Summary
- CD Projekt Red revealed the first Witcher 4 tech demo during the State of Unreal 2025 showcase.
- The demo features Ciri exploring the new region of Kovir alongside her horse, Kelpie.
- Advanced Unreal Engine 5 technologies power realistic graphics, crowd systems, and environmental details.
During the State of Unreal 2025 presentation, CD Projekt Red has finally shown us what Witcher 4 gameplay is like. The Polish developers partnered with Epic Games to present their upcoming fantasy RPG through an awesome technical demonstration. This marks the first time that fans can watch gameplay demonstration from the highly anticipated sequel of the game.
Ciri Takes Center Stage in New Adventure
Developers officially confirmed Ciri as the main protagonist in the Witcher 4. Players see that she and her friend have been chasing a dangerous monster that scares and hurts local merchants in a nearby town. A cinematic sequence appears at the beginning where some strange creatures attack, and then the focus changes to the investigation conducted by Ciri.
Apart from fighting, Ciri also reunites with her horse Kelpie, whose animation shows how well they made the game. The developers mentioned that by using Unreal Chaos Flesh Solver technology, the game can show more realistic movements in muscles and skin. This attention to every little detail is present all throughout the presentation, showing how much the studio cares about visual quality.
Exploring Kovir: A Brand New Region
For the first time, the Witcher 4 gameplay unveils Kovir in the video game series as an explorable region. In the northern kingdom, players can see diverse landscapes ranging from forests to energy-filled port cities. In the demo, players travel through tough mountain areas before arriving to Valdrest, the main trading city.
The capital city of Kovir, Lan Exeter, appears near the end of the presentation. Up to now, the snowy city was only briefly mentioned in earlier Witcher games, especially during the storyline of Triss Merigold’s romance. Players can now visit and explore the political center, finding new regions to discover different from their usual territories.
Revolutionary Unreal Engine 5 Technology
Unreal Engine 5’s open-world features have been enhanced due to collaboration between Epic Games and CD Projekt Red. The demonstration lets you see several top features on the platform that go above and beyond what technology can do. The Nanite Foliage technology ensures that the forests look extremely lifelike and detailed while maintaining smooth performance at the same time. This system automatically handles vegetation, which allows all the dense Kovir forests to be displayed without frame drops.
They used Mass AI system to monitor the Valdrest’s markets and streets and manage the complex crowd actions of all the characters. Players can continue about their daily activies as Ciri meets them and tries to get her bearings. Using FastGeo Streaming ensures that there are no interruptions in the game when loading new parts of the world. Additionally, ML Deformer also assists by adding gentle effects to the animation, improving how real the models look. Using advanced AI, this system allows for natural movements from the muscle and facial area, so Kelpie’s horse looks realistic.
Witcher 4 Gameplay Technical Performance and Development Insights
The Witcher 4 can run very well in standard PS5 mode, hitting 60 frames per second and using ray tracing. However, CD Projekt Red emphasizes that what we see highlights a technical showcase instead of Witcher 4 gameplay. The studio representatives explain that some parts of the visual design may change throughout the development.
Because of these new technologies, the development community will see progress through the Unreal Engine 5.6 release. The collaboration between CD Projekt Red and Epic Games started in 2022, after switching away from using REDengine. Their collaboration may focus on maintaining the 60 FPS performance without making the graphics blurry on every platform.
Although there’s no official release date yet, the developers previously indicated The Witcher 4 launch to be before 2027. Currently, steps ahead in the game’s development give fans hope for Ciri’s next adventure. This first look at the gameplay makes it clear Witcher 4 will be the most advanced entry in the beloved series.
Conclusion
Fans have gotten their first glimpse into what’s ahead for The Witcher franchise by watching the State of Unreal 2025 presentation. CD Projekt Red’s collaboration with Epic Games shows outstanding achievements in making big open-world games. Although the Witcher 4 gameplay showcases the tech features, it still reveals CD Projekt RED’s big plans for Ciri’s story.
