CD Projekt Red is renowned for crafting exceptional games. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Witcher 3 remains a standout title, often hailed as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2077—bolstered by significant updates—has evolved into a richly detailed open-world RPG. These achievements have cemented the studio's reputation as a global leader in game development, alongside its other compelling releases. But what sets CD Projekt Red's games apart from the competition?

The secret lies in how smaller elements seamlessly intertwine to form a cohesive and immersive experience. CDPR excels at making player choices feel meaningful, with narratives, worlds, and characters dynamically responding to decisions. While many RPGs follow this blueprint, few execute it as effectively as CD Projekt Red.

"When I play other AAA RPGs, I often sense the constraints of their development tools," says Patrick Mills, CDPR's franchise content strategy lead. "You can see the designers' vision but also where it falls short. Many players assume this is due to lazy development or poor design—when in reality, it's often a matter of technical limitations."

CD Projekt Red has invested as much effort into refining its tools as crafting games. Most of its RPGs utilize REDengine, a proprietary toolkit refined over four iterations to achieve the studio's ambitious designs. These tools enable interconnected gameplay systems where player actions carry tangible weight.

Later REDengine versions also allowed for bolder quest designs. The Witcher series balanced exploration, dialogue-driven storytelling, and combat, while Cyberpunk 2077 expanded into deeper character customization—accommodating diverse playstyles like stealth and hacking. The Phantom Liberty expansion pushed this further, blending genres like survival horror into its narrative.

"For large-scale RPGs, variety isn't just beneficial—it's essential," says Miles Tost, CDPR's level design lead. "Players need fresh experiences to stay engaged. Even the best story can't sustain interest if gameplay grows repetitive."

Yet storytelling remains central to CDPR's formula. Each quest features an unexpected twist—killing bandits who raided a village isn't compelling unless the story takes an unforeseen turn. The studio conducts "destruction testing," where playtesters attempt every conceivable approach, allowing designers to refine quests for maximum player agency.

Cyberpunk 2077's open-ended design compounds this complexity. Every cybernetic upgrade, weapon choice, and skill investment alters how players interact with Night City. Developers must account for countless possibilities—stealth, brute force, diplomacy, and emergent strategies they never anticipated.

But CDPR is best known for consequential narrative choices rather than gameplay systems. While BioWare pioneered branching stories in games like Mass Effect, CDPR has arguably perfected them with morally ambiguous dilemmas in The Witcher and Cyberpunk series. Consequences often unfold gradually, preventing save-scumming and heightening emotional impact. Major decisions can trigger character deaths, political shifts, or romantic developments.

"We ensure players understand each choice's context beforehand," explains Paweł Sasko, associate game director. "By the time they decide, they grasp the implications and feel accountable for the outcome."

This meticulous design encourages nuanced reactions. "A 'good' choice might backfire, while a 'bad' one could be justifiable based on priorities," says quest designer Paweł Gąska. Phantom Liberty exemplifies this—players must choose between helping Songbird escape or surrendering her to Reed, with neither option clearly superior.

"We want every outcome to feel rewarding, even if it's bittersweet," adds Sebastian Kalemba, game director on the next Witcher title. "When consequences align with the emotional journey, players accept them as meaningful."

Some of CDPR's choices have become legendary. The Witcher 3's Bloody Baron arc and Phantom Liberty's ending rank among its finest, but The Witcher 2's mid-game faction choice remains unparalleled—aligning with either Roche or Iorweth drastically reshapes the story.

"Resource allocation, not fear of missed content, limits such ambitious branching," clarifies Tost. "Creating two distinct storylines is akin to developing separate games." Open-world design further complicates this approach, though expansions like Blood and Wine and Phantom Liberty reintroduced significant branching paths.

Initially, Cyberpunk 2077's choices fell flat. "We built consequences into quests structurally, but they lacked impact," admits Mills. The team realized their subtlety didn't translate in Night City's dense environment. Unlike The Witcher 3—where revisiting locations highlighted consequences—Cyberpunk's structure obscured results.

This lesson shaped Phantom Liberty's more overt causality. Yet technical execution is only part of the equation. "Designers devise dilemmas, but writers and animators make them resonate," notes Gąska, comparing choices to real-world ethical quandaries—without emotional stakes, they remain abstract.

"We mirror life's uncertainty," says Kalemba. "You can't foresee every outcome, but your decisions shape the journey. We challenge players to embrace this philosophy."

While The Witcher 4 will build on past successes, CDPR aims to push boundaries further. However, transitioning from REDengine to Unreal Engine 5 introduces new challenges. "Expansion development often feels more rewarding than base games because unknowns become solutions," says Tost. "We need to replicate that clarity earlier in production."

"Player agency remains our focus," Kalemba emphasizes. "We're expanding The Witcher's legacy by offering more tools—both narratively and mechanically—so players truly shape their experience."

Matching The Witcher 3's depth would already be monumental, but evolving beyond it requires solving complex creative puzzles. Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch proved even masters of branching narratives can stumble. Phantom Liberty demonstrated recovery, yet The Witcher 4 will be the ultimate test of lessons learned. Here's hoping Ciri's next adventure solidifies CDPR's legacy as the studio that genuinely respects player choice.