The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has already received two major expansions, a critically acclaimed tv series and now a substantial Remastered upgrade, so bringing Geralt of Rivia back for another adventure more than a decade after his original journey is an ambitious proposition. Songs of the Past is nevertheless doing exactly that, sending the veteran Witcher to the previously unexplored region of Letten for a story that puts his longtime friend Dandelion at the centre of another supernatural mystery. After seeing a lengthy hands-off demonstration of the expansion and the accompanying Remaster at Gamescom, it looks like CD PROJEKT RED is betting that there is still enough life left in Geralt’s story to justify one more trip down the Path.
What we know
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past is a new story-driven RPG expansion from CD PROJEKT RED, co-developed with Fool’s Theory, that returns Geralt to the Continent for another monster-hunting adventure. This time, the Witcher travels to Letten, a new open-world region connected closely to Dandelion and his family. What initially appears to be an idyllic, prosperous corner of the world hides a much darker history, and Geralt soon becomes involved in a mystery surrounding a long-dormant supernatural threat. Dandelion’s disappearance provides the personal motivation for the investigation, while the choices made along the way can have consequences for the people of Letten and Geralt’s relationships.
The expansion introduces dozens of quests and new locations to explore, alongside new enemies and gameplay mechanics. Geralt also gains access to unique mutagens and a new chain weapon that can be used to pull enemies towards him and exploit weaknesses. Songs of the Past is designed around the updated version of The Witcher 3, with its improved visuals, combat, movement, character progression and other systemic changes forming an important part of the expansion’s foundation. The Remaster is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, while Songs of the Past is planned for the same platforms. The expansion does not yet have a specific release date, although it is currently scheduled for 2027.
What we saw
This preview is based on a lengthy hands-off demonstration of a PC build shown by CD PROJEKT RED during Gamescom. The presentation covered a substantial portion of Songs of the Past while also highlighting the broader changes introduced by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered. The demonstration followed Geralt as he arrived in Letten, investigated Dandelion’s disappearance and became involved with Dandelion’s family before venturing into the Garden of Thorns, a dangerous forest hiding some of the region’s darker secrets. Along the way, the presentation showed the new chain weapon, several new enemies and the Remaster’s improved combat, movement and visual presentation.
What we thought
The most immediately convincing part of Songs of the Past is its premise. Rather than sending Geralt to an entirely disconnected corner of the Continent, the expansion uses Dandelion as the thread tying this new adventure into the existing story. That gives the journey a personal reason to exist, particularly for players who have spent hundreds of hours with these characters. Dandelion’s disappearance, his complicated family history and Geralt’s involvement with his relatives provide a more intimate starting point than simply introducing another monster outbreak, while Letten itself offers plenty of room for the familiar Witcher contrast between beautiful surroundings and unpleasant secrets. The setup does, however, raise an obvious question: after Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine already gave Geralt substantial conclusions to his journey, can another adventure genuinely feel necessary rather than simply welcome? The material shown so far does not completely answer that, but the focus on Dandelion at least gives the expansion a strong thematic reason to exist.
Letten also looks like a strong addition to The Witcher 3’s world. The region presented during the demonstration is greener and more peaceful than many of the game’s traditional settings, with farmland, a large lake and lively settlements creating an appealing contrast with the darker locations Geralt eventually explores. That contrast becomes particularly effective when the Garden of Thorns turns the picturesque surroundings into something much more sinister. New enemies such as the Swarmians, which use swarms of insects as protection, give the expansion some appropriately strange creatures to throw at the Witcher, while the supernatural elements surrounding Letten suggest that its history will be more important than its idyllic appearance initially suggests. The presentation naturally kept some of the mystery intact, but what was shown indicates that the expansion understands one of The Witcher 3’s most effective tricks: making a seemingly straightforward local problem gradually reveal something considerably more disturbing underneath.
The new chain weapon is another promising addition, particularly because it fits neatly into the Remaster’s broader combat overhaul. Geralt can use it from a distance to hook enemies and pull them closer, while certain opponents appear specifically designed around its capabilities. It gives combat another tool to consider instead of simply adding another attack to an already extensive arsenal, and the demonstrated finishing moves make particularly good use of it. At the same time, a hands-off presentation makes it difficult to judge how satisfying the weapon will actually feel in regular play. The same applies to the Remaster’s revamped combat: Geralt certainly appears more responsive, his movements are smoother and the improved dodging and finishing animations make encounters look considerably more fluid, but actually playing the system will be necessary to determine whether these changes fix one of the original game’s more dated aspects or merely make it look better.
That visual improvement is arguably doing some of the heaviest lifting in making Songs of the Past exciting at this stage. The Witcher 3 is now more than a decade old, yet Letten’s landscapes, denser vegetation and atmospheric lighting give the world a renewed sense of wonder. The transformation from sunny countryside to an ominous forest under a huge moon is particularly effective, while enhanced effects such as the updated Witcher Signs help the combat look more substantial. The audio and character work also retain the personality that made Geralt’s original adventure so memorable, with the dialogue and interactions around Dandelion’s family providing some of the strongest moments of the demonstration. Songs of the Past therefore arrives with a useful advantage: it does not have to reinvent The Witcher 3 to be interesting. If the story can maintain the quality of its setup and the new mechanics prove as effective in practice as they appear in the demonstration, the Remaster could provide exactly the fresh coat of paint needed to make one more journey with Geralt feel worthwhile.