rCD Projekt Red, which appeared last December, has consistently released new information. The Witcher 4 And now it’s just lifting the curtains out of it with a chin dropping Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo, and that’s nothing but normal. Everything introduced, from stunning new regions to next-generation NPC behavior and crowd systems, pushes the series into bold and ambitious territory. As previously confirmed, CIRI is now backed by a massive engine upgrade that takes the lead and redefines worldbuilding, animation and framerate performance.
So, there is no delay and all the details I learned in the Unreal 2025 state below.
Story and reactive world design
The story and world design from the demo depicts an interesting setting for upcoming sequels. Valdrest, a hot port town, is filled with gossip, shaded characters and potential quest hooks, hinting at a hub-based storytelling structure rich in depth and exploration. In one quest, CIRIs can hunt deadly manticores, but beneath them are stories of smuggling and other moral grey topics. This suggests a layered multi-threaded quest system that can be weaved into political plots and tough choices. More importantly, I feel that the world is an attractive sandbox with naturally dynamic events unfolding, rather than just backgrounds, rather than just scripted sequences. The Witcher 3.
Standard PS5 video
So let’s move on to the technical details of the demo. At the beginning of the presentation, it was reaffirmed The Witcher 4 Developed with Unreal Engine 5, CD Projekt Red works closely with Epic Games. After that, footage inside the engine from the tech demo runs at 60 fps, raytracing is done on the standard PlayStation 5, and are you honestly? Looks good. Certainly, it’s just a tech demo and not necessarily represent the final product, but we understand that, but is there a fact that what this visually impressive is running on the base PS5? That’s a boundary line.
Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO of CD Projekt Red, said: Partnership as a development of The Witcher 4 Continued in Unreal Engine 5. ”
Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games, added: The Witcher 4. They are the perfect partners to help develop new world-building features that can be shared with all unrealistic engine developers. ”
New Region
CD Projekt Red has also reaffirmed that players will step into Ciri’s boots. The demonstration introduced Kovir, a brand new region. The aspect of the lush, calm, open world environment is what we saw The Witcher 3 but, The Witcher 4, Everything looks very detailed. The dense forests, hills and amazing views of the area make Kobier look breathtakingly beautiful and almost peaceful. But I know the world of The Witcherthe danger is never late. These silent peaks almost certainly hide more than a stunning view.
Meet Ciri’s friends
Are you already having cockroaches? Well, don’t be too nostalgic, Geralt’s trustworthy horse hasn’t returned so far. Instead, Ciri’s horse was named Kelpie. Kelpie nods to her unique journey and is Roach’s spiritual successor. But what really striking is how Unreal Engine 5 takes horse movement skills to the next level. Thanks to multi-character motion matching, CIRI is seamless and realistic animation that allows you to mount kelpies from any angle or speed. Combining it with root movement and machine learning transformations gives you incredibly realistic riding physics with precise muscle movements without all frame rate performance and processes being immersed. This will be the next generation horse, okay!
World details
So let’s talk about how Unreal Engine 5 handles worldbuilding. It’s very impressive. One outstanding feature is the new Nanite Leaf System. This allows the artist to create extremely dense, complete 3D leaves with full lighting and shadow support. By the way, this is not just a visual boost. It replaces the good old LOD system with adaptive voxel-based rendering, providing both higher visual fidelity and better performance.
Instead of relying on flat 2D alpha cards, all leaves and pines were rendered in full 3D using voxel-based adaptive representations. result? Leaf that interacts much more naturally with lighting and shadows adds a layer of realism to every forest in the game’s open world.
Improved NPC
NPC Operation The Witcher 3 It was one of the few weak aspects of the game that is understandable given that it is a title for nearly a decade. but The Witcher 4 The bar is set to increase significantly when it comes to NPC behaviour and realism. Valdrest and its transparent CD Projekt Red look aims for a much more immersive population system. NPCs are currently dynamically responding to players, causing a trusted chain effect across the crowd. This leap is powered by technology such as metahuman, smart objects, and chaotic fabrics, ensuring that the characters not only look more realistic but also behave naturally. the goal? It visually and behaviorally minimizes the gap between the main character and the background NPC, making it truly immersing the world.
Cloud System
And then there is the cloud system. The unity of assassins’ beliefs. in The Witcher 4 Tech Demo, CD Projekt Red introduced over 300 individually animated NPCs at once on-screen, each interacting, fluidity and movement. It features a brand new, unrealistic animation framework that keeps everything running smoothly at a stable 60 fps, leaving enough headroom to allow the core gameplay system to work without many issues. It is an incredible level of technical achievement that promises cities and towns that feel truly alive and responsive. It’s not yet known whether the final game will feature this many NPCs, but the huge possibilities on display are enough to excite us.
Better streaming system
Remember the Occluder problem The Witcher 3,Do objects sometimes appear in front of players? I say goodbye to it. The assets have been loaded faster thanks to a significant improvement in global streaming. CD Projekt Red did not explicitly mention the loading screen, but it makes it clear by the seamless transitions in the demo. The Witcher 4 It pushes violently towards a completely immersive, uninterrupted open world.
Bonus revealed
And finally, we got a brief publicity in Ran Exeter, the major port city and the winter capital of Cobir. The demonstration closes with a shot of Ciri’s film on a horse, staring at the horizon calmly saying, “Now, Kelpie. We’re going to do it.” It’s a brief moment, but it feels full of meaning, and most likely suggests the beginning of a major narrative arc, and it’s just like you want more.
The Witcher 4 There is no release window or platform, but it probably comes to PS5, Xbox, and PC.
