Coliseum

Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Publisher:
Xbox Game Studios

Developer:
Undead Labs

Release:
2027

Rating:
Mature

It’s been six years since State of Decay 3 was announced during a 2020 Xbox Games Showcase, and in the time since, the gaming landscape – as well as the company of its then-parent company, Xbox – has shifted dramatically. Not only has Xbox adjusted its business model and transitioned to a new leadership team, but we have seen the entirety of the Xbox Series X/S generation to this point play out in the time since the announcement. The debut trailer seemed to come and go with little substance beyond the 2020 trailer, and Xbox’s business woes became so dire that many worried State of Decay 3 would never see the light of day. Thankfully, I had the chance to not only watch a hands-off session with the developers at Undead Labs, but spend some time claiming some encampments, destroying a Plague Heart, and, of course, mowing down hordes of zombies.

Emergent storytelling is the name of the game with State of Decay. As you recruit survivors to beef up your encampment, you must ensure you have the resources and weaponry to help your group survive and defend its home, with continually evolving variables to account for at each and every step. As with State of Decay 2, you must carefully consider which survivors you bring on missions. For example, one character might be better in combat, while another is better in negotiations. But it’s never that simple; in my demo, one character had various combat-focused perks, but had a negative trait of being easily overwhelmed. You can evolve those negative traits by completing tasks associated with those negative traits – in this case, killing zombies in high-pressure situations – but it never fully goes away.

In State of Decay 3, moving around feels much better. This is never more evident than when driving a car; it’s clear Undead Labs worked hard to make vehicles feel better than in this game’s predecessor. And you’ll need it, as the Plague Hearts, epicenters of zombie infestations, now operate on networks, where a single Plague Heart has far-reaching effects. Now, if a Plague Heart is too strong for your current survivor squad, you can go clear out other, less intense areas within the network to weaken the central Heart. But don’t worry, even when we attempted a Plague Heart on the lowest severity with three people, it was still a pretty intense battle.

Though my gameplay session was entirely multiplayer, Undead Labs assures me that single-player remains a keen focus for the studio, despite hoping that people who typically play alone turn it into a more social experience. “Personally, I play the bejesus out of this in single-player, so that’s one of the ways in which I get a lot of validation that it’s still working,” executive producer Patrick Hooley says. “But our alpha [test] audience is a great proof point for it because we’re historically so single-player based. We wanted to bring those players in to experience our multiplayer and our single-player to make sure that we’re still going to be satisfying for that. For our hardcore audience that loves single-player, they’re saying ‘Yes, this is totally working,’ and we’re even getting some of those folks who are historically single-player heavy to dabble in multiplayer and have their perspectives shift and think like, ‘Oh, this might actually be the best way to play the game.'”

Perhaps most exciting to that end, Undead has implemented a new system letting you invite people to join your save file. Once you do this, they can jump in and play whether you’re there or not, sharing the world, as well as its characters. However, with choice, consequence, and permadeath serving as crucial components for the State of Decay franchise, you’d be wise to carefully consider who you invite to share your save file.

After being announced in 2020, State of Decay 3 went largely silent. However, in that time, Undead Labs has clearly been hard at work. Following the less-than-stellar launch of State of Decay 2, which Hooley describes to me as “the hair-on-fire, the ship’s-got-some-holes-in-it” phase, Undead focused on not only getting that game into a much better state, but applying lessons learned from that game’s lifecycle to ensure State of Decay 3 is in a much better place. And based on my hands-on time with the game, this early build is already more stable than State of Decay 2 was at launch.

“By pushing to a live audience as early as May of this year, that’s helped us get a little bit battle-hardened, and we’re going to get even more battle-hardened before we actually launch this thing,” Hooley says. “The single biggest lesson we learned is building the game with the community. State of Decay 2 had a little bit of a rocky launch, and now we’re very proud of where we got it to.”

And of course, it goes without saying that Undead Labs has gone through more stress this year than just ironing out bugs. Earlier this summer, the studio, which was acquired by Xbox in 2018, was reported to be on the chopping block for potential closure amid Xbox’s sweeping layoffs and cost-cutting measures. Thankfully for the studio and its fans, Undead was sold to an undisclosed new owner shortly after those reports, giving State of Decay 3 a new lease on life and a much higher chance of release. State of Decay 3 is scheduled to arrive in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

In 2008, Kojima Productions released what was billed as the swan song for Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear series: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The game had the staggering task of tying up decades of storytelling by bringing together Solid Snake, Ocelot, Otacon, Raiden, and many more characters for one explosive finale. The adventure centers on a rapidly aging Solid Snake racing against the clock to stop his twin and nemesis, Liquid Snake, one last time. Of course, there are far more bizarre shenanigans at play. 

