The Witcher season 4 release date, plot and trailer

The moment The Witcher fans have been waiting for is almost upon us, with season 4 of the Netflix fantasy ready to settle months of heated discourse around its controversial recasting.

Original star Henry Cavill shocked fans with his decision to bow out of the central role – monster-slaying warrior Geralt of Rivia – and the selection of Liam Hemsworth as his replacement stirred them up even more.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, The Hunger Games alum admitted: "When I first got approached, I was pretty reluctant at that point. [I had] a lot of concerns and questions about it all."

Although he was ultimately convinced to take on the challenge, any anxieties that did linger in Hemsworth's mind could be channelled into the performance itself, as Geralt finds himself in a difficult place when season 4 begins.

"His emotional state, and where he's heading... I think he's in a very real place of change and a place that I don't think he's been in often in his life," explained Hemsworth. "There's a lot of doubt and confusion and worry."

Here's everything we know about The Witcher season 4 – including when you can expect to tune in on Netflix.

The Witcher season 4 release date

The Witcher season 4 will be released on Netflix on Thursday 30th October 2025.

All eight episodes will be released at once in a move away from the streamer's increasingly common multi-part release model, which has been implemented for Wednesday season 2, Stranger Things season 5 and even The Witcher season 3.

Filming on these latest episodes wrapped in October 2024 after seven months, with production on the fifth and final season commencing shortly after as Netflix sought to tie a bow on one of their flagship dramas.

Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said: "We're thrilled to be able to bring Andrzej Sapkowski's books to an epic and satisfying conclusion. It wouldn't be our show if we didn't push our family of characters to their absolute limit – stay tuned to see how the story ends."

The Witcher season 4 cast

Liam Hemsworth leads the cast of The Witcher season 4 as the new Geralt of Rivia, taking over the esteemed role after Henry Cavill's shock decision to step down.

Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra reprise their respective roles of Princess Ciri and Yennefer of Vengerberg, alongside fan-favourite Joey Batey, who will return to the role of Jaskier.

Previously, in an interview with RadioTimes.com, executive producer Tomek Bagiński teased how the series will address the re-casting of Geralt, alluding to an early nod to the character's change in appearance.

He said: "Lauren [Schmidt Hissrich, showrunner] and her team – and there are a few really good writers returning to the writers' room for season 4 – I think they cobbled together a really nice opening which is really true to the books.

"This is a very little thing that I will tease – people who know the books really deeply also know that this is not a typical fantasy book. It's not just one world. It's not just one story happening in those books, in those stories."

He's not the only new face on the scene, either.

The Matrix star Laurence Fishburne has joined the cast as Regis. Regis, introduced in Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel Baptism of Fire, is a world-wise barber-surgeon with a mysterious past, who joins Geralt on his journey in season 4.

Meanwhile, the role of Vesemir previously played by Kim Bodnia has also been recast, with Peter Mullan (of Ozark and ITV's Payback, among other credits) taking over the role.

A spokesperson for Bodnia told RadioTimes.com that he could not return due to a scheduling conflict.

Here's an overview of the key players expected to appear in The Witcher season 4:

• Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia
• Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg
• Freya Allan as Ciri
• Joey Batey as Jaskier
• Bart Edwards as Emhyr/The White Flame
• Frances Pooley as Teryn
• Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz
• Royce Pierreson as Istredd
• Mecia Simson as Francesca
• Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla
• Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina
• Anna Shaffer as Triss
• Hugh Skinner as Radovid
• Graham McTavish as Dijkstra
• Cassie Clare as Philippa
• Wilson Mbomio as Dara
• Laurence Fishburne as Regis
• Linden Porco as TBC
• Peter Mullan as Vesemir

One notable omission from that list is The Responder star MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries – a mother figure to Yennefer and the other sorceresses – who tragically took her own life in season 3.

Getting emotional as she explained Tissaia's reasoning, Buring told RadioTimes.com: "She feels utterly responsible for the death of so many, and she ultimately can't live with herself.

"I think that amount of pain feels unbearable and, for so long having felt that she could be a crucial help to the kingdoms and to Aretuza and to the future of Chaos, she suddenly realises within herself that she is no help at all."

How many episodes will there be in The Witcher season 4?

There will be eight episodes in The Witcher season 4.

What will the plot of The Witcher season 4 be?

The Witcher season 4 will adapt Andrzej Sapkowski's novel Baptism of Fire.

We last saw our heroes torn apart across the Continent, and the next book in the series shows them having to embrace their own groups of misfits in order to find their way back to each other.

A synopsis from Netflix reads: "The new season follows Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri, who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other.

"If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again."

This latest batch of episodes could also include a much-anticipated development – at least, according to star Joey Batey.

"There's a thing called the hanza, which I'm looking forward to exploring. It's a bit of a fan favourite moment, I think," he told Metro, referring to a team assembled by Geralt to rescue Ciri.

While the series is based on the books by Sapkowski, the author previously suggested that his ideas haven't been taken on board as much as he would like.

In an interview with YouTube channel Cerealkillerz (via Variety) at Vienna Comic Con, the Witcher creator revealed he visited the set and gave his input for the show, but said that none of his ideas were used.

"The set was tremendous. Tremendous… I gave them some ideas, but they never listened to me," Sapkowski said, as he laughed. "It's normal. 'Who's this? It's a writer. It's nobody.'"

However, Sapkowski admitted that this wasn't an unusual practice.

Is there a trailer for The Witcher season 4?

Yes! You can watch The Witcher season 4 trailer below:

Previously, the streamer dropped a shorter teaser trailer for The Witcher season 4, which you can find here too:

The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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