- The estimated cost for The Witcher 4 is around $800 million, making it one of the most expensive video games to develop.
- The Witcher 3 cost $81 million to make, meaning the budget for the successor is 10X that.
- There are nearly 500 people working on The Witcher 4, and with a game engine change and a long development lifecycle, the increased budget makes sense.
With brand-new beginnings for The Witcher series and a hiatus of more than a decade, expectations for the upcoming RPG are through the roof. CD Projekt Red is taking its sweet time with the project, hoping not to repeat its past mistakes with Cyberpunk 2077.
The scale of The Witcher 4 will be unlike we’ve ever seen from the studio, as it marks the shift to a brand-new protagonist and a new engine, shifting away from the proprietary redENGINE towards Unreal Engine 5. All of this work has also significantly raised the game’s budget, which is estimated to come down to nearly $800 million by one analyst.
Why it matters: Only a few games (GTA 6 and Star Citizen) have ever surpassed the $500 million budget mark for their development. The Witcher 4, costing nearly $1 billion, goes to show that the upcoming single-player RPG might be one for the books.
As reported by Noble Securities analyst Mateusz Chrzanowski, CD Projekt Red’s release timeline was laid out. In the same report, he mentioned the Witcher 4’s budget, estimating PLN 1.4 billion each for development and marketing costs, which comes down to precisely $776 million.
Just for reference, The Witcher 3 cost $81 million to develop, meaning the development cost for the successor is nearly 10X higher.
Nearly 500 people are working on The Witcher 4, which is set to release in Q4 2027, as per the same report. Furthermore, CD Projekt Red has been investing heavily in Unreal Engine 5, which has increased the game’s development costs.
The report further reveals that the next Witcher trilogy is expected to be released within a 6-year window after The Witcher 4. The entire budget for the trilogy (development only) is PLN 3.2 billion, or $887 million.
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[Staff Writer]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheerzahid03@gmail.com
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