The Witcher 4 “gameplay” looked incredible but sadly there’s a huge catch

CD Projekt Red sent fans into a frenzy after sharing a first look at The Witcher 4 gameplay, but everything isn’t exactly what it seemed.

Alongside GTA 6, The Witcher 4 is one of the most hotly anticipated games currently in development. The sequel to The Witcher 3, which is still considered one of the best RPGs ever made, was officially announced back in 2024, confirming that we’ll be playing as Ciri this time around.

Since then, we’ve had precious little information. At least that was the case until the State of Unreal 2025 livestream on June 3, 2025, where the devs showed off a tech demo that gave fans their first glimpse at what the game could look like.

The gameplay showed off much of the tech powering The Witcher 4, as Ciri rode through the woods on her horse, visited a bustling port town, and then headed to Lan Exeter. As you’d expect, the stunning visuals and attention to detail had fans more hyped than ever, but it all comes with a catch.

CD Projekt Red confirms that wasn’t actual Witcher 4 gameplay

Although it was specifically billed as a “technological showcase set in the world of Witcher 4,” much of the language used during the presentation made it difficult to know if what we were seeing was actual gameplay.

Shortly after the stream, CD Projekt Red cleared this up by explaining to VGC it was simply a demo to show off the tech they’re using, not a full gameplay reveal.

“This is a tech demo, and a first look at the cutting-edge technology powering The Witcher 4 – but not The Witcher 4 itself,” said a spokesperson.

“It showcases the powerful foundation we’re building in close collaboration with Epic Games to push open-world design further than ever before and the core systems and features we’re developing using Unreal Engine 5.”

So, this presentation was more of a showcase of what might be possible as development continues. While this may come as a disappointment to fans who were blown away by the gameplay, it’s a promising indicator of The Witcher 4 could look like, especially considering it was running on a base PS5.

“We’re really proud of this early milestone and excited to give you a sneak peek at some of the cool tech like UAF, Nanite Foliage, Smart Objects, ML Deformer and FastGeo Streaming that are helping shape the future of The Witcher,” the devs added.