Summary
CD Projekt Red has revealed why its REDkit modding tool forThe Witcher 3took so long to release, detailing the difficult process behind its development. As the game approaches its 10th anniversary,The Witcher 3remains one of the most beloved open-world RPGs in gaming history, with thousands of players still stepping into Geralt of Rivia’s shoes daily.
The success of CD Projekt Red’s action RPG cannot be understated, withThe Witcher 3selling 50 million copiesas of March 2023. As with many large-scale open world titles available for PC, the game quickly amassed a dedicated modding scene, with creative players quickly crafting new quests, quality-of-life additions, and much more. CD Projekt Red didn’t offer official mod support until 2024, prompting many longtime fans to wonder why it took so long. The developers have always been supportive ofThe Witcher 3’s modding scene, but as it turns out, developing an official tool for the process was much more difficult than many in the community realized.
During the 2025 Game Developers Conference (and reported byPC Gamer), creatingthe REDkit modding tool forThe Witcher 3required developers to remake portions of the game’s engine, as what the Polish studio used internally may not be something modders could utilize. Beyond makingThe Witcher 3’s technical interfaces easier to use and understand, CD Projekt Red also had to add something called Projects, which is used by creators to organize each mod they make. The most time-consuming part of the process, however, required the developers to check the game’s code line by line, ensuring that things meant to stay secret wouldn’t make their way into the public eye. The response to REDkit has been overwhelmingly positive since its release, with many players calling it more of a full engine than a simple modding tool.
Creating REDKit for The Witcher 3 on PC Required Devs to Check the Game’s Entire Code Manually
While CD Projekt Red didn’t initially set out to create official mod support back when the game first launched in 2015, the developers didn’t expectThe Witcher 3to continue to pull in so many players nearly a decade after launch. “As our final goodbye toThe Witcher 3, we wanted to extend its life by empowering the modding community so that they can keep improving and expanding the game,” said publishing producer Oleg Shatulo. Plenty of festivities to celebrate the title’s big milestone are planned, withaWitcher 3concert tourcoming to North America and Europe throughout 2025 and 2026.
As audiences continue to embark on Geralt’s grand adventure,The Witcher 4was revealedduring The Game Awards 2024, teasing Ciri as its protagonist. It remains unclear when the game will launch, though CD Projekt Red confirmed that the game entered full production in November 2024.
