Revealed final December, CD Projekt Crimson has been constantly releasing new info on The Witcher 4 and now it has simply lifted the curtain from it with a jaw-dropping Unreal Engine 5 tech demo and it seems to be nothing in need of further strange. From a shocking new area to next-gen NPC behaviour and crowd techniques, all the things showcased pushes the collection into daring and impressive territory. As beforehand confirmed, Ciri takes the lead this time, backed by huge engine upgrades that redefine world-building, animation, and body price efficiency.
So, with none delays, listed below are all the small print we realized at State of Unreal 2025.
Narrative And Reactive World Design
The narrative and world design glimpses from the demo paint an intriguing setting for the upcoming sequel. Valdrest, the featured port city, is crammed with gossip, shady characters, and potential quest hooks, hinting at a hub-based storytelling construction wealthy with depth and exploration. One quest has Ciri searching a lethal manticore, however beneath that lies discuss of smuggling and different morally gray matters and this means a layered, multi-threaded quest system that would weave in political intrigue and difficult decisions. Extra importantly, the world feels reactive, not only a backdrop, however an interesting sandbox the place dynamic occasions unfold naturally, somewhat than relying solely on scripted sequences, one thing now we have already seen in The Witcher 3.
Commonplace PS5 Footage
Now let’s shift our focus to the technical particulars of the demo. Proper at the start of the presentation, it was reconfirmed that The Witcher 4 is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, with CD Projekt Crimson working intently alongside Epic Video games. Then got here the large second, in-engine footage from a tech demo, working at 60 FPS with ray tracing on an ordinary PlayStation 5. And truthfully? It seems to be good. Certain, it’s only a tech demo and never essentially consultant of the ultimate product, we get that, however the truth that one thing this visually spectacular is working on a base PS5? That’s borderline insane.
Joint-CEO of CD PROJEKT RED, Michał Nowakowski had the next to say on the matter, “We began our partnership with Epic Video games to push open-world sport know-how ahead. To indicate this early take a look at the work we’ve been doing utilizing Unreal Engine working at 60 FPS on PlayStation 5, is a big milestone — and a testomony of the nice cooperation between our groups. However we’re removed from completed. I stay up for seeing extra developments and galvanizing know-how from this partnership as growth of The Witcher 4 on Unreal Engine 5 continues.”
Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Video games added that, “CD PROJEKT RED is likely one of the business’s greatest open-world sport studios, and we’re grateful that they’re working with us to push Unreal Engine ahead with The Witcher 4. They’re the right associate to assist us develop new world-building options that we are able to share with all Unreal Engine builders.”
New Area
CD Projekt Crimson additionally reconfirmed that gamers will step into the boots of Ciri, now a completely realized Witcher and seasoned hunter. The demo showcased a brand-new area: Kovir. The elements of a lush, serene open-world environments are one thing now we have seen in The Witcher 3 however in The Witcher 4, all the things seems to be tremendous detailed. With the area’s dense forests, hills, and wonderful vistas, Kovir seems to be breathtakingly stunning, virtually peaceable. However realizing the world of The Witcher, hazard is rarely far behind and people silent peaks are virtually actually hiding extra than simply gorgeous views.
Meet Ciri’s companion
Lacking Roach already? Nicely, don’t get too nostalgic, Geralt’s trusty steed isn’t making a return to date. As a substitute, Ciri’s horse is known as Kelpie, a nod to her distinctive journey and a non secular successor to Roach. However what’s actually spectacular is how Unreal Engine 5 takes horse motion know-how to the following degree. Due to multi-character movement matching, Ciri can mount Kelpie from any angle or velocity with seamless and lifelike animations. Mix that with root movement and machine-learned deformations, and also you get extremely lifelike using physics, full with correct muscle motion, all and not using a dip in body price efficiency and processes. That is going to be a next-gen horse, alright!
World Element
Now let’s speak about how Unreal Engine 5 handles world-building, and it’s severely spectacular. One of many standout options is the brand new Nanite Foliage System, which permits artists to craft ultra-dense, totally 3D foliage with full lighting and shadow assist. This by the way in which isn’t only a visible increase; it replaces the great outdated LOD techniques with adaptive voxel-based rendering, delivering each increased visible constancy and higher efficiency.
As a substitute of counting on flat 2D alpha playing cards, each leaf and pine is now rendered in full 3D utilizing voxel-based adaptive illustration. The outcome? Foliage that interacts much more naturally with lighting and shadow, including a layer of realism to each forest within the sport’s open world.
Improved NPCs
NPC behaviours in The Witcher 3 have been one of many sport’s few weaker elements, comprehensible, given it’s a virtually decade outdated title. However The Witcher 4 seems to be set to lift the bar considerably in relation to NPC behaviour and realism. One take a look at Valdrest and its clear CD Projekt Crimson is aiming for a much more immersive inhabitants system, NPCs now react dynamically to the participant, sparking plausible chain results all through the gang. This leap is powered by applied sciences like MetaHuman, Good Objects, and Chaos Fabric, making certain characters not solely look extra actual however behave naturally. The purpose? To reduce the hole between most important characters and background NPCs, visually and behaviourally, and make the world really feel actually immersive.
Crowd System
After which there’s the gang system, a large leap ahead from what we noticed again in video games like Murderer’s Creed Unity. In The Witcher 4 tech demo, CD Projekt Crimson showcased over 300 individually animated NPCs on display screen without delay, every interacting and transferring with fluidity. That is powered by a brand-new Unreal Animation Framework that retains all the things working easily at a steady 60 FPS, with sufficient headroom left for core gameplay techniques to function with out many points. It’s a staggering degree of technical achievement that guarantees cities and cities that really feel genuinely alive and reactive. Whether or not the ultimate sport will function this many NPCs stays to be seen, however the sheer potential on show is sufficient to get us excited.
Higher Streaming System
Keep in mind the occluder points in The Witcher 3, the place objects would typically pop into view proper in entrance of the participant? Say goodbye to that. Due to main enhancements in world streaming, belongings now load in quicker. Whereas CD Projekt Crimson didn’t explicitly point out loading screens, the demo’s seamless transitions make it clear, The Witcher 4 is pushing onerous towards a completely immersive, uninterrupted open world.
Bonus Reveal
And proper on the finish, we received a quick reveal at Lan Exeter which is a significant port metropolis and Kovir’s winter capital. The demo closed with a cinematic shot of Ciri on horseback, gazing out over the horizon as she calmly says, “Onward, Kelpie. We’ve work to do.” It’s a brief second, but it surely feels loaded with which means, seemingly hinting at the start of a significant narrative arc and it’s the form of tease that leaves you wanting extra.
The Witcher 4 doesn’t have a launch window or platforms, but it surely’s seemingly coming to PS5, Xbox and PC.
