There are infinite possibilities for what CD Projekt Red’s new Witcher saga will be like. It could stick to what earned The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt its popularity and not change a thing about gameplay, for example, or it could be an entirely refocused series of games with different gameplay features. Knowing that The Witcher 4 will be a story-driven, open-world action RPG is enticing enough for many fans as it is, but many remarkable open-world games have been released since The Witcher 3 that have rewritten the book on how to design an open world in games.
Elden Ring is easily the most notable example of an emergent open-world experience lately, and many fans would likely be pleased if The Witcher 4 drew inspiration from FromSoftware. Otherwise, there are characteristics of a lot of action RPGs that The Witcher 3 did not have and could potentially make The Witcher 4 a distinct installment. It will not be guaranteed what features or mechanics are added until more about the new saga is shared, and until then there are a few features that would likely make most fans happy to see.
Character Customization with a New Witcher Protagonist
One of the reigning hopes for The Witcher 4 is that it could potentially allow fans to fully customize their own Witcher protagonist. Character customization has blossomed recently with many more options for inclusivity and representation, and while Geralt of Rivia is obviously an iconic character there are likely fans who would prefer for the next Witcher story to be theirs, not Geralt’s.
This would also open up The Witcher 4’s narrative in a tremendous way, allowing for new characters and new interactions that players would not anticipate. Following the trend of many open-world action RPGs that have character customization, it would be great to see the player’s own avatar represented.
The Return of The Witcher 3's Gwent
Gwent has become massively popular since The Witcher 3, which resulted in its own spin-off games, and CD Projekt Red would be remiss not to reprise it in its new Witcher saga. Gwent could be brought back in an identical capacity to how it was in The Witcher 3 and that would be all fans need to be satiated, so long as it had new cards to collect throughout the open world.
However, Gwent could also be given a much more substantial role, where puzzle trials could be introduced similarly to Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales’ own Gwent puzzles. This could help break the monotony of traditional Gwent matches and offer unique rewards in the open world if players have been hanging onto any cards they come across. Gwent has since gone on to inspire other open-world games to feature their own collectible mini-games, and it would be a huge letdown if CD Projekt Red abandoned its own in the Witcher’s future.
Soulslike Action RPG Mechanics in The Witcher 4
It is arguable that the Soulslike genre could be experiencing a bit of fatigue with so many games now adopting those mechanics, but it is a popular subgenre for a reason. The excitement surrounding Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC demonstrates that many fans are still indulging in Soulslike festivities, and the Witcher franchise would be smart to strike while the iron is hot and lean into that.
The Witcher 3 was not too far off from Soulslike mechanics seen in FromSoftware’s action RPGs anyway, but having that be an unabashed approach to gameplay could help to distinguish its combat further than its basic hack-’n-slash attacks. Combat was not necessarily bad in The Witcher 3, though that is perhaps where the franchise could improve the most concerning aspects of gameplay.
A new Witcher game is in development.