The Witcher 4: Why CD Projekt Red is switching to Unreal Engine 5

CD Projekt Red has moved away from its in-house REDengine for The Witcher 4 and is instead relying on Unreal Engine 5. Co-CEO Michal Nowakowski has now clarified why the studio took this big step – and in doing so, dispelled a widespread assumption.

Many fans had assumed that the rocky launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020 was the reason for the engine change. After all, the game struggled with bugs, performance issues, and a damaged reputation for months. Nowakowski now clearly contradicts this.

Why is CD Projekt Red switching to Unreal Engine 5 for The Witcher 4?

According to Nowakowski, the actual trigger was a technical demo: The so-called Matrix Awakens demonstration from Epic Games, which impressively showcased the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, convinced the studio. Instead of continuing to invest resources into further developing their self-built REDengine, CD Projekt Red opted for a multi-year partnership with Epic Games. The decision was purely technically and strategically motivated, not a reaction to the Cyberpunk launch.

Did Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch still influence the engine switch?

Nowakowski explicitly denies this. He states that with Cyberpunk 2077, the REDengine primarily reached its limits on current and especially on last-gen hardware (PS4, Xbox One) – but that was a different problem than the fundamental decision for the next engine generation.

How does this switch fit into CD Projekt Red's history?

The REDengine accompanied the studio through three Witcher games and Cyberpunk 2077 and was long a flagship for technical independence. The switch to a third-party engine is therefore no small matter, but one of the biggest structural decisions in the studio's recent history. Other major studios have also recently taken similar steps, abandoning their own engines in favor of Unreal Engine 5 to save development time and costs and benefit from the engine's broad tool support. For fans, this primarily means: potentially shorter development cycles and more focus on content instead of engine maintenance – but also the risk that The Witcher 4 might visually and technically align more with other UE5 titles instead of having a completely unique look.

Source: VGC

What do you think of the switch to Unreal Engine 5 – a good decision, or will The Witcher lose a piece of its technical independence? Discuss with us in the comments!