The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo Shows Stunning Open World, but CD Projekt Red Warns Its Not Gameplay

Epic Games and CD Projekt Red showed off an early development Unreal Engine 5 tech demo for The Witcher 4, featuring stunning environments, a detailed open world, in-game locations and new Unreal Engine technical features. The nearly 10-minute-long technological showcase, shown at the State of Unreal presentation on Tuesday, was running at a base PS5 at 60fps with ray-tracing turned on, according to CD Projekt.

The Witcher 4 Tech Demo

In addition to providing an early look at the world of The Witcher 4, the tech demo revealed the northern region of Kovir, a new setting that will make its first appearance in the series. CDPR, however, has clarified that the demo wasn't actual gameplay of The Witcher 4 itself, but a “deep dive into the technological foundation of the new Witcher saga”, which means the final game may not end up looking like the build shown at the presentation.

Nevertheless, what was shown was impressive — crisp character models for the game's protagonist Ciri and her horse Kelpie, dense foliage, detailed towns teeming with NPCs and a host of Unreal Engine 5 technology and features that power it all.

“Since the strategic partnership was announced in 2022, CDPR has been working with Epic Games to develop new tools and enhance existing features in Unreal Engine 5 to expand the engine's open-world development capabilities and establish robust tools geared toward CD PROJEKT RED's open-world design philosophies,” the Polish studio said in an update on its website.

The technical showcase begins with Ciri navigating her way on foot down a mountain in the region of Kovir, on the trail of a monster, before getting on her horse, Kelpie, and riding to the nearby port town of Valdrest.

The demo then dives into the wild world of The Witcher 4, showcasing rugged snow-capped mountains and dense forests, that utilise Unreal's new Nanite Foliage rendering technology. The focus then shifts back to Valdrest, a bustling town, where we see Ciri interact with NPCs, which are shown to be responsive and going about their daily routines. At one point, the demo shows over 300 animated NPCs in a single scene.

CD Projekt Red said The Witcher 4 would be the “most immersive and ambitious open-world Witcher game ever”. The showcase ended with a glimpse at Lan Exeter, the winter capital and a major port city in Kovir.

The port town of Valdrest seen in The Witcher 4 tech demo
Photo Credit: CD Projekt Red

According to CD Projekt and Epic, the tools and technology showcased in the demo will eventually be released to all UE developers, starting with the release of Unreal Engine 5.6 on Tuesday.

“We started our partnership with Epic Games to push open-world game technology forward. To show this early look at the work we've been doing using Unreal Engine running at 60 FPS on PlayStation 5, is a significant milestone — and a testament of the great cooperation between our teams,” CD Projekt Red joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski said in a statement. “But we're far from finished. I look forward to seeing more advancements and inspiring technology from this partnership as development of The Witcher 4 on Unreal Engine 5 continues.”

The Witcher 4 was revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with a cinematic trailer introducing Ciri as the protagonist of a new Witcher saga. CD Projekt has not yet shown any gameplay from the upcoming RPG, as the tech demo does not represent the final game. While there's no confirmed launch timeline for The Witcher 4, the developer said at its FY 2024 earnings conference in March that the game would not be released before 2027.