The Witcher 4 tech demo showcased a breathtaking glimpse into CD Projekt's vision, though the studio emphasizes it’s purely a technical demonstration. As IGN reported, this demo does not reflect the final gameplay of The Witcher 4. Still, the Unreal Engine 5-powered showcase, set in the Witcher universe, sparks curiosity about what the game, still years from release, might deliver.
Running on a PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second, the tech demo follows Ciri exploring Kovir, a newly revealed playable region in The Witcher 4, during a monster contract, as confirmed by CD Projekt.
The demo boasts remarkable detail, with fluid animations pushing the boundaries of current-gen consoles. Ciri and her horse Kelpie move seamlessly, interacting vividly with each other, NPCs, and the environment as they traverse Kovir’s mountains to the vibrant port town of Valdrest. In one striking scene, CD Projekt increased the market’s NPC count to 300 individually animated characters. The demo culminated with a glimpse of Lan Exeter, Kovir’s winter capital and a key port city.
CD Projekt is no stranger to the perils of overpromising, having faced backlash after Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled 2020 launch, which took years to recover from. This raises a key question: does The Witcher 4 tech demo reflect the game’s final look?
We posed this to Kajetan Kapuściński, Cinematic Director at CD Projekt, during Epic’s State of Unreal 2025 event. His response was cautious, as expected for a game not due until at least 2027, but he noted the demo “reflects our ambition.”
Here’s Kapuściński’s full statement:
“What you saw today is a tech demo powered by Unreal Engine 5, a collaborative project with Epic’s team. It’s not The Witcher 4 gameplay itself. This demo showcases our ambition and the cutting-edge technology we’re developing to make the game possible. It also hints at our artistic direction and how we aim to approach certain elements.
“Everything shown is subject to change. It’s a snapshot of our current work, shared to highlight our collaboration. With these tools and possibilities, we’re shaping the game.”
In the same interview, we asked Wyeth Johnson, Senior Director of Product Strategy at Epic Games, whether the demo’s performance—60fps with ray tracing on a base PS5—sets realistic expectations for players on that console.
“Absolutely, we’re not misleading anyone,” he responded. “The technology we’re building is directly relevant to what players expect, delivering stunning 60fps gameplay across the hardware spectrum.”
Achieving 60fps with ray tracing in an expansive open-world title like The Witcher 4 on a base PS5 surpasses typical current-gen performance. Johnson explained that collaborating with CD Projekt on the demo “pushed us to rapidly enhance performance while maintaining exceptional visual fidelity.”
This exceeds expectations for the five-year-old PS5. Players often assume ray tracing on consoles like PlayStation or Xbox means 30fps, but Johnson emphasized that the hardware “is remarkable” and has untapped potential.
“It’s about cleverly leveraging hardware,” he said. “We’ve shifted from sequential processes to parallel ones, unlocking more of the hardware’s capabilities. Our new Unreal animation framework and fast geometry streaming allow seamless movement through environments at any speed. These advancements are core to Unreal Engine’s future.
“You need time to uncover the hardware’s hidden strengths, identify bottlenecks, and optimize. Early demos have shown two, three, even tenfold performance improvements with near-identical visuals. These optimizations are now intrinsic to Unreal, empowering developers like CD Projekt Red to build extraordinary experiences.”
The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo Screenshots
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Anticipation for The Witcher 4 is immense, with fans eager for concrete details. Kapuściński remained guarded but offered a hint:
“If you study the demo’s flow, you’ll notice elements pointing to our direction and the possibilities we’ve unlocked through our collaboration. For instance, the forest scene with its vast Nanite foliage vista showcases our ability to render highly detailed trees and plants. Similarly, the crowd scene with over 300 animated NPCs reflects the scale we’re aiming for.
“These advancements, like the Unreal animation framework and NPC optimization, enable us to create expansive, lifelike worlds, hinting at the path we’re taking.”
Expect vast, intricately detailed forests and bustling crowds in The Witcher 4.
A key question remains: which platforms will The Witcher 4 target? The PS5 demo suggests a cross-gen release, potentially including next-gen consoles like the PS6 and next Xbox. But if it launches on current-gen, will it support the less powerful Xbox Series S? Given that Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI is slated for current-gen consoles, including the Series S, The Witcher 4 might follow suit.
CD Projekt has stated The Witcher 4 is unlikely to release before 2027, so answers may be years away.
