Everything We Know About Guild Wars 3

Confirmed: Guild Wars 3 is an announced prequel set in ancient Orr. Steam lists the release as To be announced. The announcement offers a chance to join the beta in the fall of 2027. August added Kodan and Asura spotlights, and a playable-species video.

Confirmed: ArenaNet's launch plan names four playable species: humans, Asura, Kodan, and one unrevealed new species. All launch characters serve under the Vaelwardens, and species choice does not change player statistics or combat mechanics.

The short version

• Confirmed: ArenaNet announced Guild Wars 3 on June 5, 2026. The Kodan spotlight names the announcement trailer at Summer Game Fest. Colin Johanson signed the philosophy post.
• Confirmed: The announced platforms are PC through a standalone client and Steam, plus PlayStation 5. Steam does not list Mac or Linux support.
• Confirmed: The business model is buy-to-play, with ArenaNet stating that it has neither a subscription, a battle pass, nor pay-to-win systems.
• Confirmed: Newsletter subscribers get a chance at beta access in the fall of 2027. A release date has not been announced, and Steam shows To be announced.
• Confirmed: The setting is ancient Orr, more than 1,000 years before the original Guild Wars, when the Six Gods still walked Tyria from their high city Arah.
• Confirmed: Players join the Vaelwardens, a god-sanctioned guild of artificers whose weapons use magic signets. The Seeker is a spirit-connected mount personal to each player.
• Confirmed: Humans, Asura, and Kodan are named launch species. The fourth is new, tied to Orr's lost history, and remains unnamed. ArenaNet has not given a date for that reveal.
• Confirmed: The Kodan spotlight was published on 2026-08-20 and the Asura spotlight on 2026-08-27.
• Confirmed: NCSoft's August 6, 2026 announcement places Guild Wars 3 in the Gamescom 2026 B2B hall in Cologne, after the June Summer Game Fest reveal.
• Confirmed: The Playable Species Spotlight video went up on 2026-08-31, with a published runtime of 4:41.
• Reported: An August 11, 2026 ArenaNet loan decision names a KRW 120,708,500,000 maximum (USD 85,000,000), for development and launch, maturing May 31, 2028. That maturity is not a release date.

Late-August updates

Gamescom 2026

Confirmed: NCSoft announced on August 6, 2026 that Guild Wars 3 takes part in the Gamescom 2026 B2B hall in Cologne. The same announcement names ArenaNet as the North American studio developing it as a PC and console title, first shown at Summer Game Fest 2026 in June.

Reported: Event coverage also described ArenaNet-supplied teaser artwork, and placed the Cologne window at 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-30. Public play at the show is unannounced.

Playable species spotlights

Confirmed: Official Kodan and Asura spotlights published on 2026-08-20 and 2026-08-27.

Confirmed: The Playable Species Spotlight video published on 2026-08-31 runs 4:41.

Financing

Reported: A disclosure copy dated August 11, 2026 records an ArenaNet loan of up to KRW 120,708,500,000 (USD 85,000,000) for development and launch, with May 31, 2028 maturity. It does not name a Guild Wars 3 release date.

The story so far (reveal timeline)

Confirmed: The reveal timeline collects the dated announcement trail:

1. Confirmed: June 5, 2026 - Announcement, with Steam and PlayStation pages published. The Kodan spotlight names the announcement trailer at Summer Game Fest.
2. Confirmed: June 10-11, 2026 - “Stepping into Ancient Orr” setting diary.
3. Confirmed: June 15-16, 2026 - “Our Guild Wars Philosophy,” covering buy-to-play and the stated business-model boundaries, signed by Colin Johanson.
4. Confirmed: July 23, 2026 - “The Vaelwardens of the Orrian Golden Age” story diary.
5. Confirmed: July 30, 2026 - Main theme reveal: Kazuma Jinnouchi composed the Guild Wars 3 main theme, with the ArenaNet audio team as collaborators.
6. Confirmed: August 4-5, 2026 - “Our Approach to Playable Species,” setting the launch count at four.
7. Confirmed: August 6, 2026 - NCSoft Gamescom lineup: Guild Wars 3 in the B2B hall.
8. Confirmed: August 13, 2026 - Human playable-species spotlight.
9. Confirmed: August 20, 2026 - Kodan playable-species spotlight.
10. Confirmed: August 27, 2026 - Asura playable-species spotlight.
11. Confirmed: August 31, 2026 - Playable Species Spotlight video, 4:41.

Confirmed: The beta chance remains the fall of 2027, and Steam still lists the release as To be announced.

What is Guild Wars 3, exactly?

Confirmed: ArenaNet describes Guild Wars 3 as a modern evolution of the MMO, pairing action-RPG combat built around positioning, momentum, and movement with build-crafting.

Confirmed: The announcement names glide, ride, and wall-run, and a movement and momentum system. The Seeker is a spirit-connected mount personal to each player.

Reported: An archived ArenaNet contract listing identifies Unreal Engine 5 in its Guild Wars 3 work description. ArenaNet has not announced the engine.

Setting: living Orr

Confirmed: Guild Wars 3 takes place during the Orrian golden age. Magic saturates the wilds. Arah is the gods' high city. Humans have been on Tyria for about 700 years, while Cantha, Elona, and Ascalon already exist.

Confirmed: The Mavenwright guild drives the central conflict by exploiting magical wilds that the Vaelwardens are sworn to protect. The Vael connect the setting's magical ecology to the order's mission.

Confirmed: This era predates the later collapse named in the humans spotlight and the formerly sunken ruins Guild Wars 2 visits after Zhaitan raised them. The Six Gods remain active in the setting.

What about Guild Wars 2?

Confirmed: The philosophy post says Guild Wars 2 continues with new content beyond Guild Wars 3's release, so a sequel set after Guild Wars 2's timeline would collide with that plan. ArenaNet has announced a new Hall of Monuments linking a Guild Wars 2 account to Guild Wars 3.

Confirmed: Guild Wars 3 remains in development toward the fall 2027 beta chance. A Guild Wars 2 expansion calendar after that launch is unannounced.

FAQ

Is Guild Wars 3 confirmed?

Confirmed: ArenaNet announced Guild Wars 3 on June 5, 2026, and store pages are live for Steam and PlayStation 5.

When can I play Guild Wars 3?

Confirmed: Newsletter subscribers get a chance to join the beta in the fall of 2027. Steam has not published a release date and lists the release as To be announced.

Will Guild Wars 3 have a subscription?

Confirmed: ArenaNet describes the game as buy-to-play and excludes a subscription, battle pass, and pay-to-win model from its stated plan.

What platforms is Guild Wars 3 on?

Confirmed: The announced platforms are PC through a standalone client and Steam, plus PlayStation 5. Steam does not list Mac or Linux support.

Do I need to have played Guild Wars 1 or 2?

Confirmed: Guild Wars 3 is a prequel set more than a millennium before the original Guild Wars, so its story begins in an earlier era. ArenaNet has also described a Hall of Monuments connection for Guild Wars 2 accounts.

What did the latest species updates reveal?

Confirmed: Kodan and Asura received official spotlights, and the Playable Species Spotlight video published on 2026-08-31 runs 4:41. The fourth species remains unnamed. The playable species article covers both posts in detail.