The fifth and final season of Netflix's The Witcher has reportedly been delayed from its expected 2026 release to 2027, according to a report from What's on Netflix. Netflix had previously indicated a release later this year, but promotional materials referencing the season have since disappeared from the platform.
Season 5 wrapped filming in September 2025, shortly before season 4 premiered in October 2025. Seasons 4 and 5 were filmed back-to-back, with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich describing them as companion pieces, or as she put it, treated as "one large story" broken up for release, requiring 16 narrative episodes that feel cohesive. No reshoots have been confirmed, so the delay may stem from additional time needed for CG effects work in post-production, or simply a scheduling shuffle by Netflix.
The show has had a turbulent production history since debuting in 2019 with Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. Cavill departed after season 3, reportedly having been committed to seven seasons meant to honor author Andrzej Sapkowski's original work. He was replaced by Liam Hemsworth, a change that drew criticism from some fans, and season 4 received some of the show's worst critical reviews. Despite the backlash over the recasting, viewership numbers reportedly did not see a significant dip.
Cavill has since moved on to Warhammer 40,000 at Prime Video. Meanwhile, The Witcher now faces competition from other popular video game adaptations, including Amazon's Fallout and HBO's The Last of Us, as it enters its later seasons.
Fans of the franchise also have CD Projekt Red's upcoming video game, The Witcher 4, to look forward to, which will star Ciri as the primary protagonist and kick off a new trilogy of games.