Gwent Returns in Witcher 3's Songs of the Past — CD Projekt Red Makes It Official
Key takeaways
- CD Projekt Red's Marcin Łukaszewski confirmed Gwent's return in Songs of the Past via X/Twitter.
- Songs of the Past is a story prologue expansion for The Witcher 3, targeting a 2027 release.
- A full expansion reveal is scheduled for gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live.
CD Projekt Red community and social media manager Marcin Łukaszewski confirmed on X/Twitter that Songs of the Past, the upcoming expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, will include expanded Gwent content. The confirmation came in the most direct way possible — a single word reply to a fan asking whether the beloved card game would return: 'Confirmed!' That brevity has done nothing to dim the excitement reverberating through the Witcher community.
The Witcher 3 originally launched in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim, earning praise for Doug Cockle's performance as Geralt, its sprawling RPG world, and a level of detail rarely matched in open-world games. Among all its memorable elements, Gwent stood out as a side activity that transcended its role as a distraction. The in-game card experience went on to become a standalone title in 2017, and then a real-life tabletop product in 2025 — a trajectory that very few game-within-a-game concepts have ever achieved.
Songs of the Past is positioned as a full-fledged story expansion described by CD Projekt Red as a prologue to the events of The Witcher 3. This distinguishes it from the previous two expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, which both extended Geralt's journey forward. Blood and Wine launched back in 2016, meaning fans will have waited over a decade by the time Songs of the Past arrives in 2027.
The timing of the Gwent confirmation is notable because CD Projekt Red had already scheduled a broader reveal of Songs of the Past for gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live, which was less than 24 hours away from the original report. That means fans are about to get a much fuller picture of what the expansion entails, with Gwent now confirmed as at least one confirmed piece of the puzzle.
CD Projekt Red is managing multiple major projects simultaneously, with The Witcher 4 separately confirmed to be on track for a 2028 release. Songs of the Past appears designed to reinvigorate excitement in the existing Witcher 3 world while the studio continues building its next mainline entry. Whether the expansion leans heavily into Gwent or treats it as one feature among many remains to be seen from the gamescom reveal.
The bigger picture
The Gwent confirmation matters more than it might initially appear, because it signals that CD Projekt Red understands precisely what made The Witcher 3's world feel alive. Gwent was never just a minigame — it was a social fabric threaded through the game's taverns and villages, giving Geralt a reason to linger in places the main quest would otherwise rush him past. Bringing it back for Songs of the Past suggests the expansion will aim to recreate that same sense of unhurried world-building rather than simply delivering a linear story add-on.
From a competitive standpoint, this announcement arrives at a time when the RPG expansion market is fiercely contested. Expansions like Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree have reset expectations for what post-launch content can achieve critically and commercially. CD Projekt Red faces real pressure to demonstrate that returning to The Witcher 3 a decade later is a creative decision, not a nostalgia cash grab. Gwent's inclusion is a smart early signal — it reassures the fanbase that the studio remembers what the community actually valued, not just what reviewed well.
What readers should watch closely at gamescom 2026 is how Songs of the Past is scoped. A prologue framing is an intriguing structural choice that could either feel like a meaningful new entry point into Geralt's world or a relatively brief prequel chapter. If Gwent returns with new cards, new opponents, or story integration, that would suggest the expansion is investing real development resources into fan priorities. If it's treated as a small cameo, the current wave of celebration may cool quickly once players get hands-on time.
We're covering Songs of the Past closely here at LagPing because The Witcher 3 is one of those rare games that essentially redefined what open-world RPGs could be — and a new expansion, even years later, is genuinely newsworthy. The Gwent detail specifically caught our attention because it tells us something about CD Projekt Red's intentions for this project. Studios don't typically flag beloved minigame systems in early communications unless those systems are meaningfully woven into the experience. The timing here is also fascinating: with The Witcher 4 confirmed for 2028, this expansion functions almost like a bridge between eras for the franchise. We'll be watching gamescom 2026 closely for the full reveal and will have coverage as soon as the details drop.
As an Amazon Associate, LagPing earns from qualifying purchases. Product links are affiliate links.
You might also like
Proto Man Returns as Dual Override's Second Playable Character with Aggressive Close-Range Combat
Sep 17
Team Ninja's Samurai Soulslike Returns March 2027 With Day-One Game Pass Access
Sep 16
Pokémon Returns to Theaters with Card Game-Focused Film in 2027
Aug 31
Witcher 3 Gets Free Visual Overhaul, Combat Revamp, and Both DLCs Ahead of Songs of the Past
Aug 26