PlayStation.Blog Unveils The Witcher 4 Tech Demo on PS5 Using Unreal Engine 5

Sure, let me give it a go!

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So, there I was, just minding my own business, diving into this Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 tech demo. And bam! CD Projekt Red and Epic Games are doing this epic collab—pun intended. It’s like they’re trying to push the whole open-world gaming stuff to the next level. I mean, who even thought they could make it more alive? But here we are.

Now, hold on a sec. This ain’t even gameplay, right? But they’re weaving in that classic CD Projekt Red storytelling vibe. You’ve got Ciri smack in the middle of some monster job. And we get a sneak peek at a brand-new area—Kovir. (Never heard of it? Same.) They’re all about trade there, and I guess they’re over those pesky northern wars.

Anyway—or was it something else—yea, the tech is the star here. Like, they showed it off live, hitting 60 FPS on a PS5. (Isn’t that crazy?) Plus, it’s not just for The Witcher 4. They’re sharing this tech love through Unreal Engine 5, blessing the whole gaming world. Good times.

Oh, and then there’s this bit about Ciri’s horse, Kelpie, who sounds way cooler than Roach ever was. Sorry, Roach. They’ve got this ML Deformer thing going, making Kelpie’s muscles look super real. Like, flexing and moving as if they’re alive. Just wild. And it doesn’t even slow the game down, so, bonus!

Fast Geometry Streaming? Yeah, that’s a thing. Picture snowy peaks, deep valleys, dense forests—you name it. Everything loads like magic, no hiccups. There’s this scene with Ciri darting around Valdrest and—smooth as butter. No stutters in sight. I mean, when tech works invisibly, you know it’s good, right?

Here’s a twist—Nanite Foliage. Picture Ciri riding through these thick forests, and the leaves look almost touchable. It’s like the trees have branches swaying and everything. Unreal Engine 5 is pulling off a miracle here.

Oh, wait—Unreal Animation Framework. They’ve managed to make these towns and cities feel… alive? Yeah, alive! Thanks to some fancy tech, more NPCs pop up, each doing their own thing. You get a whole band rocking out in Valdrest, people reacting like real folk instead of robots. It’s kinda awesome they’ve shrunk the gap between the player and the game characters.

Lastly, we wander into the Mass Framework territory. Picture this: Ciri bumps a guy with a crate of apples. Apples roll, chaos ensues—kids snatch them, pigs join the fun. It’s a whole unscripted scene. Like, who writes this stuff? It’s somehow immersive and chaotic. Love it.

Anyway… or maybe that’s it. Looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.