'Witcher 4' tech demo shows unreal engine 5’s latest features

CD Projekt Red showcases Witcher 4 tech demo with Ciri exploring new region Kovir using Unreal Engine 5 technology.

CD Projekt Red and Epic Games have unveiled a new technology demonstration for The Witcher 4, offering an early look at the game’s graphical fidelity and open-world design powered by Unreal Engine 5.

Presented during the State of Unreal keynote at Unreal Fest 2025 in Orlando, the demo follows protagonist Ciri and her horse Kelpie exploring the newly introduced region of Kovir, a location not previously seen in the Witcher series. Below is the full video of the event.

Although not actual gameplay footage, the tech demo highlights several advanced Unreal Engine technologies designed to elevate realism and performance.

Nanite foliage technology renders individual leaves and branches on trees with dynamic wind effects, while chaos physics simulates natural movements of cloth and muscle, exemplified by Ciri’s cape and Kelpie’s musculature. Character motion matching ensures fluid interaction between Ciri and Kelpie, showing realistic weight shifts and movement synchronisation.

Thanks for tuning in to The Witcher 4 — Unreal Engine 5 tech demo and joining us during the State of Unreal 2025! #UnrealFest

The full presentation will be uploaded and shared with everyone later today, but in the meantime, here's four screenshots straight from the demo to tide… pic.twitter.com/LL7bJH1biV

— The Witcher (@thewitcher) June 3, 2025

The demo also showcased Fast Geometry Streaming, which enables rapid loading of vast environments, and the Mass AI system, supporting over 300 animated NPCs interacting in the bustling town of Valdrest without any performance drop.

First look at NPC interactions in ‘THE WITCHER 4’

Running on standard PS5 at 60FPS pic.twitter.com/6wTUtpUrMg

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 3, 2025

The entire demonstration ran on a standard PlayStation 5 at a smooth 60 frames per second with ray tracing enabled, illustrating the efficiency of Unreal Engine 5 for open-world titles.

CD Projekt Red’s Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski highlighted the ongoing collaboration with Epic Games to push open-world game technology forward, emphasising the milestone represented by this early reveal.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney praised CD Projekt Red as a leading studio in open-world development and valued their partnership in advancing Unreal Engine capabilities.

Set years after the events of The Witcher 3, The Witcher 4 promises to deliver a visually breathtaking and immersive experience when it launches on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.