Which Witcher 3 Ending Is Canon in The Witcher 4?

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ciri’s fate is not decided at a single point but across several moments in the last third of the main story. What matters is how Geralt treats her: whether he takes her seriously and lets her make her own decisions, whether he comforts her or talks down to her, and whether he goes with her to see her father, Emperor Emhyr. Depending on how these moments play out, Ciri is confident enough in the end to survive the White Frost – and then chooses between life as a witcher and the imperial throne. Otherwise she does not return.

Combined with the decisions about the North, Skellige and Geralt’s love life, this produces many combinations. CD PROJEKT RED speaks of 36 endings, all of which it says are “important.” For The Witcher 4, Ciri’s three outcomes matter most, since she is now the protagonist.

If you want to play through the endings yourself: The Witcher 3 has been available as a remastered version since September 29, 2026, free for owners of the game. RaidDex has its own Witcher 3 database covering quests, the map and builds.

Geralt’s story ends in Blood and Wine, Witcher 3’s second expansion. At the end he settles down at his Corvo Bianco vineyard in Toussaint. Who visits or lives with him there depends on your choices: Yennefer, Triss or no one. If Ciri chose the witcher’s path in the main game, she drops by as well. That is how Witcher 3 tells it, not new information about Witcher 4.

This is the ending Narrative Director Philipp Weber refers to. In December 2024 he told VGC that choosing Ciri as the protagonist “also lets us honour the ending that Geralt had in The Witcher 3 and in Blood and Wine.” He speaks of one ending – Geralt’s retirement – not of any particular outcome for Ciri. CD PROJEKT RED is keeping his role in The Witcher 4 secret; more under Geralt.

No. Asked about the canon ending in December 2024, Executive Producer Małgorzata Mitręga told GamesRadar+ in a non-committal answer that all of Witcher 3’s endings are important. The studio has not confirmed any specific ending since (as of October 30, 2026).

A GamingBolt report from December 2024 says the game director confirmed the game will maintain continuity with all of Witcher 3’s endings. We could not find that statement in the official trailer breakdown the report is based on, so we list it as unconfirmed.

Importing Witcher 3 saves, or any other way of carrying over earlier choices, has not been announced either.

This section is our own analysis, not a CD PROJEKT RED statement. In the reveal trailer, Ciri works as a witcher: she has cat’s eyes, takes a paid contract in a remote village and fights with a sword, a chain and magic. That fits best with the ending in which she chooses the witcher’s path in Witcher 3.

It is not a perfect match, though. At the end of Witcher 3, Ciri had not undergone the mutations; in Witcher 4 she apparently has. And she is weaker than back then – Mitręga says “something totally happened in between.” So the game will have to explain what happened in the meantime anyway. Whether it picks up the other endings along the way, such as a crown given up, is open.

Our takeaway: if you want to prepare, play Witcher 3 with the witcher ending in mind, but do not assume the other endings are “wrong.” More tips under what to play first, and the order of all the stories in the timeline.