The Power of Unreal Engine 5 Unleashed in The Witcher 4: State of Unreal 2025 Showcase

The gaming world is buzzing with excitement following the State of Unreal 2025 event, where CD Projekt Red (CDPR) and Epic Games revealed a jaw-dropping tech demo for The Witcher 4.
Powered by Unreal Engine 5.6, this showcase highlighted the groundbreaking capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, setting a new benchmark for open world gaming.
From stunning visuals to seamless performance, let’s dive into how Unreal Engine 5 is shaping The Witcher 4 into what could be the most immersive RPG yet.

Unreal Engine 5: A Game Changer for Open World RPGs

Unreal Engine 5 has been hailed as a revolutionary tool for game developers and its partnership with CDPR for The Witcher 4 proves why.
Unlike the proprietary REDengine used in previous Witcher titles, Unreal Engine 5 offers advanced features like Nanite, Lumen and MetaHuman technology, enabling developers to create hyper realistic worlds with unprecedented detail.
The State of Unreal 2025 tech demo showcased how these tools are being leveraged to bring the never before seen region of Kovir to life, running at a smooth 60 FPS with ray tracing on a standard PlayStation 5.

For fans of The Witcher series, this shift to Unreal Engine 5 signals CDPR’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of open world design.
Let’s explore the key features that stood out in the Witcher 4 tech demo and how they demonstrate the power of Unreal Engine 5.

Nanite Foliage: A Lush, Living World

One of the standout features of the Witcher 4 tech demo was the use of Nanite Foliage, a new Unreal Engine 5 technology that renders highly detailed vegetation in real time.
From dense forests to rugged mountains in Kovir, every leaf, branch and blade of grass is rendered as a full 3D object, creating a breathtakingly realistic environment.

Unlike traditional methods that rely on flat textures, Nanite Foliage allows for dynamic scaling of foliage elements, ensuring high fidelity without compromising performance.
As Ciri, the game’s protagonist, rides her horse Kelpie through Kovir’s wilderness, the lush landscapes feel alive, swaying naturally in the wind. This level of detail makes The Witcher 4’s open world more immersive than ever, setting a new standard for environmental design in RPGs.

FastGeo Streaming: Seamless Exploration

Open world games often struggle with loading times and visual hiccups, but Unreal Engine 5’s FastGeo Streaming plugin addresses these issues head-on.
In the Witcher 4 tech demo, Ciri seamlessly transitions from Kovir’s snowy peaks to the bustling port town of Valdrest without any noticeable loading screens.

FastGeo Streaming allows massive environments to load quickly and smoothly, ensuring players remain immersed in the game world.
This technology, developed in collaboration with Epic Games, is a game changer for The Witcher 4, which aims to deliver a vast, interconnected open world. By optimizing performance on current-gen consoles like the PS5, CDPR is ensuring that The Witcher 4 will be accessible to a wide audience without sacrificing visual quality.

Unreal Animation Framework: Lifelike Characters and Creatures

The Witcher 4 tech demo introduced the Unreal Animation Framework, which powers realistic character movements and interactions.
Ciri’s dynamic animations, especially while riding Kelpie, showcase how this framework synchronizes character and creature movements based on the environment.
For example, Kelpie’s muscles flex realistically as it gallops and Ciri adjusts her posture dynamically to match the horse’s motion.

This technology also enhances NPC interactions, making Kovir’s towns feel vibrant and lived-in.
In one memorable moment, Ciri bumps into a fruit vendor, causing apples to spill and triggering unscripted reactions from nearby NPCs, like children chasing the rolling fruit.
The Mass AI system, another Unreal Engine 5 feature, manages large crowds with unique behaviors, adding depth to the game’s world. These subtle details elevate The Witcher 4 beyond its predecessors, creating a truly reactive open world.

MetaHuman Technology: Next-Gen Character Design

Unreal Engine 5’s MetaHuman technology is revolutionizing character creation and The Witcher 4 is a prime example. The tech demo featured highly detailed character models, with Ciri’s face and expressions blending seamlessly between cinematics and gameplay.

MetaHuman technology, now fully integrated into Unreal Engine 5.6, allows developers to create and render realistic faces in minutes, a significant improvement over previous workflows.
In The Witcher 4, this translates to lifelike NPCs and main characters, enhancing the emotional impact of the story.
The demo also showcased Mass AI crowd scaling, which populates busy scenes like Valdrest’s market with diverse, high-fidelity characters, all behaving naturally.

For players, this means a more engaging narrative experience, as every character in Kovir feels like part of a living, breathing world.
CDPR’s use of MetaHuman technology underscores their goal of making The Witcher 4 the most ambitious Witcher game to date.

60 FPS with Ray Tracing: Performance Meets Visual Fidelity

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Witcher 4 tech demo was its performance.
Running on a standard PlayStation 5, the demo achieved 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled, a feat that highlights Unreal Engine 5.6’s optimization for current-gen hardware.

Ray tracing enhances lighting, reflections and shadows, creating a visually stunning world that feels grounded and realistic.
From the shimmering waters of Kovir’s ports to the soft glow of lanterns in Valdrest, the demo showcased how Unreal Engine 5 balances graphical fidelity with smooth gameplay.

Why Unreal Engine 5 is Perfect for The Witcher 4

CDPR’s decision to switch to Unreal Engine 5 for The Witcher 4 was driven by its robust open world capabilities and developer friendly tools.
Unlike REDengine, which required significant in-house development, Unreal Engine 5 allows CDPR to focus on crafting a compelling story and immersive world.
The strategic partnership with Epic Games, announced in 2022, has also enabled CDPR to co-develop new tools like FastGeo Streaming and Nanite Foliage, which will benefit the broader Unreal Engine community.

The State of Unreal 2025 tech demo demonstrated how these tools are being tailored to CDPR’s open world design philosophy, emphasizing reactivity, visual fidelity and performance.
By showcasing The Witcher 4 running on a PS5, CDPR and Epic Games have proven that Unreal Engine 5 can deliver next-gen experiences on current-gen hardware, making The Witcher 4 a cross-gen title accessible to millions.

What’s Next for The Witcher 4?

While the State of Unreal 2025 tech demo wasn’t actual gameplay, it offered a tantalizing glimpse into The Witcher 4’s potential.
Set to launch no earlier than 2027, the game will kick off a new trilogy with Ciri as the protagonist, exploring Ciris Story in the Witcher universe.
Kovir, a rugged northern region making its video game debut, promises to be a visually spectacular and narratively rich setting.

CDPR has emphasized that The Witcher 4 will be their most ambitious project yet, building on the success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. With Unreal Engine 5’s cutting-edge technology, fans can expect a world that feels more alive, characters that resonate emotionally and performance that doesn’t compromise on visuals.

Unreal Engine 5 Redefines The Witcher 4

The State of Unreal 2025 tech demo for The Witcher 4 showcased the transformative power of Unreal Engine 5, from Nanite Foliage and FastGeo Streaming to the Unreal Animation Framework and MetaHuman technology. Running at 60 FPS with ray tracing on a standard PS5, the demo proved that CDPR and Epic Games are pushing the limits of open world gaming.

As The Witcher 4 continues development, it’s clear that Unreal Engine 5 is the perfect engine to bring CDPR’s vision to life. Whether you’re a Witcher fan or a gaming tech enthusiast, this tech demo is a thrilling preview of what’s to come. Stay tuned for more updates and let us know in the comments what you’re most excited about in The Witcher 4!

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