Guns of the Patriots was acclaimed for its storytelling, cinematic presentation, and evolution of the series’ stealth gameplay, namely the OctoCamo suit that allowed Snake to mimic the appearance/texture of any surface he touched. It is also one of the few games to score a rare 10/10 from Game Informer. Now, thanks to the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, we can finally revisit MGS 4 without dusting off a PlayStation 3. 

Join recent Metal Gear convert Charles Harte, who will be on the sticks to experience Guns of the Patriots (via the Master Collection Vol. 2) for the very first time, alongside long-time series fan Marcus Stewart, who is revisiting MGS 4 for the first time in over a decade. The stream kicks off today live on Twitch and YouTube starting at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET, and will continue each week until we roll credits. 

Episode 1 – Charles Goes in Blind

In 2008, Kojima Productions released what was billed as the swan song for Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear series: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The game had the staggering task of tying up decades of storytelling by bringing together Solid Snake, Ocelot, Otacon, Raiden, and many more characters for one explosive finale. The adventure centers on a rapidly aging Solid Snake racing against the clock to stop his twin and nemesis, Liquid Snake, one last time. Of course, there are far more bizarre shenanigans at play. 

Guns of the Patriots was acclaimed for its storytelling, cinematic presentation, and evolution of the series’ stealth gameplay, namely the OctoCamo suit that allowed Snake to mimic the appearance/texture of any surface he touched. It is also one of the few games to score a rare 10/10 from Game Informer. Now, thanks to the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, we can finally revisit MGS 4 without dusting off a PlayStation 3. 

Join recent Metal Gear convert Charles Harte, who will be on the sticks to experience Guns of the Patriots (via the Master Collection Vol. 2) for the very first time, alongside long-time series fan Marcus Stewart, who is revisiting MGS 4 for the first time in over a decade. The stream kicks off today live on Twitch and YouTube starting at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET, and will continue each week until we roll credits. 

Today, Rockstar finally raised the curtain on Grand Theft Auto VI, and we got our first good look at what the game will actually play like. While we saw footage of GTA staples like shootouts and police chases, anyone who’s played one of these massive open-world games knows that many of the most memorable moments are the optional side activities. Today’s trailer showed a lot of them, and while we don’t yet know if all of them are actually playable, we’ve gathered every activity we could spot in one article.

Racing

Grand Theft Auto is synonymous with driving recklessly, but it’s always fun to have the option to race in a more buttoned-up setting as well. In this brief clip, we see the player behind the wheel of a proper rally car on a proper race course.

Kayaking

Jason and Lucia can enjoy the waterways in kayaks, arguably the least-destructive vehicle in the game. The game’s setting of Leonida is a parody of Florida, so there are likely an abundant number of places for players to canoe.

Lifting Weights

We see Lucia hit the bench press in this minigame, which seems to have the player squeezing both of the triggers on a PlayStation 5 controller to lift and drop this barbell. We also saw Jason lifting weights in an earlier trailer, but this is the first confirmation that it’s a game mechanic in the vein of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The Strip Club

Yes, you can make it rain in Grand Theft Auto VI. Jason and Lucia’s romantic relationship potentially could have called this element into question, but it looks like they’re at the club together in this clip.

Shooting Range

Lucia shoots automatic weapons and a pistol in this clip, training in what resembles a military facility. Whoever is playing as her has pretty good aim. We’re looking forward to seeing people speedrun these ranges.

Base Jumping/Parachuting

We don’t see any organized structure for this moment in the trailer, but it’s a fun returning mechanic, nonetheless.

Backyard Wrestling

Jason gets totally destroyed by his wrestling opponent in this clip, but hopefully players will have more luck in the ring once they get their hands on the controller.

Off-Road Racing

Lucia speeds around a corner on a dirt bike in this shot, where she competes against other bikes, ATVs, and even a car, by the looks of it.

Watching TV

This one is admittedly a bit of a guess, but Rockstar shows off two distinct parody commercials in a moment when Jason hangs out on the couch and waits for his girlfriend to get ready. 

Basketball

Jason makes a great shot when we see him playing basketball, though it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to face off against any opponents when he plays.

