**The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past – An Inside Look at the Expansion**
At Gamescom 2026 in a lively Cologne convention venue, Kotaku was given the chance to witness a behind-closed-doors, hands-off demonstration of *The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past*. While gamers are set to explore the Continent as Ciri in *The Witcher 4*, this unexpected new expansion for the cherished 2015 role-playing game brings Geralt of Rivia back into action. Launching alongside September’s significant free remastered update to *The Witcher 3*, which enhances combat as well as numerous visual improvements, *Songs of the Past* unfolds an entirely new narrative. Here’s our most comprehensive preview yet of what players can anticipate from Geralt of Rivia’s first new quest in over a decade when it launches next year.
### A Green and Upsetting Land
This expansion transports players to Letten, a hidden, affluent island cloaked from the broader conflicts of the continent. Combining the verdant landscapes of both Polish and English countryside, the island exudes a uniquely *Fable 2* charm, replete with fairy tale magic. However, in true Witcher fashion, this quaint village soon exposes a lurking darkness.
As Geralt awakens on the island’s beaches after a Midsommar-like local celebration, he appears somewhat the worse for wear. Ditching his iconic armor for comically plain, Jesus-like robes, we accompany Geralt on a rare evening off from monster-hunting as he trades slaying beasts for sipping mead. While the island groans collectively with hangovers and its intoxicated inhabitants struggle through their floral wreaths, the Witcher is soon drawn to a familiar tune—the lute of his old companion, Dandelion the bard.
Navigating over the sprawled bodies, the off-key melody leads him to a swaying inebriate torturing the lute’s strings. With no patience for games, Geralt demands the lute be given to him. The drunken lout scoffs and lunges at Geralt, igniting a fistfight. After Geralt quickly bests the thug and reclaims the instrument, the drunkard is left with an even harsher hangover, while the Witcher boards a boat bound for a nearby village.
Upon entering a vibrant, quaint town, Geralt is met with a familiar sight—his noble steed, Roach. After the demo lead offers the horse a warm greeting, CD Projekt Red reveals that Roach isn’t the sole animal Geralt can now pet, as he affectionately strokes a passing dog. Racing past market stands and a whirlwind of chatter, Geralt spots several individuals willing to challenge him to Gwent. Yet, despite the buzz, Dandelion himself is conspicuously absent.
Determined to locate his old friend, Geralt exits the main square and departs down the road until he arrives at the grand, lavish manor of Dandelion’s affluent family. Welcomed by the matriarch of the family, her granddaughter, and Dandelion’s sister, Lilla—a significant ally throughout the expansion—Geralt is invited inside. During a tense meal, as the family absorbs the news of Dandelion’s forsaken lute and realizes he may be missing, Geralt discloses haunting visions he’s been experiencing of a place known as the “Garden of Thorns.” Upon hearing about the garden, the matriarch loses her composure, storming out of the dining room. Clearly, something is amiss in this outwardly idyllic village.
### A Dandelion in Peril
Unfazed by her grandmother’s hostility, Lilla is determined to assist in locating her brother. As Geralt prepares for the impending challenge, our demo fast forwards, showing him meeting Lilla at the stables after dark, and their adventure commences.
Riding into the forest beneath a foreboding full moon, Letten’s once-peaceful countryside takes on a sinister air. They soon reach the gnarled entrance of the legendary Garden of Thorns from Geralt’s dreams, where deer remains lie drained at the roots of vicious vegetation, and human skulls dangle entwined in the tree roots like ghastly ornaments.
Legend speaks of a cursed well concealed deep within the garden, the very same one that appeared to Geralt in his disturbing dream. One of Dandelion’s relatives was previously driven mad by the garden, earning him the title “the mad count.”
Just as they prepare to enter, however, thrashing thorny branches block their escape, pulling Lilla into the darkness. Geralt is compelled to battle through two frightening new enemy types, giving us our first glimpse at the remaster’s enhanced and updated combat.