Toss a coin to your Witcher! The Witcher, Netflix’s breakout hit based on the books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and popular video game series from CD Projekt Red, returns for a fourth season on Oct. 30, 2025.
We’ll also get our first look at the results of a major change to the series’ casting that made serious waves among the fanbase when it was announced: Henry Cavill, the “king of the nerds” himself and the embodiment of the show’s titular witcher Geralt of Rivia, has been replaced by Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games, The Expendables 2) in the leading role.
Hemsworth will don Geralt’s black armor and take up the witcher’s iconic twin blades as he sets out on a rescue mission while war rages around him. Here’s everything you need to get ready for one of the most anticipated premieres of the year, the fourth season of The Witcher!
Need to catch up on The Witcher‘s previous three seasons, or can’t wait to dive into the new season? You can watch all of The Witcher on Netflix through your DIRECTV subscription.
‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Release Date
The Witcher Season 4 premieres on Netflix on Oct. 30, 2025. All eight episodes will be released at once.
‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Episodes
Here’s the full list of all of the episodes in The Witcher Season 4:
Episode 1: “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger”
Episode 2: “Dream of a Wish Fulfilled”
Episode 3: “Trial by Ordeal”
Episode 4: “A Sermon of Survival”
Episode 5: “The Joy of Cooking”
Episode 6: “Twilight of the Wolf”
Episode 7: “What I Love I Do Not Carry”
Episode 8: “Baptism of Fire”
How to Watch ‘The Witcher’ Season 4
You can watch The Witcher Season 4 — and all of the previous three seasons — on Netflix, right from your DIRECTV interface.
What is ‘The Witcher’ on Netflix About?
The Witcher is a fantasy series that follows three main characters: the witcher Geralt of Rivia, the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg and the young Cirilla, a princess from the nation of Cintra.
Geralt is a monster hunter-for-hire who travels The Continent slaying monsters and navigating the complex political landscape of the world. Witchers like Geralt are members of various “witcher schools,” organizations that provide rigorous training and subject them to the mutational process that give them their supernatural abilities.
Yennefer is one of the most powerful mages on The Continent who rose from humble beginnings to become a prominent member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, and Cirilla, known predominantly as Ciri, is hunted by forces who want to harness and use the mysterious and powerful abilities she possesses due to the presence of the Elder Blood in her lineage.
All three of the main characters are bound together by fate, and as the story progresses their relationships become closer and more complex, forming an ad-hoc family unit. Throughout, the plots evolve from episodic monster-hunting adventures into deep political intrigue and navigating the prospects of all-out war on The Continent.
The books and series draw heavily on Polish folklore and Slavic mythology, which served as the inspiration for many of the monsters and beasts that Geralt and crew square off against. Later stories were also influenced by German and Celtic folklore.
‘The Witcher’ Season 1-3 Recap
Warning: The Witcher Seasons 1-3 Spoilers Ahead
The first three seasons of The Witcher were all about Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer’s intertwined fate: Much of Season 1 explored each of the character’s origins in a non-linear format, with Geralt and Ciri, who had been on the run from the sinister Nilfgaardian empire, finally brought together at the very end. Yennefer and a group of mages from the Brotherhood of Sorcerers help the Northern Kingdoms defeat the Nilgaardians at the Battle of Sodden Hill, and she is presumed to be among the dead.
In Season 2, Geralt begins training Ciri in the witcher ways while she tries to gain control over her Elder Blood powers. Yennefer survived Sodden Hill, but is left without her magical abilities as a consequence. She makes a deal with a monster known as the Deathless Mother to regain her abilities, which leads to the Mother possessing Ciri and forcing Geralt and Yennefer to battle her. Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri begin to bond more as a family unit. In the season finale, one of the biggest reveals of the series is made: Ciri’s real father is Emhyr var Emreis, the Nilfgaardian Emperor who has been hunting her the whole time.
Season 3 sees Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri attempt to work together while on the run, but various forces nonetheless pull them apart. Ciri is manipulated into unleashing her powers by the scheming mage Vilgefortz, is drawn through a portal, ends up in a far-away desert, undergoes a deep personal transformation and joins a band of outlaws, while Yennefer and Geralt are forced to intervene in a major schism between the mages of the Brotherhood at their headquarters, Aretuza. Total war breaks out, and Geralt, finally shedding his neutrality, sets out to rescue Ciri.
What Will ‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Be About?
Season 4 of The Witcher is expected to pick up where Season 3 left off: While the war between the Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard heats up, a seriously injured Geralt races to rescue Ciri from Vilgefortz, who has been revealed as a major antagonist working to claim Ciri’s Elder Blood powers for Nilfgaard.
The fourth season’s tone is expected to be even darker and more emotional than the first three, each of which had a progressively darker tone than the season before.
‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Cast & Characters
Below is a look at the full cast of The Witcher season 4:
Main Cast Members
Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, a career monster hunter with enhanced physical and mental abilities. Despite making his living hunting down and slaying exotic creatures that are often terrorizing local populaces, he struggles to maintain his expected neutrality and indifference when he confronts the reality that the true monsters of the world are often other humans. He is fate-mandated by the “Law of Surprise” to protect Ciri.
Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, a powerful, quarter-elf mage who was born with deformities and sold to the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, only to claw her way to the top of the order. She gave up her fertility to magically correct her physical appearance, which becomes a defining character arc. She is one of Geralt’s romantic partners and a de facto mother to Ciri.
