Unreal Engine 5 and massive open worlds haven’t gotten along so far, but that may be about to change – and with The Witcher 4 looming, the timing couldn’t be better. Gamers have been struggling with high system demands and frustrating optimization for too long.

In 2025, several major RPGs have embraced Unreal Engine 5 to bring breathtaking open-worlds to life. Titles like Black Myth: Wukong, Avowed, and Oblivion Remastered delivered stunning visuals – but at the cost of punishing performance requirements. Epic Games’ engine has struggled to deliver consistent results, especially on mid-range hardware. Now, though, a promising new update might turn things around.

Version 5.6 could be a turning point

Epic Games has offered a sneak peek at version 5.6 of Unreal Engine, promising “massive, high-fidelity open worlds with maximum performance and consistent 60 FPS.” It also introduces major improvements to animation tools, aiming to help developers build large, detailed environments faster and more efficiently than ever.

If the update delivers on its promises, open-world RPGs might finally become more accessible – not just to developers, but to players with average PCs. As always, a lot depends on the developers’ execution, but the tools are clearly evolving in the right direction.

It’s worth noting that version 5.6 is currently in a preliminary stage, so its impact won’t be fully seen for a while. However, given how many UE5 titles have struggled with optimization, especially in open-world settings, even a glimmer of improvement is welcome. Even games like Avowed, which divide their maps into smaller areas, haven’t run smoothly on mid-range systems.

Upcoming UE5-powered open-world titles like Chrono Odyssey and The Witcher 4 will be the real tests for this engine update – and developers like CD Projekt RED will no doubt be watching closely.

Source: 3djuegos