At the 2025 State of Unreal keynote, CD Projekt Red revealed a tech demo for The Witcher 4. Built in Unreal Engine 5.6, the demo highlights major visual and gameplay upgrades. Ciri leads the showcase, exploring the lush forests of Kovir and the bustling port city of Valdrest.
The demo ran at 60 frames per second on a base PlayStation 5. Ray tracing was enabled, showing off strong optimization. Foliage and terrain used Nanite tech for high detail and long draw distances. Scenes looked sharp, even in fast motion.
A major highlight was the new animation system. Ciri’s horse, Kelpie, moved with realistic muscle physics using the Chaos Flesh Solver. Multi-Character Motion Matching improved character animations, especially during combat and traversal.
Crowd rendering was another standout. Over 300 NPCs appeared in a single scene with no drop in performance. Each reacted to the player with dynamic dialogue and actions.
Witcher 4 tech demo highlights
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Ciri Takes the Lead – The demo features Ciri as the main character, navigating dense forests and a detailed port city with rich storytelling hints.
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Next-Level Graphics – Powered by Unreal Engine 5.6, the demo showcases Nanite foliage, real-time ray tracing, and massive draw distances—running smoothly at 60 FPS on a PS5.
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Hyper-Realistic Animations – CDPR used Multi-Character Motion Matching and Chaos Flesh Solver tech to deliver lifelike movement, especially in Ciri and her horse, Kelpie.
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Massive Crowds, Zero Lag – Over 300 NPCs appear in a vibrant marketplace scene, all interacting dynamically without breaking performance.
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A Glimpse Into Polaris – While not from the final game, the demo reflects CDPR’s vision for the upcoming Witcher trilogy—bigger, bolder, and more immersive.
This demo doesn’t come from the final game, but it sets the tone. The team plans to build a full trilogy, starting with The Witcher 4 (codenamed “Polaris”). Other Witcher projects are also underway, including a remake of the 2007 original and a multiplayer title called Sirius.
There’s no release date yet. Still, the tech demo suggests Witcher 4 will be a solid game to play.
