The Witcher 4 might just be one of the most anticipated games of the year

There are some games we look forward to because of flashy trailers or clever marketing (if this got you thinking of a highly-anticipated title, you are not alone). And then there are games we look forward to because they look like something we’ve never seen before yet evoke a certain sense of nostalgia. 

The Witcher 4 sits firmly in the second category. And its nomination for Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards was never just about what we saw in a teaser, but was about what we already carry with us. The memories of Geralt’s journey, complicated affection for the Continent, years of waiting, and hoping and imagining where the story could go next.

For many players, this nomination is a reminder that the Witcher universe still lives inside us. Even after nearly a decade, it has remained one of those rare worlds that refuses to fade. And this year, when its name was read out among the Most Anticipated Game nominees, it made complete sense.

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The legacy of the Witcher 3 

There is no avoiding it. The Witcher 3 is one of those once-in-a-generation RPGs that changed player expectations forever. If you played it back in 2015, you probably still remember the feeling of stepping out into White Orchard for the first time. You probably remember your favourite side quests more clearly than entire plots from other games. The Bloody Baron, the Crones, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Few titles have ever blended character, choice and world-building with this much soul.

It is easy to dismiss nostalgia as the reason The Witcher 4 generates so much hype, but it is not purely nostalgia. It is also trust. Many gamers trust CD Projekt Red’s ability to create living, breathing worlds because they already gave us one of the best ever made. Even today The Witcher 3 keeps climbing back into Steam’s top charts. New players discover it every month and veterans revisit it like an old book they cannot stop rereading.

When a game shapes almost a decade of RPG conversations, any sequel will automatically carry expectations. But in the case of The Witcher 4, those expectations come with love rather than pressure. We want the next chapter because the last one mattered.

The Netflix show effect

Even if someone never touched a Witcher game, there is a good chance they know who Geralt of Rivia is. The Netflix series, for all its ups and downs, expanded the Witcher universe far beyond gaming circles. Suddenly parents, friends and colleagues were discussing Kaer Morhen and talking about Yen and Ciri. Toss a Coin became a cultural moment. Memes exploded. And with every season, the fanbase kept growing.

This matters for The Witcher 4. The nomination is not just fuelled by gamers. It comes from an audience that has been living in this world through books, shows, anime spin-offs and everything in between. The franchise now exists across multiple mediums, and each one feeds anticipation for the next game.

Thus, The Witcher is no longer a niche fantasy game. It is a universal story of flawed people trying to find purpose in a world that keeps twisting fate. That resonance is one of the reasons The Witcher 4 feels so important. The nomination acknowledges how big and emotionally rooted the universe has become.

The trailer was full of possibilities, not answers

When CDPR dropped the new teaser, it barely revealed anything. A medallion in the snow. A shift in tone. A hint at the School of the Lynx. Unreal Engine 5’s visual fidelity. A world that looked familiar but also different, like returning to your hometown after years away and noticing both the new cafes and the cracks in the walls.

Yet fans reacted with overwhelming excitement. Because what we saw was not just a symbol. It was a message. The franchise is moving forward. Geralt’s story may have been told, but the Continent still has countless secrets waiting to unfold. The Lynx School signals a fresh direction. A new protagonist opens the door for new moral choices. And the tone suggests a darker journey, one shaped by consequences rather than nostalgia.

There was something refreshing about how the teaser felt. It trusted the audience. It let us imagine. And honestly, games rarely do that anymore.

So, when The Game Awards spotlighted The Witcher 4 as one of the year’s most anticipated titles, it felt completely right. The Witcher universe has earned that excitement through remarkable storytelling, cultural impact and years of emotional resonance.

We do not know exactly what The Witcher 4 will be. And perhaps that is what makes it so exciting. All we know is that we are ready. Ready to return to the Continent, meet new characters, make new choices, and feel something powerful again.

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