Demo of The Witcher 4 does not represent actual game on PS5

CD Projekt RED has once again sparked technical discussions this week after releasing an impressive tech demo of The Witcher 4, shown running at 60fps with ray tracing on a standard PlayStation 5. The demonstration drew attention for the level of visual presented, but quickly raised doubts about its fidelity compared to what will be delivered in the final version of the game.

The Polish studio needed to clarify that the video released does not correspond to the actual game. In an official statement, a spokesperson stated:

“This is [...] a preview of the cutting-edge technology that powers The Witcher 4 – but it is not The Witcher 4 itself.”

According to the company, the goal of the demo is to showcase the technical advancements being developed using Unreal Engine 5, in collaboration with Epic Games.

In the same note, CD Projekt RED detailed the systems that were included in this technical demonstration:

“We are proud of this initial milestone and excited to present technologies like UAF, Nanite Foliage, Smart Objects, ML Deformer and FastGeo Streaming, which are shaping the future of The Witcher.”

In other words, what was shown is a sample tailored to highlight specific elements of graphic engineering and does not represent a playable or realistic snippet of the final product. This practice is not new for the studio — it's worth noting that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, despite being excellent, underwent significant downgrades before arriving on the PlayStation 4. The situation of Cyberpunk 2077, released in 2020, also remains a notorious example of how technical promises can diverge from actual delivery, especially on console versions.

The doubt now falls on the expectations for the actual performance of The Witcher 4 on the base PS5. Complex AAA games, like open-world RPGs, rarely manage to combine ray tracing and high frame rates without technical compromises. Even cutting-edge titles like Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West do not deliver this level of performance with all visual features activated simultaneously.

Although the potential of the PlayStation 5, released in 2020, has not yet been fully explored by many studios, promising ray tracing and 60fps simultaneously in a game of The Witcher's magnitude sounds, at the very least, unrealistic. With a history marked by aggressive technical marketing and not always faithful deliveries, CD Projekt RED will have to work with more clarity and moderation in the upcoming presentations if they want to maintain the public's trust.