CD Projekt Red is on an absolute roll lately. It managed to completely turn around Cyberpunk 2077‘s reputation, thanks to an incredible expansion and an unbelievably good anime adaptation. As if that was not enough, its flagship franchise, The Witcher, has also been making a resurgence. Not only are we getting a remastered version of The Witcher 3 alongside The Witcher IV, but the former is getting an entirely new expansion 10 years after the last one. The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past promises to be a final send-off for the 2015 Game of the Year winner, and I had the chance to see it in person behind closed doors at gamescom 2026. Needless to say, this could be yet another slam dunk from CDPR.
CD Projekt Red ushered me and other members of the press into a giant cinema room, in which they showed us almost an hour of footage from the new expansion. The expansion focuses on Dandelion, one of Geralt’s closest allies, who has suddenly gone missing after a long party. An ominous vision about a well surrounded by violets brings Geralt to Dandelion’s family home in the brand new region of Letten. He is quickly introduced to both Dandelion’s grandmother, Astrid, and his cousin, Lilla. While the former is stoic in the face of his disappearance, Lilla immediately springs into action and asks Geralt to accompany her to the source of his vision: a dark forest deep in the heart of Letten.
What immediately stood out to me in Songs of the Past is just how gorgeous the visuals are. This is likely due to the Remastered‘s many adjustments, which will release as a free upgrade on September 29. The improved mount animations and new lighting help to make the game look like it just released yesterday, rather than being a now 11-year-old title. Yet, it still looks and feels like The Witcher 3. Even with the new coat of paint, there is the same amount of depth in exploration, combat, and narrative as you would expect.
On the subject of the narrative, soon both Geralt and Lilla end up in the old forest. It is connected to an old legend that is core to Letten’s history: long ago, a mad ruler from Dandelion and Lilla’s family had fallen in love with a dark Witch. When the town’s citizens attacked the Witch, the ruler retaliated by killing the citizens and throwing their bodies into the well. This seemed to give the Witch power, as the trees within the forest now absorb blood from any unsuspecting victims and form plant monsters to further defend the ancient area.
This leads right into the first example of the new combat that we were able to see. There are now some new animations which add further weight to combat, as well as entirely rebuilt skill trees. The skill trees in particular give players more ways to customize their build for repeat playthroughs. Both will be added in the Remastered version. What is unique to the expansion, though, is the brand new weapon: a silver chain.
The chain allows players to hook enemies and bring them in close to do a devastating attack. It helps at range and with multiple enemies at a time. It actually calls back to the opening cutscene from the original Witcher, so it seems very fitting to see it make its proper debut in what could be Geralt’s last adventure. All in all, gameplay looks as exciting as ever, especially with the new bosses such as the resurrected plant apparition of the mad ruler.
The demo ended with Geralt saving Lilla from danger, and a dialogue option that seemingly hints towards her being a new romance for the character. The last few moments have Geralt getting grabbed by a creature that has merged with a tree, who may end up being the old witch herself. No matter who it is, I am already so interested to see where The Witcher story goes next with Songs of the Past. Not only that, but the new adjustments made by the Remastered version feel like the perfect excuse for long-time fans to replay the game, and for newcomers to jump in for the first time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered launches on September 29, and it will be available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and Battle.net. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past will follow up in 2027.
