The gaming world held its breath today as CD Projekt Red offered a tantalizing first look at The Witcher 4 during the “State of Unreal 2025” presentation at Unreal Fest. While a full presentation is slated for later upload, the developers generously shared four stunning screenshots straight from an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, providing our very first glimpse into the visual fidelity and technological ambition behind the highly anticipated next installment in the beloved Witcher saga. This reveal marks a pivotal moment, not just for fans eager to step back into Geralt’s world (or perhaps a new protagonist’s), but also for understanding the power of Unreal Engine 5 in pushing the boundaries of interactive storytelling and graphical realism.
Thanks to IGN to illustrating the Unreal Engine gameplay
Ever since CD Projekt Red officially announced the next Witcher game in March 2022, speculation has been rampant. Codenamed “Polaris,” this new saga represents a significant shift for the series, moving away from its proprietary RED engine and embracing Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5. This decision alone signaled a commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology for the game’s development. While details about the story, characters, and release window remain scarce, the sheer mention of The Witcher 4 immediately ignites excitement due to the franchise’s rich lore, complex moral choices, and groundbreaking RPG gameplay established by its predecessors, particularly The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Unreal Engine 5: The Power Behind the Pixels
Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) has quickly become the industry standard for next-generation game development, known for its powerful features that enable developers to create incredibly detailed and realistic environments. The choice of UE5 for The Witcher 4 was a clear statement of intent from CD Projekt Red, signaling their ambition to deliver a visually and technologically superior experience.
Key UE5 features that are likely at play in The Witcher 4 and hinted at by the tech demo screenshots include:
- Nanite: This virtualized micropolygon geometry system allows for incredible geometric detail, enabling developers to import film-quality assets directly into games without significant performance loss. This means highly detailed environments, characters, and objects with millions of polygons.
- Lumen: A fully dynamic global illumination and reflections system that creates incredibly realistic lighting. Light bounces naturally off surfaces, adapting in real-time to changes in the environment, light sources, and time of day, leading to highly immersive scenes.
- Chaos: UE5’s destruction physics system allows for massive-scale environmental destruction, which could lend itself well to the Witcher’s world of monster hunts and magical combat.
- MetaHumans: While not directly used for main characters typically, this framework for creating realistic digital humans showcases UE5’s capabilities in character fidelity, hinting at the potential for incredibly lifelike NPCs.
The tech demo, though likely a controlled environment, serves as a powerful showcase of how CD Projekt Red is harnessing these technologies to bring the Witcher universe to life with unprecedented fidelity.
The “State of Unreal 2025” Presentation: What We Hope to See
The tech demo and screenshots are just a teaser. The promise of a “full presentation” later today is what truly has fans eager. While the initial glimpse focuses on visuals, the full presentation at State of Unreal 2025 is expected to delve deeper.
- Technical Deep Dive: Developers will likely discuss the specific techniques and optimizations they are employing with UE5 to achieve such visuals while maintaining performance. This could include details on asset pipelines, rendering techniques, and how they are adapting their workflow to the new engine.
- Behind-the-Scenes Insights: We might get a glimpse into the development process, perhaps concept art, early animations, or even discussions about the challenges and opportunities of moving from REDengine to UE5.
- Subtle Lore Hints: While not a story reveal, tech demos sometimes contain subtle visual clues that can fuel fan theories about the game’s setting, timeline, or characters.
- Confirmation of a New Saga’s Direction: Though unlikely to reveal plot points, the tone and style of the full demo might offer insights into whether the new Witcher game will retain the dark fantasy elements or explore new thematic territory.
The State of Unreal conferences are known for showcasing innovative uses of their engine, and CD Projekt Red’s participation is a testament to the cutting-edge nature of The Witcher 4‘s development.
The Impact on the Gaming Landscape
The reveal of The Witcher 4 running on Unreal Engine 5, even in this limited form, carries significant weight for the broader gaming industry:
- Next-Gen Bar-Setting: The Witcher series has a history of pushing graphical boundaries. With UE5, “Polaris” is poised to continue this tradition, potentially setting new standards for open-world RPGs in terms of visual immersion and environmental detail.
- Showcase for UE5: This is a major win for Epic Games, as The Witcher 4 will be one of the flagship titles showcasing the full power and versatility of Unreal Engine 5. It will further solidify UE5’s position as a dominant force in AAA game development.
- Increased Anticipation: For fans, these screenshots move the game from an abstract announcement to a tangible, visually stunning reality, significantly ramping up anticipation for future reveals.
- Developer Confidence: CD Projekt Red’s transparency in showing a tech demo, even in early stages, reflects confidence in their chosen engine and development process.
Today’s reveal of The Witcher 4 on Unreal Engine 5 at State of Unreal 2025 is more than just a set of pretty pictures; it’s a profound statement of intent. It confirms CD Projekt Red’s commitment to leveraging the most advanced technology to craft a truly next-generation Witcher experience. While questions about story, characters, and release dates persist, these initial screenshots, coupled with the power of Unreal Engine 5, paint a vivid picture of a game that aims to be visually breathtaking and deeply immersive. As we await the full presentation later today, the excitement is palpable – the next chapter of The Witcher saga has officially begun to take shape, and it looks truly phenomenal.
