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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Polaris is the codename CD PROJEKT RED used for The Witcher IV, now officially revealed as a new single-player, open-world RPG starring Ciri. The studio has shown an early Unreal Engine 5 technology demo, but it has not announced a precise release date or a definitive list of launch platforms. Its latest stated plan is a 2028 release window.
What is Polaris?
Polaris was the development codename for the game CD PROJEKT RED publicly introduced as The Witcher IV in December 2024. The studio described it as the first entry in a new Witcher saga, rather than a continuation titled The Witcher 4 in its official Roman-numeral styling. Game Director Sebastian Kalemba said the new saga would have “Ciri as the heart of the story.”
The reveal established the game’s broad format: a single-player, open-world RPG set in a brutal dark-fantasy world. It did not provide a complete account of gameplay systems, quests, or combat mechanics.
Who is the protagonist, and what has the reveal shown?
Ciri, Geralt’s adopted daughter, is the protagonist. The reveal trailer presents a self-contained setup: she takes a witcher contract in a remote village where a monster has demanded human sacrifices. The studio described her as an outsider who intervenes to save a girl and faces the village’s prejudices and superstitions surrounding the ritual.
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- Trained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.
- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity.
- Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world.
This establishes the central character and a story situation, not the full plot or the extent of Geralt’s role. CD PROJEKT RED has not disclosed those details in the announcements summarized here.
What did the Unreal Engine 5 tech demo show?
CD PROJEKT RED announced its Unreal Engine 5 development partnership with Epic Games in March 2022. The multi-year collaboration was intended to develop and adapt UE5 technology for open-world experiences. In June 2025, the companies presented an early technology demo set in Kovir: Ciri and her horse Kelpie travel through mountains and forests toward the city of Valdrest.
The studio said the demo ran on PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second. That figure describes the showcased demo, not a performance target or guarantee for the finished game. The presentation highlighted several technologies:
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- Play as a highly trained monster slayer for hire.
- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth and complexity.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year edition brings together the base game and all the additional content released to date.
- Unreal Animation Framework for animation workflows.
- Nanite Foliage for dense vegetation.
- MetaHuman with Mass AI crowd scaling for crowds of characters.
- FastGeo Streaming for loading world geometry.
- ML Deformer for machine-learning-assisted character deformation.
These are examples shown in a technology presentation, not a full feature list or confirmation of how every system will appear in the final game. Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski called the demo a milestone while stressing that development and the Unreal Engine 5 work were still continuing.
When will The Witcher IV release?
CD PROJEKT RED’s first-half 2026 update gives a planned release window of 2028. The company has not announced a specific day or month. A planned window can change, so it should not be treated as a guaranteed launch date.
Which platforms are confirmed?
No definitive retail launch-platform list appears in the official disclosures summarized here. The tech-demo announcement discusses work intended to power the game on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, and says the demonstrated features will be supported across the platforms on which the game launches. That is not confirmation of the final platforms or specific console models.
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![NAMCO - CD Projekt Red - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, Playstation 5 [English Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dWUfwFl5L._SL160_.jpg)
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- High-quality material
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How does the new saga fit into CD Projekt Red’s plans?
A 2022 strategy update said the new saga would contain three games, with a six-year period for the trilogy beginning when Polaris launches. This is a stated plan, not a schedule for the later games. The company has not given exact release dates for installments two and three in the announcements summarized here.
What do the company’s Witcher figures say?
CD PROJEKT RED reported the following figures in 2026. They are company-reported totals; the cited announcements do not provide an independent audit of these specific figures.
| Reported figure | Scope and attribution |
|---|---|
| Over 65 million copies | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, reported by CD PROJEKT RED in 2026. |
| More than 90 million copies | The Witcher series overall, reported by CD PROJEKT RED in 2026. |
| Over 513 million PLN | Amount invested in future releases during 2025, reported in 2026; the company said the investment focused mainly on The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2. |
| Over 100 million PLN | Revenue from Witcher tie-in products since The Witcher 3 launched, reported by CD PROJEKT RED in 2026. |
Where can you catch up on the previous game?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the predecessor, not the upcoming game. CD PROJEKT RED’s 2026 update says its remastered edition is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. It includes the two previously published expansions and is free to owners of the base game, according to that update. Check the edition and platform carefully when choosing a copy.
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