CD Projekt RED (CDPR) used Unreal Engine 5 to present a tech demo of the game during the State of Unreal broadcast.

Viewers got a look at the new Witcher, Ciri’s revamped appearance, and a number of key locations she’ll explore on her journey. Of course, as a tech demo, none of this footage comes straight from the finished game—it’s just an example of what we might eventually see. There were breathtaking mountain ranges with snowy peaks, lush forests for Ciri and her horse Kelpie to ride through, and even a nearby fishing town where our Witcher can take on contracts.

This particular village is more dynamic than ever, and the NPCs play just as much of a role in the story as the main characters. They react to player actions, chat with each other, and show off a ton of background activity—even if most of us won’t notice it once the game actually arrives. There will also be in-game events, like disputes between fishermen. The devs have seriously focused on optimization, aiming for zero lag even when lots of assets are loaded in certain places. We even caught a glimpse of a monster as Ciri soared across the mountain sky in search of her next target.

The demo was running on PlayStation 5. The team wants to prove that the game will run stably—especially since Cyberpunk 2077’s PS4 and Xbox One versions were infamous technical disasters. This presentation highlighted new AI systems and animation tech for NPCs, plus environmental realism upgrades. It’s all part of the Multi Character Motion project, which aims to bring regions like Kovir—and the characters inhabiting them—to life in the game world.

CDPR claims the game can hold a steady 60 FPS on consoles. The tech demo, rendered at 900p and upscaled to 1440p thanks to Unreal Engine 5, showcased features designed to ensure the studio never repeats its past technical mistakes.

Source: Gamingbible, Gamestar