The Witcher 4 in ‘full-scale production’ could rival GTA 6 for best open world game

As we near the one-year mark since the very first GTA 6 trailer, hopes to see some new content around the game are at an all-time high. Now, fans of open world games like the Grand Theft Auto series have something more to look forward to. That’s because another major franchise is about to put out its own title that could very well compete for the ‘Game of the Year’ award.

CD Projekt RED, the makers of some really popular games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk: 2077 has now confirmed its progress on the next game in the Witcher series – The Witcher 4.

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The game, internally called Project Polaris, has now officially “entered full-scale production” as per an X post by CD Projekt RED Game Director Sebastian Kalemba. “No stopping now! Stay tuned for what’s on the other side of the coin,” the post added.

For the uninitiated, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the last title in the series, is considered one of the best open world games ever made. An open world game is where the player’s character is free to roam around the in-game map, find interesting elements, and take on the story campaign or side-missions forward at their own pace.

The Witcher 3, was critically acclaimed for its perfect balance of gameplay with various open-world and role-playing elements. To say fans of the series (and the rest of the gaming community) have set the bar high for the next game in the series, would be an understatement.

The Witcher 4 may rival GTA 6

While CD Projekt RED was ridiculed for the botched launch of Cyberpunk: 2077, the developer has since fixed all bugs with the game and even added the Phantom Liberty DLC. Today, Cyberpunk: 2077 is one of the most enjoyable open world action games out there, whether you’re playing on a console like the PlayStation 5 Slim, or modding your heart out on the PC version. The Witcher 4, is expected to take things to a whole new level.

With more monsters to hunt, lead character Geralt is expected to have many more activities to indulge with in the new game, and the title may be the contender for being another benchmark in open-world gaming – something the title will share with the upcoming GTA 6.

From multiple characters and a huge map to an in-game social media platform and much more, GTA 6 could very well change how well (and how much) we interact with NPCs and other elements in gaming, and that is something The Witcher 4 should aim to match, if not beat.

While we have no confirmed timeline for the game, we expect the title’s launch to align with GTA 6’s console or PC release, which would make 2025-26 a very interesting point in time for fans of the open world genre.