A new behind-the-scenes video from Digital Foundry gives us a rare, early look into the development of The Witcher IV. The team visited CD Projekt Red’s studio in Poland to talk with developers and partners from Epic Games about how the next Witcher game is being built, this time using Unreal Engine 5.
The video shows how the studio is focusing on powerful new tech to create better graphics, smoother performance, and more immersive worlds.
You can watch the full video here:
We gathered together the key highlights from the discussion as well!
New Engine, New Goals
CDPR moved away from its in-house REDengine in 2022 to fully adopt Unreal Engine 5, mainly for:
- Easier multiplatform and multiplayer support
- Better workflow for working on multiple games at once
- A strong partnership with Epic to improve the tools together
Console Comes First This Time
Unlike past games, CDPR is now building The Witcher IV with consoles as the lead platform. The goal is to reach 60 FPS on console from day one, with support for:
- Dynamic resolution scaling to keep the game smooth
- Triple buffering for stable frame delivery
- Heavy use of async threads to reduce stutters
This helps to make sure a smooth experience on console, while still letting the game scale up for high-end PCs.
Forests Like Never Before
One of the biggest focuses for CDPR is forest technology. Instead of using flat textures (called alpha cards), they’re using:
- Fully modeled trees with Nanite geometry
- Real-time procedural generation for grass, rocks, and debris
- Dynamic trees and foliage that move with the wind and light realistically
The team says seeing the full forest lit up for the first time was an emotional moment, and it’s meant to be a major part of Witcher IV’s atmosphere.
Lumen Lights Up the World
Lighting plays a big role in the new game. CDPR is using hardware-based Lumen lighting, which means:
- More realistic day-night cycles
- Proper global illumination and reflections
- Smooth lighting on moving trees, clouds, and characters
- Less visual bugs like light leaking or mismatched shadows between platforms
This also helps keep the game’s look consistent across console and PC.
Cinematics & Real-Time Scenes
Even the cutscenes are handled in real-time using advanced rendering:
- Realistic camera lens effects
- Full support for moving lights and shadows
- Smart systems that pre-load extra frames to avoid animation hiccups
The entire game world stays active and dynamic, even during story scenes.
Performance and Optimization
To keep everything running well, CDPR is using:
- FastGeo to quickly load geometry
- Improved garbage collection to avoid game pauses
- Careful use of worker threads to spread the load across CPU cores
- Level designs that are broken into streaming-safe zones, preventing sudden loading hitches
Virtual Shadow Maps (VSM)
Instead of old-style shadows, the game now uses Virtual Shadow Maps, which:
- Work better with Nanite
- Look smoother and more natural
- May cause some small flickers on skin at low settings, but still run better overall
Shader Compilation & PC Scaling
Shader stutter is a common problem on PC, but Witcher IV is handling it differently:
- Shaders are loaded without delay and hidden until ready
- This means no sudden frame drops from last-minute shader builds
- On high-end PCs, players will get access to advanced ray tracing features
CDPR hasn’t locked in exact PC settings or Xbox Series S performance just yet, but they say 60 FPS on Series S will be “very hard.”
A Shared Passion Between Epic and CDPR
The video ends on a hopeful note. Developers from both CD Projekt Red and Epic Games spoke about their close teamwork, shared goals, and emotional milestones. One of the biggest moments was seeing the forest tech come together: a blend of technical skill and creative vision that sets the tone for the entire project.
One thing is sure: The Witcher IV is set to be one of the most beautiful and best games for the next generation! Keep an eye on our latest news to make sure you don’t miss out on more Witcher news!