The Witcher 4’s State of Unreal 2025 tech demo may still have more improvements before its release. Read on to learn more about what developer CD Projekt Red’s goal is for its frame rate and what was revealed during the tech demo.
The Witcher 4 State of Unreal 2025 Tech Demo
60fps on Base PS5
The Witcher 4’s tech demo at the State of Unreal 2025 had jaw-dropping visuals, running at 60fps using base PS5. However, this showcase does not represent the final game, and changes could be made down the line.
In an interview with Eurogamer on June 3, a representative from CD Projekt Red (CDPR) stated that 60fps on PS5 is their goal, but nothing has been finalized as of now. They explained, "It's still too early to confirm exact specs for every platform, but we're working closely with Epic to create an open-world experience that's both beautiful to look at and smooth to play."
The demo indeed impressed a lot of fans, but it could also set unrealistic expectations for how The Witcher 4 may look and function on release. CDPR was also in the same situation a few years ago on the lead up to Cyberpunk 2077’s release. Many were impressed with what the studio advertised the game as, but it was plagued with a plethora of bugs, glitches, and performance issues at launch.
The representative stated that this tech demo does not represent the finality of The Witcher 4, but rather showcases the tools the studio and Epic Games have been working on. "That means specific visuals like character models and environments may be different to The Witcher 4," they added.
Early Development Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo
The 14-minute live demo featured Unreal Engine 5.6’s capabilities, which include photorealistic environments, high definition visuals, next-gen ray tracing, and more. The developers wanted to emphasize that the showcase is a technical presentation and will not represent the final product’s gameplay.
The presentation begins with a short footage of a carriage getting ambushed by a monster. Then, it transitions seamlessly to live gameplay as the player controls Ciri to rummage through the wreckage and explore the area a bit.
The audience was then introduced to Ciri’s horse companion, Kelpie, and the developers highlighted the "root motion movement" they implemented to make horseback traversal feel more realistic. They even went so deep as to make Kelpie’s muscle movement visible and accurate with the engine’s ML Deformer.
Other major updates from Unreal Engine that were featured include Nanite Foliage, which renders detailed and dense vegetation without sacrificing performance, Fast Geo Streaming that allows quick and seamless loading of huge environments, MetaHuman AI crowds and Mass Framework, which handles large, dynamic crowds with believable AI behavior and interactions.
With the showcase, CDPR revealed the new region of Kovir, a never-before-seen location in The Witcher games. Ciri also visited the small town of Valdrest, which acts as a port in the heart of the snowy mountains.
Unfortunately, CDPR has yet to reveal any combat gameplay in the demo, as they focused more on showcasing UE5’s graphical capabilities and improvements. Regardless, fans are amazed to see the next generation of The Witcher finally realized using Epic Games’ latest engine.
The Witcher 4 is set to be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There have been no announcements regarding a specific release date. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
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The Witcher 4 — Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo
CD Projekt Red confirms Witcher 4 Unreal demo showcases tech tools, doesn't represent final game
