed
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Polygon as “The Witcher 3 expansion Song of the Past gets premiere date”.