CD Projekt Red may be tackling the stuttering issues plaguing Unreal Engine 5 games with their upcoming title, The Witcher 4. However, widespread improvements to the engine itself may not be immediate.
Digital Foundry recently discussed CDPR's efforts to address these performance problems. They referenced a presentation by Jarosław Rudzki at Unreal Fest Prague, titled "How Small Open Doors Can Lead to Better CPU Utilization and Bigger Games," where CDPR detailed their findings on worsening frame times in larger game worlds with more actors. This suggests CDPR is taking a different approach with Unreal Engine 5 for The Witcher 4, potentially modifying streaming and other processes for a smoother open-world experience.
While The Witcher 4 might offer a solution, it's unlikely all Unreal Engine 5 games will immediately benefit. Some fixes may be game-specific, while others, despite CDPR's partnership with Epic, could take time to integrate into the engine. Existing issues, like the software Lumen incompatibility with AMD APUs in games like Fortnite, demonstrate the ongoing challenges.
The Witcher 4 is officially in full production, although a release date remains unconfirmed. It's the first game in the series not to feature Geralt as the main character.
Everything We Know About The Witcher 4: From REDengine to Unreal
