CD Projekt confirms Witcher 4 is a UE5 demo only

CD Projekt Red's recent The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 demo at State of Unreal 2025 may undergo further refinements before launch. Here's what developers revealed about their performance targets and key demo highlights.

The Witcher 4 State of Unreal 2025 Tech Demo Insights

Targeting 60fps on PS5 Hardware

While the tech demo achieved stunning 60fps visuals on base PS5 hardware, CD Projekt Red clarifies these results aren't final. Speaking with Eurogamer on June 3, a studio representative explained: "Our target is 60fps on PS5, but specifications remain in flux. We're collaborating with Epic to balance visual fidelity with smooth performance."

The representative emphasized this demonstration serves primarily to showcase development tools rather than final game assets. Following Cyberpunk 2077's troubled launch, the studio aims to better manage expectations: "Character models, environments - these will likely differ in the final release."

Unreal Engine 5 Technology Preview

The 14-minute presentation highlighted Unreal Engine 5.6's groundbreaking features including photorealistic environments, advanced ray tracing, and Nanite Foliage technology for dense vegetation rendering. Developers stressed this purely demonstrates technical potential rather than gameplay systems.

The demo featured Ciri exploring the new region of Kovir aboard her horse Kelpie, exhibiting advanced "root motion movement" and ML Deformer technology for realistic equine animations. Additional showcased innovations included Fast Geo Streaming for seamless world loading and MetaHuman AI for dynamic crowd behavior.

While combat systems remain unseen, fans got their first glimpses of Kovir and the mountainous port town Valdrest - both completely new settings for the franchise. CD Projekt Red hasn't announced specific release dates beyond confirming platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.