The Witcher: Monster Slayer ARG drops later this month

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It's like Pokemon Go except everything wants to kill you

A hand holds a phone showing an augmented reality monster
(Image credit: CD Projekt/Spokko)

The Witcher: Monster Slayer, a free-to-play location-based ARG, is coming July 21 for iOS and Android. Check out the trailer below, and read on for more details.

The Witcher: Monster Slayer is CD Projekt's take on Pokemon Go, giving players the chance to roam around in the real world and run into some monsters. Reality has been transformed into a dark fantasy realm just like the world of The Witcher, and your job is to track, study, and fight monsters from The Witcher books, games, and TV series. Yeah, that means you could find a kikimore hanging out in your backyard, or run into a leshen at your local pub. 

The Witcher: Monster Slayer is set long before the time of Geralt of Rivia, so you'll be able to spin your own witcher backstory. You'll need to head out into the world with the right training and the proper equipment (including potions, oils, and bombs) in order to become a master witcher. You'll run into gigantic life-size monsters in first-person RPG and have to fight them, so if you're easily spooked I'd say play it in broad daylight first. 

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Fighting seems to include strikes, guarding, and tossing bombs to stagger or harm the monster. It even looks like you can trace sigils on the screen to cast signs like Igni to burn those monsters up. You'll encounter traveling merchants as you play who will help keep you well-stocked and explore the world via a top-down map that turns even the densest cities into forests lined with wagon trails. 

In April, early access registration opened up for The Witcher: Monster Slayer on Android, giving players a chance to test up the "soft-launch version" of the ARG. There were two waves of early access, but it seems it was difficult to get an invite - and it completely excluded iOS players. But once July 21 rolls around, we'll all get a chance to become witchers. 

Next week kicks off WitcherCon, which will give us a closer look at The Witcher season 2, a Gwent showcase, and likely a bit more information about The Witcher: Monster Slayer. 

It won't show up at WitcherCon, but here's everything we know about The Witcher 4.  

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.