Chucklefish’s fantasy life sim adventure game Witchbrook has been in development for over a decade, and highly-anticipated for most of that time. That’s down to its core concept and ambition: it allows you to become a witch living in a cosy world, wielding magic to create the perfect life for yourself – raising crops, crafting items, making friends and attending witch school, while following along a story.
The game’s creators have described the influences of Harry Potter (prior to its modern baggage), Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom, the work of Studio Ghibli, Steven Universe and Little Witch Academia – which should give you a good idea of what to expect.
After several years of waiting for new developments, major delays and periods of silence, the Witchbrook team appeared during the latest Nintendo Indie World with a surprise announcement: Witchbrook is finally heading to release on 28 January 2027.
Nearly ten years on from its initial announcement and the excitement that followed, Witchbrook finally has a release date.
Witchbrook finally gets release date – quick links
The new trailer for Witchbrook
The new trailer for Witchbrook reveals the vast scope of development work that’s taken place over the last decade. Not only does it show off the game’s beautiful pixel worlds, complete with frosty, colourful flowers, secret glades and cosy towns, it also reveals plenty of new game mechanics and what adventures players will go on.
We see a player casting a spell using directional movements. We see a recipe book for crafting various medicinal and healing ointments. We see a study session. We also see some sort of constellation-finding mechanic, a tarot reading, a flying car sequence, a giant skull-witch creature, a map that reveals a wide open world, and dialogue that suggests a robust plot to follow.
Witchbrook looks gorgeous, and when you see the detail in its many locales, you can understand exactly how this game took over a decade to make. With that comes the weight of expectations, but there’s every hope that Witchbrook will deliver what players are looking for – whether that be a cosy time or an adventurous one.
What else to know about Witchbrook
Beyond its finally locked-in release date, it’s worth noting Witchbrook will get a wide release on launch. It will be available for PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. It will be available on Game Pass on day one.
The years in development have also allowed for multi-language translation, and it will release worldwide in English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
The global anticipation behind Witchbrook is only really matched by a game like GTA VI, although these games have entirely different audiences. For cosy gamers, it’s certainly the grail at the top of their wishlists.
We look forward to seeing more from Witchbrook as it heads to release.
Also on ScreenHub: All the best video games I’ve played in 2026 so far
I love video games. I’ve played a lot in 2026! Looking back, it’s so easy to track major moments in my life this year to the video game I was playing at the time – whether as stress relief, as part of my job, or just to experience something new.
Games can be so transformative. They hold your hand through new adventures, through new worlds. They can let you be creative in a sandbox of discovery. They can teach you life lessons and skills, couched in fantasy and imagination. For even a moment, they can give you a reprieve from the real world and remind you why play and art are both so important.
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