Scuba Diving

GTA VI doesn’t just have swimming, it has full on scuba diving, and this clip shows one of the protagonists exploring some kind of underwater cave area.

Airboating

This is an airboat, which is a vehicle that I’m admittedly unfamiliar with, since I grew up in the suburbs of Ohio. It seems to be a great way to navigate Leonida’s Everglades parody, though, and Jason seems comfortable piloting it.

Jet Skiing

This scenic sunset jet ski race is a great use of GTA VI’s setting. I assume it’s a race, anyways – there’s no UI to indicate as such, but Lucia is trailing behind two other jet skiers as they rocket around a bend.

Which side activity are you most excited for in GTA VI? Let us know in the comments!

Today, Rockstar finally raised the curtain on Grand Theft Auto VI, and we got our first good look at what the game will actually play like. While we saw footage of GTA staples like shootouts and police chases, anyone who’s played one of these massive open-world games knows that many of the most memorable moments are the optional side activities. Today’s trailer showed a lot of them, and while we don’t yet know if all of them are actually playable, we’ve gathered every activity we could spot in one article.

Racing

Grand Theft Auto is synonymous with driving recklessly, but it’s always fun to have the option to race in a more buttoned-up setting as well. In this brief clip, we see the player behind the wheel of a proper rally car on a proper race course.

Kayaking

Jason and Lucia can enjoy the waterways in kayaks, arguably the least-destructive vehicle in the game. The game’s setting of Leonida is a parody of Florida, so there are likely an abundant number of places for players to canoe.

Lifting Weights

We see Lucia hit the bench press in this minigame, which seems to have the player squeezing both of the triggers on a PlayStation 5 controller to lift and drop this barbell. We also saw Jason lifting weights in an earlier trailer, but this is the first confirmation that it’s a game mechanic in the vein of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The Strip Club

Yes, you can make it rain in Grand Theft Auto VI. Jason and Lucia’s romantic relationship potentially could have called this element into question, but it looks like they’re at the club together in this clip.

Shooting Range

Lucia shoots automatic weapons and a pistol in this clip, training in what resembles a military facility. Whoever is playing as her has pretty good aim. We’re looking forward to seeing people speedrun these ranges.

Base Jumping/Parachuting

We don’t see any organized structure for this moment in the trailer, but it’s a fun returning mechanic, nonetheless.

Backyard Wrestling

Jason gets totally destroyed by his wrestling opponent in this clip, but hopefully players will have more luck in the ring once they get their hands on the controller.

Off-Road Racing

Lucia speeds around a corner on a dirt bike in this shot, where she competes against other bikes, ATVs, and even a car, by the looks of it.

Watching TV

This one is admittedly a bit of a guess, but Rockstar shows off two distinct parody commercials in a moment when Jason hangs out on the couch and waits for his girlfriend to get ready. 

Basketball

Jason makes a great shot when we see him playing basketball, though it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to face off against any opponents when he plays.

Scuba Diving

GTA VI doesn’t just have swimming, it has full on scuba diving, and this clip shows one of the protagonists exploring some kind of underwater cave area.

Airboating

This is an airboat, which is a vehicle that I’m admittedly unfamiliar with, since I grew up in the suburbs of Ohio. It seems to be a great way to navigate Leonida’s Everglades parody, though, and Jason seems comfortable piloting it.

Jet Skiing

This scenic sunset jet ski race is a great use of GTA VI’s setting. I assume it’s a race, anyways – there’s no UI to indicate as such, but Lucia is trailing behind two other jet skiers as they rocket around a bend.

Which side activity are you most excited for in GTA VI? Let us know in the comments!

Rockstar’s first extended look at gameplay for Grand Theft Auto VI aired exclusively on Netflix this afternoon, giving subscribers the first glance at moment-to-moment action as well as plenty of story cinematics. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription and can’t wait until the footage is uploaded to Rockstar’s YouTube channel at 9 p.m. ET tonight, here’s a summary of what this extended look had to offer. 

Instead of presenting this footage, which Rockstar billed as being captured on PlayStation 5, as a guided trailer breaking down Grand Theft Auto VI’s gameplay, the video is essentially a very long trailer featuring a montage of different story missions and open-world moments. The presentation largely focuses on the various criminal jobs undertaken by dual protagonists and romantic couple Jason and Lucia. You can switch between controlling both characters, and the first mission shown depicts the pair visiting an apartment building to pick up goods from a drug dealer on behalf of music mogul and entrepreneur Boobie Ike. This deal goes sour as someone close to the operation betrays them to the police, triggering a massive shootout with the invading officers. This sequence shows some of GTA VI’s gunplay, with Jason blasting through targets using firearms such as an assault rifle and shotgun from behind cover as the AI-controlled Lucia provides covering fire.

