Ethan Crossfield 
After years of major releases and constant content cycles, major franchises still know how to make a quiet announcement feel urgent. CD Projekt Red is doing exactly that with a fresh Witcher 3 update: the first look at the next expansion, Songs of the Past, will be shown during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live stream next month.
First look arriving at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live
CD Projekt Red confirmed that the debut preview for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, will land at this year’s Opening Night Live showcase at Gamescom. The event is scheduled for August 25 and is hosted by Geoff Keighley in Cologne, Germany. Opening Night Live is livestreamed worldwide and, while this year’s event is already sold out in person, it remains accessible to viewers online.
Opening Night Live is one of the industry’s three major showcases, alongside The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest. Its schedule is designed for European nighttime viewing, but the stream timing shifts for other regions—occurring during the day in the US at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CEST.
What’s known about Songs of the Past so far
Songs of the Past is an expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a game now more than a decade old. CD Projekt Red’s earlier announcement left many details unanswered, but the project is being developed alongside Fools Theory, the studio team associated with the Witcher 1 remake. The expansion is slated for release in 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Beyond those broad development and platform details, the first reveal at Gamescom is likely to be the moment the DLC starts to feel tangible for players who have followed the franchise across multiple eras—especially given how well the base game and its prior expansions were received by the community.
Why this matters for the Witcher roadmap
The Witcher 3 is widely seen as a modern benchmark, with an expansive open world and standout side quests, and it previously received two major expansions that matched the quality of the original experience. After that, CD Projekt Red moved into other projects, including Cyberpunk 2077 and its Phantom Liberty expansion, while work continues on The Witcher 4, which is set to star Ciri.
It’s also worth noting that one of The Witcher 3’s directors, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, has left CD Projekt Red. He is now involved with The Blood of Dawnwalker, an upcoming vampiric action RPG that shares creative DNA with the Witcher series. While Songs of the Past is still a Witcher 3 expansion, these shifts across teams and talent underline how the franchise is evolving in parallel with its next mainline chapter.
Key points
- CD Projekt Red will debut the first look at The Witcher 3 DLC Songs of the Past at Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25.
- Songs of the Past is in development alongside Fools Theory, the team behind the Witcher 1 remake.
- Release window is set for 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
- Opening Night Live is hosted by Geoff Keighley and livestreamed worldwide from Cologne, Germany.
Confirmed details for the upcoming DLC reveal
| Item | Confirmed fact |
|---|---|
| Showcase | Gamescom Opening Night Live |
| Reveal | First look at Songs of the Past |
| Date | August 25 |
| Platforms (DLC release) | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC |
| Release year (DLC) | 2027 |
Expert View
This kind of targeted reveal shows how CD Projekt Red is timing major franchise updates to maximize attention—using a mainstream, livestream-forward moment rather than a small, standalone announcement. For the competitive and content-driven gaming community, it also signals that the Witcher ecosystem will remain active well beyond its original spotlight, keeping long-term players engaged while the studio’s next-generation Witcher projects (including The Witcher 4) continue to take shape.
