The Witcher 3's next-gen update to release in December

CD Projekt Red announced that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on December 14. Those who already owned a digital version of the beloved seven-year-old RPG on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will receive the current-gen versions at no extra cost via a free update. 

A current-gen upgrade of The Witcher 3 was announced by the developers all the way back in 2020 not long before the release of Cyberpunk 2077, but was put on the backburner as CDPR worked on improving the sci-fi RPG. Cyberpunk 2077's next-gen update released earlier this year and helped contribute to that game's console player surge during 2022. 

The Witcher 3 is arguably the most important entry in the entire franchise thus far, catapulting CDPR to the stardom that both currently enjoy. Since its 2015 release, it's been a consistent seller for the developers, and back in 2020 was reported to be the primary driver for the franchise's 50 million sales.

And considering how Steam's player count for the fantasy RPG hit a new peak record following the release of the Netflix series, one can imagine that a similar event will occur for PlayStation and Xbox owners.

Everything's coming up The Witcher 3

It's best to look at The Witcher 3 as a gateway to the next slate of Witcher titles that CDPR is developing. Bringing the game to PS5 and Xbox Series consoles comes not long after CDPR announced it's partnering with publisher Fool's Theory to create a remake of the original Witcher game for current consoles. 

Though that remake is years out, having The Witcher 3 out on current consoles is a good way to tide over players until then. It also builds anticipation and interest in seeing how that remake stacks up to the most recent entry in the series. Similarly, you can apply a similar logic to the new saga of Witcher titles that CDPR is developing. 

Every franchise has an entry that becomes a lynchpin for the entries to follow. In a lot of cases, it's usually the original entry (or second, for some like Mass Effect or Assassin's Creed). That it's The Witcher 3 rather than the first two games put into perspective what kind of foundation and staying power it has as CDPR commits itself to furthering the series.