Another segment shows Lucia and Jason at home getting dolled up for a meeting, giving us a glimpse at smaller interactions such as choosing beers, prompting Lucia to hurry up, while the living room TV plays humorous commercials such as a parody of Arby’s. Once they depart, Jason and Lucia meet their boss and primary mission giver, Brian Heder, and his wife, Lori, on a rooftop bar to discuss taking on a new job. Footage of the pair driving to this meeting provides an in-game look at the contemporary Vice City setting, which, speaking as a lifelong Floridian who has visited Miami many times, looks spot-on; I especially enjoyed seeing Rockstar recreate Miami’s congested, twisting highway roads that weave around high-rise apartments and other buildings. The UI is minimal, but similar to previous GTA games, though the mini-map appears to render buildings as 3D models.

The next mission sees Jason and Lucia serve as a getaway driver for career bank robber Raul Bautista. This appears to be the pair’s first meeting with Bautista, who barks orders from the backseat as Lucia, behind the wheel, must flee incoming cop cars. Bautista orders Jason to the backseat with him, showing off a sequence with Jason using an assault rifle to pepper police cars and helicopters with bullets (with a 4-star wanted rating visible on screen). Police cars flip over and careen into buildings thanks to Jason’s sharpshooting, and the chaotic chase ends when the pair lose the heat long enough to switch vehicles. Lucia torches their original car using a Molotov selected from a weapon wheel to eliminate any evidence. Once the three reach their destination in their new, more inconspicuous van, Batista pays the two, seemingly kicking off the first of what will likely be a long working relationship between the three.

The final mission shown sees Jason and Lucia hired as security for a wealthy and enthusiastic mogul named Andrés. He’s arrived in Vice City to attend the lavish opening of the first American headquarters for a Spanish-language media company called Megamundo (likely GTA VI’s version of the real-world Miami-based network Telemundo). As Andrés retreats to a “private business meeting” upstairs, Lucia is posted at the event itself. The scene cuts to Jason heading up to retrieve Andrés for a speech, only to find him doing drugs with his friends and refusing to come down. In a scene reminiscent of Die Hard, armed goons suddenly storm the skyscraper, taking hostages and looking for money. Lucia and Jason, separated by several floors, engage in various fights to protect their client and themselves. A gunfight in this section shows off a slow-motion feature for gunplay, though it’s unclear if this is a cinematic or gameplay feature. 

Between these major segments, Rockstar showed off clips of various open-world activities. These include fishing, kayaking, base jumping, scuba diving, jetskiing, airboating, and even backyard wrestling. We also saw clips of various types of racing, such as dirt bike, nighttime street racing, and even stock car challenges). The video also highlighted silly moments. At one point, Lucia unknowingly steals a car with an influencer in the trunk. Turns out he’s livestreaming a “lock yourself in a trunk” challenge, and the following police chase sees him broadcasting the entire chase, complete with a live chat on screen. 

Grand Theft Auto VI looks unsurprisingly wild and impressive in this footage, though it remains to be seen what new features it brings to the table just yet. Rockstar has yet to plainly detail the game’s features, leaving it up to fans to inspect its footage to point out mechanics or postulate the broader implications of any given scene. Unless Rockstar plans to do this in the next few weeks, fans may have to find out for themselves when Grand Theft Auto VI launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19. You can learn more about today’s trailer in this separate feature where we identify every potential side activity shown in the footage.

Rockstar’s first extended look at gameplay for Grand Theft Auto VI aired exclusively on Netflix this afternoon, giving subscribers the first glance at moment-to-moment action as well as plenty of story cinematics. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription and can’t wait until the footage is uploaded to Rockstar’s YouTube channel at 9 p.m. ET tonight, here’s a summary of what this extended look had to offer. 

Instead of presenting this footage, which Rockstar billed as being captured on PlayStation 5, as a guided trailer breaking down Grand Theft Auto VI’s gameplay, the video is essentially a very long trailer featuring a montage of different story missions and open-world moments. The presentation largely focuses on the various criminal jobs undertaken by dual protagonists and romantic couple Jason and Lucia. You can switch between controlling both characters, and the first mission shown depicts the pair visiting an apartment building to pick up goods from a drug dealer on behalf of music mogul and entrepreneur Boobie Ike. This deal goes sour as someone close to the operation betrays them to the police, triggering a massive shootout with the invading officers. This sequence shows some of GTA VI’s gunplay, with Jason blasting through targets using firearms such as an assault rifle and shotgun from behind cover as the AI-controlled Lucia provides covering fire.