Freya Allan as Ciri, the princess of Cintra, a kingdom devastated by the Nilfgaardian Empire, who possesses immense power due to the presence of Elder Blood in her bloodline. Ciri is constantly on the run from antagonists who want to use or steal her powers. She is mentored and protected by Geralt and Yennefer throughout the series.
Joey Batey as Jaskier, a bard and storyteller who is Geralt’s constant companion, following him across The Continent and chronicling his exploits through song. He’s initially used as comedic relief, but he becomes central to many of the major plot developments later in the series.
New Cast Members
Laurence Fishburne as Regis, a powerful, cultured “good guy” vampire and close ally of Geralt’s. Fishburne (The Matrix, Apocalypse Now, John Wick) makes his Witcher debut in the role.
Sharlto Copley as Leo Bonhart, a bounty hunter who specializes in killing witchers. He’s one of the most sinister villains in the book series, and he’s likely to butt heads with Ciri in this season.
Danny Woodburn as Zoltan, a street-smart dwarven warrior and friend of Geralt and Jaskier. Zoltan is also a source of comedic relief.
James Purefoy as Stefan Skellen, a ruthless Nilfgaardian spy commander who works with Bonhart in the novels.
Meng’er Zhang as Milva, an archer who fights for a group of non-human rebels that ally themselves with Geralt.
Hugh Skinner as Radovid, the Redanian king who is equal parts powerful and paranoid. His instability makes him a dangerous and unpredictable force.
Returning Cast Members
Eamon Farren as Cahir, the sinister Nilfgaardian knight who pursued Ciri for much of the first season. By the end of Season 3, he’s become a disillusioned and guilt-wracked warrior who yearns to atone for his past actions.
Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, another powerful mage, Triss is a longtime ally of Yennefer’s and love interest of Geralt’s. Triss is compassionate and moral who helps teach Ciri how to use magic, but struggles to balance her idealism with the brutal reality of the world she lives in.
Graham McTavish as Sigismund Dijkstra, the massive, ruthless and scheming Redanian spymaster. A master manipulator, Dijkstra pulls many strings behind the scenes to influence major events throughout the storyline. He occasionally allies with Geralt, though his core focus is attaining power through any means.
Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart, Dijkstra’s shapeshifting partner, Phillipa is one of the strongest mages alive and dreams of creating a new magical order controlled entirely by women. She clashes with Yennefer over their divergent views on how magic should be handled.
Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, a powerful mage revealed to be a major villain at the end of Season 3. Vilgefortz is after Ciri’s power and was the architect of many of the major events in the third season. He was responsible for the coup during the Conclave at Aretuza, seriously wounded Geralt in single combat and causes Ciri to open the portal that sent her to the desert.
Mecia Simson as Francesca Findabair, the queen of the elves. Her relentless pursuit of revenge clashes with her positions as the best hope for her people’s unity and survival. Those dynamics led her to put the elves in a precarious position in Season 3.
Royce Pierreson as Istredd, Yennefer’s longtime friend and a scholar of magic. He’s obsessed with uncovering the origins of magic and becomes wrapped up in the political intrigue of the series.
Wilson Mbomio as Dara, a formerly compassionate elf who helps Ciri in Season 1, he has since become radicalized by racial conflict on The Continent.
Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina Glevissig, a mage of Aretuza who has become an adept political operative.
Bart Edwards as Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, the Nilfgaardian Emperor waging war across The Continent and Ciri’s biological father. Viewed as a living god by many — including himself — he aims to capture Ciri to use her Elder Blood powers to seize total control over the world.
Why Did Henry Cavill Leave ‘The Witcher’?
Henry Cavill, who played Geralt of Rivia in a breakout role for the first three seasons of The Witcher, will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth for Season 4. Cavill is rumored to have decided to leave the show due to creative differences with the writers, who he felt were not honoring the source material that sparked his interest in the role in the first place.
Cavill also announced shortly after making his departure from The Witcher known that he expected to reprise his role as Superman in the upcoming Superman film but was ultimately not chosen for that role. He has also been working with Amazon Prime Video to develop a live-action series based on Warhammer 40,000, a popular strategic tabletop wargame which, like The Witcher, has also spawned a large collection of novels and video games.
Will There Be a Season 5 of ‘The Witcher’?
Yes, The Witcher will have a fifth and final season. The season was filmed back-to-back with Season 4 and is expected to be released sometime in 2026.
Which Andrzej Sapkowski Books Are Each of the Seasons of ‘The Witcher’ Based On?
Each of the seasons of The Witcher is based on one or more of Sapkowski’s novels. Here’s which books align to which seasons:
Season 1: The Last Wish (Short story), Sword of Destiny (Short story)
Season 2: Blood of Elves (Book 1)
Season 3: Time of Contempt (Book 2)
Season 4/5: Baptism of Fire (Book 3), The Tower and the Swallow (Book 4), The Lady of the Lake (Book 5)
The sixth book in the series, Season of Storms, has not be confirmed to have been adapted to any of the show’s seasons.
Watch ‘The Witcher’ on DIRECTV
You can watch The Witcher on Netflix right through your DIRECTV subscription! Explore your options today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt on The Witcher?
Liam Hemsworth, Chris Hemsworth's young brother, will replace Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.
What is The Witcher based on?
The Witcher is based on the popular fantasy novel series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The books have also been adapted into a successful video game series.
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