The Nintendo Switch 2 is proving to be an impressive system, featuring specs and capabilities that surpass all previous consoles released by the company (I’ll always love you, GameCube). With CD Projekt Red’s reveal of an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo for The Witcher 4, it has effectively been confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 has the power to support the various new features showcased by the engine. Realistically, I was impressed with how The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was pulled off on the original Switch, I can only imagine what the Big N’s shiny new sequel console will be able to offer to the franchise.
The Witcher 4 is one of the many projects that developer CD Projekt Red is working on within The Witcher universe. It was officially revealed in December 2024 and was originally known as Project Polaris, which introduced a completely new Witcher class. The game focuses on the female Witcher, Ciri, and marks the beginning of a new trilogy within the franchise, with former protagonist Geralt making background appearances.
The tech demo for The Witcher 4 revealed a few key pieces of information that make it certain to be released for the Nintendo Switch 2. For example, we know that the development team is working with a budget of 60 frames per second, and the Switch 2 will support both 120 fps on compatible TVs and HDR. This particular piece of information was highlighted in conjunction with an entirely new Unreal animation framework designed to bring scenes beyond the on-screen area to life organically, while still allowing some room within the game.
Ideally, developers can have various animations running simultaneously while faithfully introducing the more important aspects of the game that players are expecting. While animations and overworld life are important, the meat of the game is what players are actually able to experience according to their own decisions.
Moreover, although the importance of a mouse in gameplay isn’t explicitly stated, the new Joy-Con 2 controllers for the Switch 2 include mouse input, which could enhance various gameplay elements. With this mouse capability, I wouldn’t be surprised if a keyboard peripheral is also announced, allowing players to experience games like The Witcher as if they were on a PC. If a keyboard accessory is indeed in development, it’s likely that The Witcher 4 will showcase its full potential.
It’s likely that The Witcher 4 will have impressive graphical capabilities that may be beyond what the Nintendo Switch 2 can handle. However, I believe that — based on what was showcased in the tech demo — Unreal Engine’s new approach to animations will enable developers to prioritize gameplay without any compromises. As a result, we can reasonably expect that the game will be available for the Nintendo Switch 2 at some point during the console’s lifespan.