Another segment shows Lucia and Jason at home getting dolled up for a meeting, giving us a glimpse at smaller interactions such as choosing beers, prompting Lucia to hurry up, while the living room TV plays humorous commercials such as a parody of Arby’s. Once they depart, Jason and Lucia meet their boss and primary mission giver, Brian Heder, and his wife, Lori, on a rooftop bar to discuss taking on a new job. Footage of the pair driving to this meeting provides an in-game look at the contemporary Vice City setting, which, speaking as a lifelong Floridian who has visited Miami many times, looks spot-on; I especially enjoyed seeing Rockstar recreate Miami’s congested, twisting highway roads that weave around high-rise apartments and other buildings. The UI is minimal, but similar to previous GTA games, though the mini-map appears to render buildings as 3D models.

The next mission sees Jason and Lucia serve as a getaway driver for career bank robber Raul Bautista. This appears to be the pair’s first meeting with Bautista, who barks orders from the backseat as Lucia, behind the wheel, must flee incoming cop cars. Bautista orders Jason to the backseat with him, showing off a sequence with Jason using an assault rifle to pepper police cars and helicopters with bullets (with a 4-star wanted rating visible on screen). Police cars flip over and careen into buildings thanks to Jason’s sharpshooting, and the chaotic chase ends when the pair lose the heat long enough to switch vehicles. Lucia torches their original car using a Molotov selected from a weapon wheel to eliminate any evidence. Once the three reach their destination in their new, more inconspicuous van, Batista pays the two, seemingly kicking off the first of what will likely be a long working relationship between the three.

The final mission shown sees Jason and Lucia hired as security for a wealthy and enthusiastic mogul named Andrés. He’s arrived in Vice City to attend the lavish opening of the first American headquarters for a Spanish-language media company called Megamundo (likely GTA VI’s version of the real-world Miami-based network Telemundo). As Andrés retreats to a “private business meeting” upstairs, Lucia is posted at the event itself. The scene cuts to Jason heading up to retrieve Andrés for a speech, only to find him doing drugs with his friends and refusing to come down. In a scene reminiscent of Die Hard, armed goons suddenly storm the skyscraper, taking hostages and looking for money. Lucia and Jason, separated by several floors, engage in various fights to protect their client and themselves. A gunfight in this section shows off a slow-motion feature for gunplay, though it’s unclear if this is a cinematic or gameplay feature. 

Between these major segments, Rockstar showed off clips of various open-world activities. These include fishing, kayaking, base jumping, scuba diving, jetskiing, airboating, and even backyard wrestling. We also saw clips of various types of racing, such as dirt bike, nighttime street racing, and even stock car challenges). The video also highlighted silly moments. At one point, Lucia unknowingly steals a car with an influencer in the trunk. Turns out he’s livestreaming a “lock yourself in a trunk” challenge, and the following police chase sees him broadcasting the entire chase, complete with a live chat on screen. 

Grand Theft Auto VI looks unsurprisingly wild and impressive in this footage, though it remains to be seen what new features it brings to the table just yet. Rockstar has yet to plainly detail the game’s features, leaving it up to fans to inspect its footage to point out mechanics or postulate the broader implications of any given scene. Unless Rockstar plans to do this in the next few weeks, fans may have to find out for themselves when Grand Theft Auto VI launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on November 19. You can learn more about today’s trailer in this separate feature where we identify every potential side activity shown in the footage.

We’ve had our eyes on developer/publisher Finji’s supernatural action game Usual June since its reveal at The Game Awards 2023, and it finally has a launch date. Fittingly, the game about fighting monsters and talking to ghosts arrives a few days before Halloween.

Usual June is coming on October 28. The third-person action game stars the titular June, a college student, dealing with the emergence of monsters in her small town of Fen Harbour. Ghosts are disappearing, and it’s up to June and her friends (living and dead) to save the city.

The game’s fast-paced melee combat sees June slay monsters using supernatural weapons such as a giant hammer and other powers. Outside of combat, June will solve the mystery of the disaster by conversing with spirits to relive their memories and learn the truth of what’s happening before their time is up.

