When developers at CD Projekt Red confirmed it Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 serves as an important source of inspiration for The Witcher 4 In 2025, it immediately changed the expectations of RPG's potential. The Witcher the series has always balanced dark fantasy with grounded world-building, but Kingdom Come represents an even more uncompromising approach to realism, simulation and player-driven immersion.
The Witcher and Kingdom Come: Deliverance are as different as franchises can be. One is set in a world of gritty historical realism while the other is defined by its most fantastical lore. However, CD Projeckt Red citing Warhorse Studio's GOTY-nominated title as a source of inspiration should be music to a gamer's ears. Watching carefully Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and how its design philosophy can contrast with and complement The Witcher 4 gives a clearer picture of Ciri's next adventure.
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The Witcher 4 will shift towards a more reactive, living world
One of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2s defining characteristic is its reactivity. The world reacts not only to narrative choices, but to moment-to-moment player behavior, often in subtle and systemic ways. That influence is already visible in The Witcher 4s tech demo, which emphasizes an environmental response to Ciri's presence and actions. This can be shown through:
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NPCs that dynamically react to Ciri's reputation, equipment, or recent actions.
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Environmental changes linked to player movement, magic use or combat encounters.
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Less reliance on scripted scenery and more emergent world behavior.
Where The Witcher 3 often divided reactivity into mission results, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 treats reactivity as a baseline expectation. If that philosophy continues, The Witcher 4s open world can feel less like a stage and more like a living system that continuously acknowledges the player.
Deeper, more practical game systems
Part of KCD2s realism was defined by how practical its systems were. Almost all mechanics in KCD2 asks the player to engage physically and mentally, rather than abstractly through menus. IN The Witcher 3:
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Potions are created directly via inventory menus.
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Weapon maintenance is reduced to a single interaction.
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Preparation systems are largely automated.
On the contrary Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 treats these mechanics as a game in itself. Examples of that The Witcher 4 could reasonably assume include:
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Manual crafting systems such as i KCD2 where making drinks involves sequencing ingredients, timing and physical interaction.
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Expanded weapon maintenance, potentially turning grinding and repairing into skill-based activities rather than passive buffs.
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Alchemy as a risk-reward system, where mistakes have consequences rather than just wasting materials.
This approach favors immersion over convenience. It's slower, more animation-driven and intentionally tactile. This would be an adjustment that could significantly change the tempo from moment to moment The Witcher 4.
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The Witcher 4's combat could be more complex if it took notes from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2s combat deviates greatly from traditional action RPG design. It's far from beginner-friendly, but its complexity welcomes seasoned RPG players with open arms. Its influence can be profoundly reshaping The Witcher 4. Rather than quick, animation-interrupt-heavy encounters, Kingdom Come emphasizes targeted attacks and defensive positioning along with stamina management that actively discourages button mashing. Applied to The Witcher 4this can mean a noticeable shift away from the fluid, almost powerful combat loops The Witcher 3. Potential changes include:
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Swordplay with greater emphasis on precise timing.
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Fewer invincibility frames and more penalties for overextension.
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Enemy encounters designed around duels and attrition instead of strict population cleansing.
With Ciri as The Witcher 4s protagonist, this approach wouldn't necessarily slow down combat, but it could make every strike and dodge feel more deliberate and consequential.
Preparation as a game, not a checklist
One of Kingdom Comes most influential design philosophies are that preparation is important and that it should take time. This would increase the overall difficulty of the experience, but with intent instead of inconvenience. Translates this to The Witcher 4 can mean:
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More meaningful pre-battle rituals, including more involved potion preparation and equipment checks.
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Less reliance on universal solutions and more situational problem solving, extending existing systems The Witcher 3.
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Systems that reward foresight rather than improvisation.
This naturally corresponds to The Witcher universe, where monster hunting has always been about research, preparation and knowledge. The difference lies in the design: The Witcher 4 can ask players to actively perform that preparation instead of just selecting it from a menu.
A deliberate evolution inspired by Kingdom Come, not a reinvention of The Witcher
The Witcher 4 is unlikely to be a full simulation RPG in terms of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. CD Projekt Red has consistently prioritized accessibility and narrative momentum, and with masterful side-quest design, its identity will be its own. But a selective adoption of KCD2s system could signal a more mature, more demanding evolution of the franchise. If done carefully, The Witcher 4 could represent a synthesis of both approaches: the narrative depth and character-driven storytelling the series is known for, along with systems that ask players to slow down, engage deeply, and earn their victories. For longtime fans, that shift may feel less like a departure and more like The Witcher finally leaning all the way into what it has always promised.
