Could The Witcher 4 Be Targeting the PS6 and Next-Gen Xbox, Given It Won't Be Out Until 2027 at the Earliest?

Don’t hold your breath for The Witcher 4. According to the developers at CD Projekt, it won’t be out until 2027 at the earliest.

Speaking in a financial call outlining projections of future profits, CD Projekt said: “Even though we do not plan to release The Witcher 4 by the end of 2026, we are still driven by this financial goal. And although it’s very ambitious, we stand a chance of achieving it within the given timeframe.”

That rules out a launch this year, which no-one really expected, a launch next year, which some had hoped for, and sets 2027 as the earliest The Witcher 4 will come out. But that’s if everything goes to plan, and as we all know, the video game industry has a hard time with its plans. Could The Witcher 4 end up being a 2028 game? It sounds possible.

Either way, 2027 at the earliest suggests The Witcher 4 may well end up targeting the next-generation of consoles, with Sony no-doubt working on its PlayStation 6 plans as we speak, and Microsoft rumored to be targeting a 2027 release for its Xbox Series X successor and an Xbox handheld. But is it a cross-gen game, as Cyberpunk 2077 was when it released in December 2020?

If it is a cross-gen game, with a version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, could The Witcher 4 end up working on Nintendo Switch 2? It seems unlikely at face value, but The Witcher 3 ended up on the Switch, so miracles do happen.

Here's what we know: The Witcher 4 is the first in a new trilogy of Witcher games set after the events of The Witcher 3. But rather than star Geralt as protagonist, Ciri is the main character this time around.

Speaking exclusively to IGN ahead of The Witcher 4 reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga said Ciri was “the very organic, logical choice.”

“It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her.”

In January, speaking to IGN as part of a wider interview on Netflix’s upcoming animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep, Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle backed CD Projekt’s decision, even though it sees Geralt take a back seat.

“I'm really excited,” he said. “I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the Saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done.”

And in February, the director of The Witcher 4 clarified that a new video featured the same in-game model of Ciri after some had thought her face looked different.

We’ve got plenty more exclusive content on The Witcher 4, including a trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt where the developer explains why The Witcher 4 will avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.