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Yes: NVIDIA later confirmed that The Witcher IV reveal cinematic was pre-rendered on a GeForce RTX 5090. CD Projekt Red’s original December 2024 announcement named only an “unannounced NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU.” The key qualification is that this was a pre-rendered trailer, not a real-time gameplay demonstration or a PC hardware test. It tells you what GPU produced the cinematic—not what the finished game will require.
What CD Projekt Red said at the reveal
CD Projekt Red revealed The Witcher IV at The Game Awards on December 12, 2024. The studio described its cinematic trailer as pre-rendered in a customized build of Unreal Engine 5 on an “unannounced NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU.” It did not identify an RTX 5090, or even explicitly name the RTX 50 series, in that announcement. CD Projekt Red’s reveal announcement and its press-center version establish the original wording.
Because the reveal came only weeks before NVIDIA introduced its RTX 50-series desktop cards at CES 2025, readers and outlets reasonably inferred that the unnamed GPU belonged to that generation. At the time, however, the exact model was speculation—not a confirmed detail.
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In January 2025, NVIDIA clarified the point: the cinematic had been pre-rendered in Unreal Engine 5 on a GeForce RTX 5090. NVIDIA also said it had worked with CD Projekt Red from the beginning of development and that The Witcher IV would launch with the latest RTX-powered technologies. NVIDIA’s announcement is the source for the specific card identification.
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So the accurate timeline is simple: CDPR disclosed an unnamed RTX GPU in December 2024; NVIDIA identified it as an RTX 5090 the following January. The partnership statement is not a list of system requirements, and it does not say which specific RTX features were used to make every shot in the trailer.
Why a pre-rendered trailer is not a hardware benchmark
In a game, the PC or console must render each frame while the player is interacting with the world. At 60 frames per second, for example, a system has roughly 16.7 milliseconds to produce each frame. A pre-rendered cinematic works differently: its frames are generated in advance and assembled into a video. Rendering can take far longer per frame, with no player waiting for the next image in real time.
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That difference means the trailer does not tell us its original render time per frame, internal resolution, exact settings, or whether offline processing was used. It also reveals nothing definitive about the game’s target frame rates, graphics options, or the hardware needed to run it interactively. A slower GPU could in principle produce the same frames if given more time; the production process would take longer.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe RTX 5090 detail is therefore a production-rendering fact, not evidence that the game requires a flagship GPU. CD Projekt Red has not published final minimum or recommended PC specifications in the cited announcements. Those requirements cannot responsibly be inferred from this trailer.
Rank #3
- Equipped with GeForce RTX 5090 chipset
- Integrated with 32GB of 512-bit GDDR7 memory interface
- WATERFORCE All-in-One Cooling System
- RGB Lighting
- Protective metal back plate
What the cinematic does show
The reveal introduced Ciri as the central protagonist of a new Witcher saga and presented a cinematic encounter with the Bauk. CD Projekt Red describes The Witcher IV as an upcoming single-player, open-world RPG. The trailer’s models, art direction, animation, and environments offer a look at the project’s intended visual direction, but the footage is a cinematic—not a slice of interactive gameplay. The studio’s official trailer breakdown provides further context.
It also indicates that CDPR is building with a customized Unreal Engine 5 technology stack and working closely with NVIDIA. Those facts point to a high-end production pipeline and a technology partnership. They do not establish that the finished game will use a particular feature such as DLSS, frame generation, or path tracing, or that any such feature will be mandatory.
Rank #4
- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
- Powered by GeForce RTX 5080
- Integrated with 16GB GDDR7 256bit memory interface
- PCIe 5.0
- WINDFORCE cooling system
The later UE5 demo is a different kind of evidence
In 2025, CD Projekt Red and Epic Games presented a separate Unreal Engine 5 technology demo. It showcased systems including Nanite Foliage, the Unreal Animation Framework, MetaHuman technology, Mass AI-driven crowds, and open-world rendering techniques. The presentation was reported as running on PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second, but CDPR and Epic cautioned that it was a technology showcase, not footage from the finished game.
| Presentation | What it shows | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 reveal cinematic | A pre-rendered UE5 sequence made on an RTX 5090; visual direction and cinematic production | Interactive performance, launch settings, or PC requirements |
| 2025 UE5 technology demo | Engine systems presented in a console-based technical showcase | Final game performance, finished content, or guaranteed 60-fps gameplay |
The two presentations answer different questions. The cinematic shows a polished sequence produced in advance; the demo shows selected engine technology in a separate presentation context. Neither is a substitute for final gameplay footage, published system specifications, or independent testing of the released game.
Best Value
- Powered by GeForce RTX 5090
- Integrated with 32GB GDDR7 512bit memory interface
- WINDFORCE HYPERBURST cooling system
- RGB Halo
- Die-casting Metal Backplate
Should you buy an RTX 5090 for The Witcher IV?
No—not on the strength of this trailer. NVIDIA announced the RTX 5090 with 32GB of GDDR7 memory and a U.S. launch MSRP of $1,999, with availability beginning January 30, 2025. Those are launch details, not a statement of the card’s current street price or a recommendation for this game. NVIDIA’s launch announcement and RTX 5090 product page describe the GPU.
The 5090 may make sense for someone who already wants top-end performance for demanding games, ray tracing, or content-creation work. But choosing a GPU specifically to prepare for The Witcher IV is premature until CDPR publishes PC specifications and performance targets. Buy for the games and applications you use now, and assess this game against official requirements and credible gameplay testing when those become available.
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