Usual June launches on October 28 for PC, but you can play the Steam demo right now. 

We’ve had our eyes on developer/publisher Finji’s supernatural action game Usual June since its reveal at The Game Awards 2023, and it finally has a launch date. Fittingly, the game about fighting monsters and talking to ghosts arrives a few days before Halloween.

Usual June is coming on October 28. The third-person action game stars the titular June, a college student, dealing with the emergence of monsters in her small town of Fen Harbour. Ghosts are disappearing, and it’s up to June and her friends (living and dead) to save the city.

The game’s fast-paced melee combat sees June slay monsters using supernatural weapons such as a giant hammer and other powers. Outside of combat, June will solve the mystery of the disaster by conversing with spirits to relive their memories and learn the truth of what’s happening before their time is up.

Usual June launches on October 28 for PC, but you can play the Steam demo right now. 

Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Publisher:
CD Projekt

Developer:
CD Projekt Red, Fool’s Theory

Release:
2027

Rating:
Mature

When The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt arrived in 2015, it immediately joined many “greatest games of all time” lists. Here at Game Informer, we awarded it a 9.75 out of 10, with our reviewer, Kimberley Wallace stating that The Witcher 3 “encompasses what I hope is the future of RPGs.” Fast forward 12 years into the future to 2026, and some of what The Witcher 3 accomplished still hasn’t been topped. And though CD Projekt Red released two acclaimed and award-winning expansions to Geralt’s adventure over the game’s first year and has since announced The Witcher IV, which will star fan-favorite character Ciri, CD Projekt Red has demonstrated it isn’t quite ready to move on from the protagonist of the first three games.

It all begins with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered, an updated version of the consensus 2015 Game of the Year. The aforementioned expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are now available for free to anyone who owns the base game, but it doesn’t stop there. In collaboration with The Witcher 3 modders and Cyberpunk 2077 next-gen collaborators Yigsoft, CD Projekt Red is modernizing the 11-year-old game with enhanced visuals, better combat, new attacks and finishers, a revamped skill tree, improved movement for both Geralt and his mount Roach, and additional accessibility options.

Seeing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered in action is enticing. As my hands-off demo opens, the visual fidelity bump is noticeable. Though many of the improvements are gameplay-oriented and difficult to assess without getting my hands on this new version, I can confidently say that Geralt’s greatest adventure has never looked better. I’ve been itching to replay The Witcher 3 in recent months, and this remaster looks like the best excuse I could possibly ask for. But despite how excited I am for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered, it was far from the main event of the demo I watched.

Instead, the expansion 12 years in the making, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past was the main reason for my visit to CD Projekt Red’s Gamescom 2026 booth. In this continuation of Geralt’s story, he travels to Letten, the hometown of his longtime friend Dandelion. In Letten, players can tackle dozens of new quests, encounter NPCs in their various daily routines, and, yes, play several hands of Gwent. After walking and riding through the town, fist-fighting a drunk to recover Dandelion’s lute, and sailing across a body of water, Geralt arrives at Dandelion’s impressive family estate, which seems to be anchored by he and his cousin Lilla’s grandmother.

My brief tour of this expansion takes place after a festival in the town. Dandelion has gone missing, and, of course, it’s up to Geralt to figure out what happened and save his old pal from peril. Dandelion’s family seems to be front and center, with Lilla serving as a new companion and love interest for Geralt. Together Geralt and Lilla explore The Garden of Thorns, a fabled and seemingly haunted wooded area of Letten. Here, Geralt will fight off new threats, including Swarmians, who surround themselves with bees. 

In this encounter with the Swarmians, I also get to see another new addition to Songs of the Past: a chain weapon. This ranged weapon may look like Kratos’ Chains of Olympus from God of War, but in actuality, it appears to function more like Scorpion’s spear, pulling in enemies from a distance and, in the case of the Swarmians, separating them from their protective bee armor. 

I won’t spoil much more, but the forest is clearly cursed, with terrifying tree-root themed spirits attacking Geralt and Lilla, and probably serving as the reason for Dandelion’s disappearance. We won’t know the true nature of Geralt’s longtime friend’s vanishing act until we get our hands on the expansion sometime next year, but Letten is a compelling setting full of fascinating mysteries and new gameplay mechanics, and having a new love interest in The Witcher 3 is icing on the cake.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC on September 29. All current owners of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for those platforms will receive the free upgrade. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past will arrive on those same platforms sometime in 2027, 12 years after the release of the original game.