CD Projekt RED to use Unreal Engine 5 for The Witcher 4

CD Projekt RED is transitioning from its proprietary REDengine to Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 for upcoming projects, including The Witcher 4. Co-CEO Michał Nowakowski clarified that this decision was not a reaction to the technical issues encountered during the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, stating that the engine itself was not the primary cause of those problems.

The studio explained that its core ambition is to tell immersive stories rather than to function as a technology developer. Maintaining a proprietary engine required significant resources that the company now prefers to redirect toward game creation. The shift was largely inspired by Epic Games’ ‘The Matrix Awakens’ technology demo, which demonstrated the potential of Unreal Engine 5.

To ensure the technology meets the specific needs of their large-scale titles, CD Projekt RED has established a strategic partnership with Epic Games. This collaboration allows the studio to work directly on internal aspects of Unreal Engine 5 to develop custom tools and features, providing a powerful technological foundation without the burden of building and maintaining an engine from scratch.