CD Projekt RED’s latest tease is all blood trails, busted cloaks, and next gen sorcery.
CD Projekt RED just showed off a hauntingly beautiful glimpse of The Witcher 4, and it’s a hell of a flex. Debuting during Epic’s State of Unreal showcase, the new tech demo doesn’t promise final gameplay, but if this is the direction they’re heading, it’s already outpacing expectations.
Ciri’s front and centre this time, riding through mist cloaked forests on Kelpie while tracking a manticore with that ice in her veins focus. There’s a wrecked merchant caravan, a shady contract, and a busted moral compass. All the hallmarks of Witcher storytelling, now drenched in Unreal Engine 5’s absurd fidelity.
This isn’t actual gameplay. It’s a proof of concept, stitched together by CDPR’s cinematic director Kajetan Kapuściński to spotlight next gen tech like Nanite foliage and SmartGeo streaming. Which, in human speak, means environments that move and breathe like real f**king places.
The final scene pans through a bustling Koviri settlement, where light cuts through smoke, Ciri’s cloak ripples like fabric should, and the crowd doesn’t look like a cut and paste afterthought. It echoes The Witcher 3’s Novigrad reveal but pushes every detail into uncanny territory.
We also get our first taste of Ciara Berkeley as the new voice of Ciri, taking over from Jo Wyatt. Her tone’s older, weightier less hot headed protégé, more battle worn lead.
There’s no release date, and CDPR’s playing it careful post Cyberpunk 2077, but if this is where they’re at mid development? They might just nail it.
Watch the full demo below. Just don’t expect to play it like this. Yet.
CDPR might be years out from launch, but if Ciri’s in charge and the world looks this sharp, we’re already sharpening our silver swords.
