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The Witcherhas quickly become one of Netflix’s most beloved shows. After the sensational second season climbed into Netflix’s most-watched TV list in just one month, we can’t blame you if you’ve fallen in love with what the writers, directors, and the incredible talent of executive producerLauren Schmidt-Hissrichhave crafted here. The first two seasons (finally) united our three main characters; Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill),Yennefer of Vengerberg played by the stunningAnya Chalotra, and completing the trio is Ciri (or Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon) portrayed by up-and-coming actressFreya Allan. It’s been a long road of epic battles, expertly orchestrated character development, and insane special effects with a budget reported to be on par with Marvel Disney+ shows. While the Season 2 finale might have seen our leading characters side by side, don’t expect any peace and quiet coming your way as you enter Season 3. So without further ado let’s dive back into the magical world ofAndrzej Sapkowski’sThe Witcher.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on July 04, 2025.
What Happened in ‘The Witcher’ Season 2?
The writers of Season 2 had their work cut out following up on all the cliffhangers and storylines we were left withafter Season 1. The first half of the season sees Ciri and Geralt travel to Kaer Morhen and the world’s most awkward father-daughter relationship. Everyone thinks Yennefer is dead but spoiler alert, she isn’t. Yennefer loses her magic to a trapped demon, the deathless mother (that will be important later). The war between Nilfgaard and Cintra introduces elven sorceress Francesca Findabair (Mecia Simson) who forges an alliance with the Nilfgaardian Mage Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) however when Francesca is found to be pregnant, a spanner is thrown in the works. Up in Kaer Morhen Vesemir (Kim Bodnia) discovers Ciri’s powers are due to her possession of the elder blood,a long presumed extinct mutagen ingredient for creating new witchers. Despite the plot being constantly flung in our faces to set up the second half of the season, we also had some heart-wrenching scenes. Yennefer finally returns to Aretuza, and we have an emotional reunion with mother-figure Tissaia (who also presumed her dead). It has to be said that the center point of the season is defined by the reintroduction ofJoey Bateyas Jaskier with his spine-tingling rendition of “Burn Butcher Burn”.
The second half of Season 2 informs us that Ciri isprophesiedto destroy the world and she is linked to the monoliths scattered over it, she also insists on being the trial subject of the torturous witcher-making process using her own blood (Geralt steps in just in time). Geralt finds out Yenn is alive, just as Yenn finds out from the deathless mother that all she needs to do to get her powers back is deliver Ciri to… something bad. Surprise, Geralt, Ciri, and Yenn run into each other at the Temple of Melitele where Ciri is meant to be learning magic from the priestess Nenneke played by the fabulousAdjoa Andohwho you might recognize from another Netflix high flier, Bridgerton. Ciri is now being pursued by a fire mage with a mysterious task, to escape him, Yennefer teaches her how to portal and they go on a little road trip without Geralt. Yennefer actually helps teach Ciri some magic tricks but Ciri finds out Yennefer is betraying her. Yenn has a change of heart and we all get our hearts stolen when Geralt saves the day, sending Ciri away with Jaskier back to Kaer Morhen and declaring to Yennefer that Ciri is “mine”. A lovely display of character growth for the broody witcher since Season 1.
In the jam-packed finale, Francesca’s elven baby is murdered, causing such pain it releases the deathless mother (with whom she had also made a deal) who heads off to possess Ciri. Francesca, convinced of a Northern attack begins to murder human babies as she leads away the elves just as a possessed Ciri begins murdering sleeping witchers in Kaer Morhen. A hidden monolith in the witcher tree is revealed, and she releases basilisks on the remaining witchers, Jaskier, Geralt, and Yennefer. Yenn apologizes to Ciri and offers herself as a host to the deathless mother who releases Ciri and they are transported to a different world where they see the wild hunt approaching, after Ciri for her elder blood. Together they manage to escape just in time and Yennefer discoversher powers have returned. In a shock twist, we discover that Emperor Emhyr of the Nilfgaardian forces (Bart Edwards) is in fact Ciri’s father.
Watch the Trailers for ‘The Witcher’ Season 3 Volume 1 and Volume 2
On June 15, 2025,we got our first look at the third season. While we don’t learn a ton of information, we do see just what our trio will be facing in the upcoming season. Check out our first look atThe Witcherseason 3 below.
