The Witcher 3's 2026 DLC is almost confirmed, but expect some big changes

The Witcher 3 may have been released over a decade ago, but that might not stop it from getting another full-fledged story DLC in 2026. Speculation of a late Witcher 3 expansion began swirling in the summer of 2025, when Polish journalist Borys Niespielak claimed that Fool's Theory, the studio currently working on The Witcher 1 remake, developed it. More recently, Noble Securities market analyst Mateusz Chrzanowski published a report suggesting that a Witcher 3 The DLC would debut at $30 USD this year, further fanning the flames of cautious excitement.

In an article on January 2, 2026, Eurogamer editor Robert Purchese says that he followed up with Niespielak about his Witcher 3 DLC claims: the Polish insider doubled down on his prediction, saying that his statements have been verified by several independent sources. To support his point, he pointed to a financial report from CD Projekt Red in November, in which the studio's CFO said “there is a chance that new content hinted at in recent calls and reports may be released in the coming year, which will impact our results and increase the likelihood of achieving the revenue condition for the first stage of the incentive program.” Purchese reached out to CDPR for comment, and the developer did not confirm or deny the rumors. The expansion is not confirmed, but all signs seem to point to its existence.

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If The Witcher 3 DLC is real, it's probably not being developed by CD Projekt Red

As previously mentioned, this is rumored Witcher 3 The DLC is apparently not being made by CD Projekt Red, but Fool's Theory, a studio best known for not only the upcoming The Witcher 1 remake, but the excellent one The thaumaturgist also; Fool's Theory also supported Larian Studios during the development of Baldur's Gate 3. Needless to say, this is a team with a serious narrative-driven RPG experience, even if it's not the Goliath that is CD Projekt Red.

Fool's Theory leads the development of a new Witcher 3 DLC was an idea first floated by Niespielak, but it was potentially confirmed by another CDPR 2025 investor call, where studio co-CEO Michal Nowakowski vaguely referenced a third unnamed project that Fool's Theory is working on, separate from The Witcher 1s remake and development support for The Witcher 4. It's hard to imagine what else Fool's Theory would be working on, if not one Witcher 3 expansion. It's possible the studio is up to something Cyberpunk related, but this seems unlikely given its other projects.

What all this means is that, while this hypothetical Witcher 3 DLC will probably be more similar The Witcher 3 than The Witcher 4it will probably still be quite distinct. Fool's Theory is a talented studio with great writers—The thaumaturgist alone proves it – but it's still not CDPR. Some Witcher game or expansion led by non-CDPR developers will feel different, its gameplay and story injected with distinct DNA, for better or for worse.

What will the 2026 Witcher 3 DLC be about?

This is the most exciting aspect of this rumored DLC, but also the most unclear: what will it actually look like? Will it follow Geralt or Ciri? Will it happen right after The Witcher 3the main story? Years after that? Under it? Of course, none of these finer details have been revealed or even hinted at, but we can make some educated guesses.

For one thing, Geralt had a fantastic send off at the end of The Witcher 3and Blood and wine expansion strongly suggests he retires, or at least takes a long sabbatical. Assuming the upcoming DLC is set after the events of Blood and wine (which would make sense – what other approach could such a long-delayed DLC take?), throwing Geralt back into the fray could have an undermining effect. It risks contradicting the themes and effects of Blood and wine final.

The solution to this conundrum is quite simple and obvious: make the expansion about Ciri. She will be the main character in The Witcher 4after all, and if that game's sparse promotional material is anything to go by, it appears she undergoes her Witcher transformation before the story begins. It may then be wise to bridge the gap between The Witcher 3 and 4 with a Ciri-focused expansion that guides players through her Witcher mutation. This would be a considerable departure from Geralt's story, and so the differences in tone or style, courtesy of Fool's Theory's distinct talent pool, wouldn't be too jarring.

It might be interesting to see a Ciri-centric story from another developer. In fact, perhaps the worst thing Fool's Theory could do with this rumored expansion would be to emulate CD Projekt Red in the mid-2010s, because that's a legacy that's hard to match.

The Witcher 3 casts a long shadow; Can Fool's Theory come out of it?

Assuming this Witcher 3 expansion is actually real, I don't envy the team at Fool's Theory: CD Projekt Red have long been hailed as DLC brains, with post-launch support for The Witcher 3 is arguably the best DLC expansion in video games. Their only competition may be Ring of Fire: Shadow of the Erdtreeor maybe Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyalso created by CD Projekt Red. Fool's Theory would have its work cut out for it if the aforementioned rumors are true.

But as always, rumors and leaks without official confirmation should be taken with a grain of salt. At the time of writing, CDPR remains tight-lipped, if a little tight-lipped, about the outlook for the future Witcher 3 DLC, and the audience should be careful not to fall into the trap of wishful thinking. Still, I wouldn't turn down another one Witcher 3 expansion, whether it's made by CDPR or not, and I'm sure other fans feel the same way.