The Witcher season 3 recap: Everything to know before season 4 airs

The Witcher season 4 is set to premiere on October 30, 2025, with all episodes releasing at once. As season 4 is just around the corner, we’ve listed out the major events that happened in The Witcher season 3. The Witcher season 4 is already making headlines for its casting choices, as Liam Hemsworth is set to take Geralt’s sword after Henry Cavill’s exit from the show. 

The story will continue after Ciri, who has taken a separate path from everyone and is starting a darker journey, with Geralt and Yennefer promising to find her no matter what. Last season, even revealed the betrayal and enemies' faces, and it was revealed that Ciri’s father, Emperor Emhyr of Nilfgaard, is working with Vilgefortz, in the hope of using Ciri’s powers for Nilfgaard’s rise.

The synopsis of The Witcher season 4 reads, 

“After the Continent-altering events of Season 3, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies. As their paths diverge and their goals sharpen, they encounter unexpected allies eager to join the journey. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good.” 

Recap of The Witcher season 3 

The Witcher Season 3 was released in two parts. The first volume, comprising five episodes, premiered on June 29, 2023, followed by the second volume, consisting of three episodes, which arrived on July 27, 2023.

After being hunted by dangerous forces across the continent, Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri team up for their survival. As Ciri possessed the Elder Blood, everyone around the continent is behind her in the hope of getting her magical powers that could either destroy or save the world.

Following Rience’s threat from season 2, the trio travels from place to place, avoiding capture, and growing closer as a family together. However, this plan of hiding and surviving won’t last for long. Season 3 starts with an action-packed battle between Geralt and the fire mage, Rience, who came in to abduct Ciri but fails to do so. Amidst the chaos and danger, each character faces their own emotional struggles — Ciri battles to control her growing powers, while tension brews between Geralt and Yennefer as he struggles to trust her again after her past betrayal.

To eliminate Rience, they plan to trap him. Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri and their team camp at Shaerrawedd, an old elven ruin. There, Yennefer explains how humans came to the continent and fought the elves. Ciri shares her dream of uniting both races and ending the fighting once and for all. After the battle, Reince escapes, and the danger rises higher. Yennefer then takes Ciri for her protection to Aretuza (the magical academy).

As Ciri heads to the academy, Geralt plans to knock down Rience and learn about who the mysterious master behind him is. Meanwhile, Geralt discovers that Stregobor, one of the mages, is being framed for experimenting on young women with Elder Blood. But the true villain turns out to be Vilgefortz, another mage secretly working with Emperor Emhyr of Nilfgaard — Ciri’s father.

Vilgefortz has been using Rience to capture Ciri all this time. A new battle begins at Thanedd Island, where the mages turn against each other. In the aftermath, Ciri loses her control over her powers and escapes into a magical desert, Korath. Vilgefortz then tricked Emperor Emhyr and handed him an elf named Teryn, and through his magic, he made him believe that she was his daughter, Ciri. 

As Geralt hears the news of Ciri's discovery and her powers being used by Emhyr, he heads to rescue her. But ‘’the real Ciri’’ was captured by some traders and later rescued by the group — Rats. Surrounded by hallucinations and visions in the desert, she ends up giving up on her powers.

Leaving behind her Elder Blood dynasty, she joins a group of outlaws called The Rats, under a fake name, “Falka.” Ciri is on her new journey under a new name, and Geralt and Yennefer will start looking around for her across the continent in season 4 of The Witcher, which will definitely invite more enemies ahead.