Image of Ciri tossing a Gwent card across the table while two Nilfgaardian soldiers prepare to attack her from behind. Developer CD Project Red has confirmed that the much-beloved card game Gwent will be included in The Witcher 4. Gwent is a fan-favorite side-activity introduced in 2015’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, that sees players deviate from the main questline to seek out card game matches with various NPCs across the vast map.

In an interview with Easy Allies after The Game Awards 2024, The Witcher 4 Game Director Sebastian Kalemba and Executive Producer Gosia Mitręga confirmed that yes, Gwent will be a feature in the Ciri-led game. When asked about Gwent’s potential inclusion, Mitręga replied:

“We love it right, so I guess this is our question! We really love [Gwent] and we also really carefully always listen to the community – which we love, and it’s an amazing [community]. […] I don’t think anyone will be disappointed.”

Kalemba added: “For sure, it’s a part of the experience, right? So absolutely.”

It’s Hard To Imagine The Witcher 4 Without Gwent

Even The Witcher 4’s Ciri Loves Gwent (Hopefully)

Geralt holding up his hand playing Gwent in The Witcher 3. Dragon from The Witcher 3 as it appears in Gwent Overhead still of Geralt sitting down with someone to play Gwent. Geralt holding up his hand playing Gwent in The Witcher 3. Dragon from The Witcher 3 as it appears in Gwent Overhead still of Geralt sitting down with someone to play Gwent.

Gwent is an optional activity in The Witcher 3, meaning that players don’t actually have to partake if they don’t want to. However, Gwent quickly became a fan-favorite feature of the game, even spawning its own standalone version – Gwent: The Witcher Card Game – in both digital and physical formats. As for how popular the game is, on Steam alone, the standalone Gwent has over 26,000 reviews with an overall rating of Very Positive since its release in 2020.

Thanks to its success, it seemed unlikely that CDPR would go ahead with a new Witcher game that doesn’t include Gwent. However, it’s already been confirmed that the new release will be a whole new saga set in the world of the Witcher, so it’s possible that the developers could have left Gwent confined to Geralt’s games. With the game starring Ciri this time around, it’s possible that she might not have been as big a Gwent fan as Geralt, which makes CDPR’s confirmation of its inclusion a welcome relief.

Our Take: It Wouldn’t Be Witcher 4 Without Gwent

It’s Become Synonymous With The Franchise

Filavandrel is a Leader card in Gwent within the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but he first met Geralt long before the games.

I think adding Gwent to The Witcher 4 is an incredibly smart choice by CD Projekt Red. Gwent has become more than just a mini-game; it’s a popular part of The Witcher franchise that many fans enjoy for its strategy and how well it fits into the story. It can make the game a lot easier because entering high-stakes matches with a good deck tends to net Geralt a lot of coins. As a feature that has become synonymous with The Witcher, it wouldn’t make sense to leave it behind in the next installment.

Even though details are still vague, CD Projekt Red developers have promised that players will be happy with Gwent. If the developers remake the original Gwent system, it could be good for modern systems and audiences, but we’ll likely still have a long wait to see just what might change for Gwent in The Witcher 4.