The Witcher 3 DLC Beats Every New Game at Gamescom 2026 With 451,000 Steam Wishlists

Gamescom 2026 generated massive interest across Steam, but one of the event's biggest surprises was that its most successful reveal was not a completely new game. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Songs of the Past added an estimated 451,000 Steam wishlists between August 23 and August 30, outperforming every new title tracked during the event. Among full games, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons emerged as the strongest performer, adding approximately 379,000 wishlists according to Alinea Analytics.

The results provide an interesting measurement of which Gamescom reveals actually converted attention into direct player interest. Gamescom itself attracted 368,000 visitors from 131 countries, while Opening Night Live generated more than 78 million online views according to Alinea. Wishlists should not be treated as guaranteed purchases, something the analytics company specifically emphasizes, but they remain one of the most useful indicators of early demand for upcoming Steam releases.

Songs of the Past entered Gamescom with a considerable advantage. The expansion brings Geralt back for the first major addition to The Witcher 3 in more than a decade, while the base game has already built an audience numbering tens of millions of players. Alinea estimates that approximately 451,000 users added the expansion to their Steam wishlists during the Gamescom period, making it the strongest performer across everything the company tracked. The reveal also arrived alongside The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered, which launches September 29 and gives existing owners another reason to return before Songs of the Past arrives in 2027.

The Witcher 3 also dominated the Gamescom 2026 Awards, collecting 3 awards across Best Booth, Best Trailer and Announcement and Best Merch. Combined with the wishlist results, the performance demonstrates how effectively CD PROJEKT RED has revived interest in a game originally released in 2015 while preparing players for the wider future of the franchise.

Once expansions are removed from the ranking, however, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons becomes Gamescom 2026's biggest new game on Steam. Alinea estimates approximately 379,000 new wishlists between August 23 and August 30. GameDiscoverCo independently reached a similar conclusion using a different methodology, placing Warlock first among games featured during Opening Night Live with an estimated 375,000 wishlist increase during the 7 days following the showcase.

The consistency between the 2 analytics companies makes Warlock's performance particularly noteworthy. Wizards of the Coast and Invoke Studios used Gamescom to provide a much deeper look at the title, an open world action adventure built around Dungeons & Dragons magic. Players control Kaatri, a swordmaster who receives Warlock powers from a mysterious patron and can combine spells, environmental interactions and melee combat to solve encounters in different ways. The game is scheduled for 2027.

Its spell system appears to be one of the biggest reasons the game stood out. During the Gamescom demonstration, telekinesis could be used to throw objects at enemies, create shields against traps or manipulate water, while other abilities changed weather conditions and allowed electricity to interact with rain and metal objects. Invoke Studios is also reducing conventional waypoint guidance, requiring players to investigate environments and gather information to discover objectives rather than simply following markers across the map.

There is also substantial audience overlap with established fantasy RPGs. Alinea estimates that 48% of Warlock's Steam wishlisters have played Baldur's Gate 3, while 46% have played The Witcher 3. That gives Wizards of the Coast an enormous existing audience to target, but it also means Warlock will inevitably face comparisons with 2 of the most successful fantasy RPGs of the modern era.

Behind the top 2, Gamescom generated significant interest across several other releases. Alinea estimates Ananta gained 302,000 wishlists, followed by LEGO Skylines with 273,000, Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake with 189,000, WARDOGS with 146,000, Afterworld with 121,000, Metro 2039 with 110,000 and The Blood of Dawnwalker with 108,000 during the August 23 to August 30 measurement window. Differences between Alinea and GameDiscoverCo figures are expected because the companies use different tracking periods and methodologies rather than direct internal Steam data.

Perhaps the most interesting result is how heavily recognizable worlds influenced the rankings. The Witcher dominated through an established franchise, Warlock carries the Dungeons & Dragons license, LEGO Skylines combines 2 major brands and Heroes of Might and Magic III brings back a classic strategy game. New intellectual properties such as Ananta and Afterworld still performed strongly, but Gamescom 2026 once again demonstrated how difficult it is for completely unfamiliar games to compete with decades of existing audience awareness.

451,000 estimated wishlists for an expansion to an 11 year old game says almost as much about the modern gaming market as it does about The Witcher.

CD PROJEKT RED has found an effective way to keep the franchise active while The Witcher 4 remains years away. A remaster in September 2026 followed by Songs of the Past in 2027 gives millions of existing players a reason to reinstall The Witcher 3 while introducing the game to another generation.

Warlock may actually be the more impressive result. Unlike Songs of the Past, it does not have an existing game with tens of millions of owners waiting for new content. Reaching roughly 375,000 to 379,000 estimated wishlist additions immediately after its major gameplay presentation suggests Wizards and Invoke Studios may have found the next major audience for Dungeons & Dragons after Baldur's Gate 3.

The real test begins at launch. Wishlists measure attention, not sales, and Gamescom created an enormous temporary spotlight. The games that can maintain that interest after the event will be the ones that ultimately benefit most.

Which Gamescom 2026 reveal impressed you more, The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past or Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons?