The Witcher 4 is still a few years off at this point, but CD Projekt Red has begun to paint a picture of the game’s development and eventual launch that already sounds way more promising than Cyberpunk 2077‘s controversial release. There are already plenty of reasons to be excited about The Witcher 4. Between Ciri being the main character, beautiful new visuals, and a fresh location, a lot of hype has already been building around the game. CD Projekt Red is no stranger to high expectations, and the studio failing to meet the hype of Cyberpunk 2077 at its launch still looms over the developer’s head, despite the dystopian RPG now being in a much better state.
Naturally, CD Projekt Red probably has a few fears about repeating the same mistakes with The Witcher 4 that were made with Cyberpunk 2077. After the huge success of The Witcher 3, the world was ready to see what a developer like CD Projekt Red would do with an IP as iconic as Cyberpunk. The initial launch, unfortunately, was a complete and total disaster. Game-breaking bugs, constant crashes, and janky gameplay made this dystopian adventure one of the most controversial launches of the 2020s, but CD Projekt Red is already hinting that Cyberpunk 2077‘s rocky start taught the company some valuable lessons to properly prepare for The Witcher 4 release.
The Witcher 4 Already Runs on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, Which Is Way More Promising This Time Around
During Cyberpunk 2077‘s development, CD Projekt Red put the majority of the focus on PC. The plan was to hit the best graphics and gameplay possible on the PC and then scale it down and optimize it for consoles. That proved to be far more challenging than anticipated, though, which resulted in a nightmare scenario for the developer at launch. Cyberpunk 2077 was practically unplayable for a lot of PS4 and Xbox One owners, and even the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S struggled to run the game.
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This is the same approach that CD Projekt Red took with The Witcher 3‘s development, but a game like Cyberpunk 2077 simply proved to be a different beast entirely. During a recent interview with Game Developer, co-CEO Michal Nowakowski revealed that things are already looking better for The Witcher 4‘s launch, because the team isn’t solely focused on achieving PC excellence:
You come to the studio, you launch Witcher 4 right now. You can launch it on PC. You can launch it on PS5. You can launch it on Xbox Series X, and it’s going to run.
The fact that The Witcher 4 can already run on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X is pretty impressive, especially when considering how far out the game still is. As it stands, The Witcher 4 is eyeing a 2028 release date, so CD Projekt Red has clearly made solid progress with each platform. Bringing a new open-world fantasy RPG to life that has a grander scale and presumably more robust systems than its predecessor is no easy task, and Michal Nowakowski’s words are an intriguing sign that CD Projekt Red is taking extra care with crafting its newest game.
With a launch state that was as wild as Cyberpunk 2077‘s was, it’s no surprise that CD Projekt Red decided to pivot and take a different approach to development with this new Witcher game. Cyberpunk 2077 was at least a fresh project from CD Projekt Red that didn’t have the burden of being a sequel. It’s always hard for sequels to live up to expectations. The Witcher 4 has to deal with that added pressure, though. CD Projekt Red is well aware that making the same mistake again with such a beloved series would be detrimental to the studio.
The Witcher Fans Have Had a Lot to Celebrate Lately, and It’s Merely the Beginning
CD Projekt Red announced The Witcher 3‘s Songs of the Past DLC earlier this year, but the developer brought forth even more surprises at this year’s Gamescom. Granted, there were a lot of pretty exciting announcements made at Gamescom 2026, but CD Projekt Red ultimately stole the show.
CD Projekt Red’s Biggest Reveals at Gamescom ONL 2026
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered was revealed.
- This remaster will be a free upgrade for the fans who already own the game.
- Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine DLCs will also be free upgrades for those who own the base game.
A new Witcher 3 DLC would be exciting enough on its own, but CD Projekt Red really came out swinging with some major perks for fans to revel in. The Witcher 3 being back in the spotlight in 2026 didn’t seem possible, but CD Projekt Red’s decision to offer players so many free upgrades is a genius way to win over fans who were irked by the Cyberpunk 2077 debacle while also igniting early hype for The Witcher 4.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered and the Songs of the Past DLC will only be available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The Witcher 4 Could Kickstart a New Era for CD Projekt Red
In many ways, Cyberpunk 2077‘s Phantom Liberty DLC marked a new chapter for the developer. This expansion was truly a game-changer for the sci-fi RPG after nearly three years of clean-up, and it gave the studio a much-needed second chance to prove itself. Now that the smoke has cleared and Cyberpunk 2077‘s reputation is far better than it initially was, The Witcher 4 can help ring in a new era for CD Projekt Red.
Of course, it’s too early to say if The Witcher 4 manages to hit the mark or not. However, the extra attention and care that has been going into its development and platform optimization is definitely something worth celebrating. Between The Witcher 4‘s open world and the overall gameplay, CD Projekt Red is bound to go bigger than ever before with the franchise. Nailing the execution is going to be a serious challenge, but after the lessons learned from Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 4‘s future is already looking much brighter.
