The Witcher Season 3: When Will Netflix Release Vol 2?

Contains spoilers for Season 3, Volume 1 of "The Witcher"

Season 3, Volume 1 of "The Witcher," Netflix's live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's high fantasy novels, is officially available to stream. And while audiences are no doubt scrambling to digest Henry Cavill's final moments as the White Witcher before Liam Hemsworth dons the character mantle for Season 4 and onward, they'll have to wait just a little bit longer for the rest of the season to drop. This is because Volume 1 only contains the first five episodes of Season 3. The final three episodes, which will be released as Volume 2, are still locked away in Netflix's special vault until July 27.

This is not the first time that Netflix has straddled the line between its standard binging model, which sees an entire season released at once, and the more classic weekly model, which sees a singular episode released every week until the season is over. In 2022, Netflix released Season 4 of "Stranger Things" in a similar fashion, using the terminology "Part 1" and "Part 2." It seems to be a release model that Netflix only saves for larger projects in an effort to increase audience retention without resorting to the weekly model that many other streaming sites have already reverted to.

The latest season of "The Witcher" follows Geralt of Rivia (Cavill) and Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) as they attempt to prepare Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan) for her future. Tensions are high because Yen betrayed Geralt and Ciri's trust at the end of Season 2. While she redeemed herself in the end, it was almost too little, too late. And it is on that foundation that Yen intends to rebuild her relationship with the pair of them.

Meanwhile, political forces across the Continent continue to clash over who should rule and, more dangerously for Geralt's little found family, who should possess Ciri's enormous power. On both fronts, precious few are asking politely. Alongside the more familiar threats, like Cahir the Black Knight (Eamon Farren) and Sigismund Dijkstra (Graham McTavish), Season 3, Volume 1 teases audiences with the introduction of two new opponents — the Wild Hunt, a company of multiversal slave traders, and Vilgefortz of Roggeveen (Mahesh Jadu), who revealed himself as an enemy at the end of Volume 1. While Vilgefortz being a villain is canon, Netflix dropped the ball on his big reveal. 

Season 3, Volume 1 ends on a tantalizing cliffhanger, with disaster hidden just offscreen for our band of grungy heroes. Season 3, Volume 2 will, ideally, pick up exactly where Volume 1 left off when it drops on Netflix on July 27.