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No—Blood and Wine is not required to start The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past. Fool’s Theory creative vision director Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz said players will be able to begin the expansion after finishing The Witcher 3’s main story. Play Blood and Wine first if you want the story in chronological order and its continuity changes to reflect your completed playthrough.
Can you start Songs of the Past without finishing Blood and Wine?
Yes. In comments reported by GamesRadar, reporting on its interview with VGC, Kuzia-Rokosz said players could start Songs of the Past immediately after completing the base game’s main story. She also said players do not have to finish the expansions.
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That makes the main-story ending the reported starting point; Blood and Wine is not an access requirement. The comments describe the expected starting point, not every technical or save-file requirement that may apply when the expansion launches.
Should you play Blood and Wine first?
If you care about chronology, yes. Kuzia-Rokosz said the earlier expansions take place before Songs of the Past. She described the new story as following Geralt’s intention to retire before his best friend asks him for one last favor.
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That makes Blood and Wine a recommended story-before-story choice, not a prerequisite. You can finish it before the new expansion for the earlier context, or begin Songs of the Past after the main story if you are ready to move on.
Does finishing Blood and Wine change Songs of the Past?
According to Kuzia-Rokosz, the new expansion’s story will account for whether the player finished the second expansion, meaning Blood and Wine. She said that continuity carries into the story, dialogue, and consequences.
The reported interview does not detail the specific scenes, dialogue, or outcomes that change. It supports the broader point that completion matters to continuity, but not predictions about what a particular branch will contain.
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What is confirmed about the expansion’s release?
CD PROJEKT’s Q1 2026 financial statement identifies Songs of the Past as a third expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, developed with Fool’s Theory, and schedules it for 2027. That is a planned year, not a firm launch date.
In the company’s Q1 2026 earnings-call transcript, co-CEO Michał Nowakowski described it as an expansion rather than a smaller DLC and said its scope was closer to Blood and Wine, while noting that the comparison is subjective. The transcript did not announce a price. These statements do not establish exact retail editions or physical availability.
What should you do now?
- You have finished the main story but not Blood and Wine: You can start Songs of the Past without completing it first, based on the developer’s reported guidance.
- You want the chronological sequence: Play Blood and Wine before Songs of the Past.
- You are deciding whether to wait: There is no need to delay playing Blood and Wine; the company’s stated target for the new expansion is 2027, with no firm date established in the cited corporate materials.
Songs of the Past is an expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The game itself is the relevant host title if you do not own it; the available statements do not say that you must buy Blood and Wine to play the new expansion. For general product information, see GamesRadar’s Songs of the Past guide.
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