We received the first full trailer forThe WitcherSeason 3 on August 03, 2025. It’s over two and a half minutes showcasing where the story is headed and hypes us up for everything to come.
Amontage fromThe WitcherSeason 3was released on August 10, 2025, teasing the domestic life of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer. Then on June 18, we also got anew clip fromThe WitcherSeason 3that shows Ciri being attacked. Clearly, there are grave dangers awaiting the character this season. See it here:
Post the release of Season 3’s first half, Netflix unveiled atrailer forThe WitcherSeason 3 Volume 2on July 13. See it in the player below:
Since then, we’ve also seen aBTS clip that shows how the Shaerrawedd one-shot fight was made. More recently, on July 24, Netflix also released anewThe WitcherSeason 3 Volume 2 trailer. See it in the player below:
When Was ‘The Witcher’ Season 3 Released?
The Witcherreturned to Netflix onJune 29, 2023, with five new episodes. The season was broken up into two parts, with thesecond volume released on June 10, 2025. Netflix has slowly evolved its binge model to include weekly releases and or batches. LikeStranger Things 4,The Witcheralso opted to have two halves compared to its previous seasons.
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Who Are the Cast of ‘The Witcher’ Season 3?
For starters, Cavill, Batey, Allen, and Chalotra all return as Geralt, Jaskier, Ciri, and Yennefer, respectively. This is alsothe final season where Henry Cavill starsas Geralt. The actor has left the show due to creative differences andwill be replaced byLiam Hemsworthfor Season 4. Also returning for Season 3 areAnna Shafferas Triss,Graham McTavishas Djikstra,Mahesh Jaduas Vilgefortz,Bart Edwardsas Emhyr,Mimi Ndiweni’s Fringilla andEamon Farren’s Cahir.Sam Woolfappears as Rience, taking over fromChris Fulton, who played the character in Season 2. Other confirmed cast members includeCassie Clare,Tom Canton,Mecia Simson,MyAnna Buring, appearing alongsideLars Mikkelsen,Simon Callow,Kaine Zajaz,Royce Pierreson,Liz Carr,Jeremy Crawford,Terence Maynard,Ed Birch,Wilson Mbomio, andTherica Wilson-Read.
What Can You Expect from ‘The Witcher’ Season 3?
Starting with the obvious,Season 3 is a two-part story of five episodes each. We also know that this isnot the last season, which means more cliffhangers are in your future. We are also (sort of) moving through the series of novels and short stories that make up Sapkowski’sThe Witcher Sagain chronological order. The first two seasons took artistic license with the chronological order of the books, taking elements from the first three books:The Last Wish,Sword of Destiny, andBlood of Elves. Both seasons include narratives from some short stories. Thefirst episode of Season 2 is in fact based on the short storyA Grain of Truthand serves to reveal Geralt’s moral compass for the season.
We also know quite a bit about Season 3 for a different reason. Last year, Collider was among a select group of journalists invited to visit Longcross Studios, where most ofThe Witcheris filmed. We learned quite a lot about the season during the set visit. You canread all about that hereand here’s a quick summary of what we learned about the plot:
Season 3 exploresmore of the “found family” dynamicbetween Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri, with them living in a cottage by a lake, where Geralt and Yennefer train Ciri. However, their domestic life is interrupted whenGeralt goes after the fire mage Rience(Sam Woolf). Meanwhile,Yennefer takes Ciri to Aretuza, where a major battle takes place, which brings all the main characters together. Themain villain is Vilgefortz(Mahesh Jadu), who becomes a major antagonist for the series moving forward.Ciri also travels to the Korath desertin an episode focused entirely on her and has her first kill this season, a significant turning point for her. As for Jaskier, a new bard challenges his musical talents in Season 3 andJoey Batey reportedly drew inspiration fromJohn Lennonfor his performance.Jaskier and Ciri have more screen time togetherthis season and Ciri also grows closer to Yennefer. Series creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also confirmed thatSeason 3 sticks closer to the booksthan previous seasons, adapting Sapkowski’sTime of Contempt.
