The Witcher 3‘s official new DLC, Songs of the Past, was finally revealed this week by developers at CD Projekt Red and Fool’s Theory, confirming the long-running rumors of a new expansion that would bridge the gap between The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 4. It’s been an extremely exciting week for fans of the franchise, though many fans are feeling a bit disappointed that the DLC won’t be releasing in 2026 as previous rumors suggested.

While there still aren’t many details on Songs of the Past just yet, the reveal alone gave us a good sense of what we can expect. For starters, the title of the DLC suggests we will be getting further insight into Geralt and Ciri’s backstories, while the reveal image shows us that Geralt is going to be getting a third sword. We also know that the DLC won’t be releasing until 2027, and while this may seem like a ways off, I’d argue fans should be breathing a sigh of relief when it comes to the official launch date.

The Witcher 3 Expansion Coming In 2027 Is A Good Thing

While I certainly wouldn’t throw a fit had CDPR announced a 2026 release date for Songs of the Past, there’s a good argument to be made that this year is way too stacked with huge releases already, and adding a massive The Witcher 3 expansion to the mix would simply be overwhelming. I’m not sure where I’d find the time to play, given there are several huge games on the way in the coming months.

If it’s anything like the previous Witcher 3 expansions, we’re in store for quite a bit of new content, and I know I’m not alone as someone kind of wants to start an entirely new playthrough before Songs of the Past finally arrives. If the game was coming out this year, I’d almost certainly have to boot up an old save file, but with a 2027 release, there’s a bit of breathing room for players who want to get a fresh playthrough in.

Further, the DLC itself is sure to be at least on par with Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine in terms of length, and possibly even bigger given Songs of the Past is looking to do some heavy lifting to set Ciri up for the lead role in The Witcher 4. For reference, Hearts of Stone is at minimum a 10-hour expansion, while Blood and Wine can take between 15–20 hours, and that’s if you aren’t an incredibly slow gamer like yours truly.

2026 Is Already Absolutely Stacked With Great Games

Beyond that, there are some major new releases planned for 2026, and I’m not sure I’d even be able to start Songs of the Past this year if I wanted to. For starters, there’s a little game called Grand Theft Auto 6 planned for release in November. Not sure you’ve heard of it, but it’s supposed to be a pretty big deal. Further, the 2026 release of the new Fable game is still on track for this fall, not to mention the September release of Marvel’s Wolverine.

Beyond these juggernauts, here’s a little inexhaustive list of other highly anticipated games set to drop this year:

• 007: First Light – IO Interactive’s James Bond origin game from the Hitman devs, just released this month
• Gears of War: E-Day – A huge prequel focused on Emergence Day, likely Xbox’s other flagship release
• Phantom Blade Zero – Stylish action RPG that’s getting “Sekiro meets Devil May Cry” comparisons
• The Blood of Dawnwalker – Dark fantasy RPG from former Witcher/CDPR devs
• Clockwork Revolution – BioShock-style steampunk RPG from inXile
• Beast of Reincarnation – New Game Freak action RPG that surprised a lot of people with how ambitious it looks
• Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls – Sony’s big Marvel fighting game
• Silent Hill: Townfall – A new Silent Hill project set in Scotland
• Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced – Releases worldwide on July 9

This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg in terms of 2026 releases, and while we’re all seriously hyped for the new The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past DLC, it’s probably a good thing CDPR is giving us some runway before its official release in 2027.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Systems

9/10

Released

May 19, 2015

ESRB

M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content

Engine

REDengine 3