Witcher 3 Developers Hint at Expansion Details, Gwent Additions, and a New Sword After Announcing a Delay from This Year

This week, CD Projekt Red unveiled a new expansion for The Witcher 3 titled Songs of the Past. While specific details are scarce and the release window is set for 2027, the anniversary livestream offered some intriguing hints that have fans buzzing with speculation.

One of the burning questions is the scale of Songs of the Past. Given that The Witcher 3 launched over ten years ago, can we really expect another expansive update, especially with the team also working on The Witcher 4? CDPR has a history of delivering substantial expansions, and during the livestream, a clearer commitment was made. “Songs of the Past will align with what you’re familiar with in Blood and Wine, and what you’ve come to expect from us in our expansions,” stated social media manager Laura Beitzel.

For those who may not remember, Blood and Wine was a massive addition, offering a main campaign that spanned around 15 hours and introduced players to a new map filled with vampire murders and palace intrigue. Completionists could easily spend close to 30 hours exploring, making it even larger than Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion.

Additionally, the team confirmed that Songs of the Past will enhance The Witcher 3’s popular minigame Gwent with new cards. Blood and Wine featured a full Gwent tournament, and it would be a delightful surprise to see another one included in this upcoming expansion.

As for the storyline, The Witcher 4 is set to leap into the future, shifting the focus from Geralt to Ciri. There are rumors that Songs of the Past will bridge the gap between The Witcher 3 and its sequel, potentially exploring how Ciri acquires her new sword. In the first promotional image for the expansion, Geralt is seen wielding three swords, leading to speculation that one of them may be the blade Ciri carries in the current Witcher 4 trailer. Community manager Amelia Korzycka hinted, “It is a very important sword for the story, and you will get to know it when the game comes out.”

Beitzel also dropped a hint about the narrative: “There are some clues waiting for you on a very important evening in Witcher lore, Belleteyn Night, in our Belleteyn celebration that we shared a few weeks ago.” This refers to a festival, with concept art showing Geralt by a fire while Dandelion plays his mandolin. The accompanying caption read, “Tonight, there are no monsters to kill, no roads to roam, Just quiet thoughts and wishes that try to find a home.”

Ciri is believed to have been born around the time of this festival, which occurs in May. While fans can speculate about the implications for the plot of Songs of the Past, it seems increasingly likely that we’ll finally get to dive into a brand-new Witcher 3 expansion in the first half of 2027.

The downside is that this release date is later than initially planned. CDPR confirmed during an earnings call that they had hoped to launch it this year. “We had a moment where our plans for Songs of the Past would be released this year,” said joint CEO Michał Nowakowski. “However, we decided, together with the development team, that the game will be launching in 2027 to achieve the best possible result from the consumer standpoint, which, in the end, is the only thing that really matters.”