Best Games Like The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the greatest games ever made. That should not be a controversial statement. Developed by CD Projekt Red and released in 2015, The Witcher 3 garnered near-universal praise for its ambitious storytelling and immersive setting. The game’s success propelled the somewhat niche franchise into the mainstream.

In this long and sprawling adventure, The Witcher 3 concludes Geralt’s journey satisfyingly… and that’s not even getting into the awesome combat, graphics, characters, lore, and everything else along the same lines. There aren’t many games that feel as fresh as CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece, but for any person who wishes to enjoy a similar experience, here are some of the best games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Updated on December 15, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Well, it happened. CD Projekt Red has revealed the next mainline entry in The Witcher franchise. At 2024’s The Game Awards, the developer debuted The Witcher 4 courtesy of a 6-minute trailer, with the upcoming project clearly representing a new era for the IP. While a few things can predicted from the available footage, it is important to remember that the sequel still has a long road to reach completion, and very little actual information is known.

Still, The Witcher 4 will be created in Unreal Engine 5 and, going by the trailer, seems to feature Ciri as the protagonist. The trailer also indicates that Ciri decided to become a Witcher, rather than an Empress; however, that is just an informed prediction. While waiting for the next adventure in this universe, fans might want to try an action RPG that recently entered early access and will eventually be free-to-play (although not right now). It is pretty good.

Path of Exile 2

Best In Class Isometric Action RPG

Path of Exile is arguably the best free action RPG of all time. Grinding Gear somehow managed to create one of the most complete experiences in the genre without resorting to pay-to-win mechanics, and the original 2013 release is still an easy recommendation for anybody craving an alternative to Diablo. The Witcher fans should check it out as well, as long as they understand they are getting into a very different type of RPG. Honestly, the same can largely be said for the sequel, which debuted in early access on December 6, 2024.

Path of Exile 2
will be free-to-play once it makes its full debut. However, the early access version is not free.

For the most part, Path of Exile 2 builds on the core ideas of its predecessor, offering a challenging campaign fueled by loot, character customization, co-op, and the road to the endgame. The full release will have six chapters and twelve classes, although only roughly half of those are currently in the early access version. While by no means bad, the story is fairly straightforward, telling a standard good vs evil tale that is relatively typical for isometric RPGs set in dark fantasy worlds. To be fair, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s main storyline is pretty similar, at least if the nuance is removed.

Path of Exile 2 excels in its world-building, dropping players in a fully-realized realm that is a blast to explore. The customization features are also top-notch, with players having access to what feels like endless options through gems and equipment.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

For Players Seeking A Change Of Pace That Prioritizes Combat

One of the highlights of 2024, Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 builds nicely on its 2012 predecessor, delivering a more fine-tuned overall experience that still adheres to the original game’s blueprint. For better or worse, this sequel is more Dragon’s Dogma, albeit with most areas being slightly improved. While that should not discourage people from giving it a go, they should be aware that this action RPG is very much its own thing and does not take all that much influence from popular open-world games that launched after 2012. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not trying to be The Witcher 3, but it has enough similarities to warrant a recommendation for fans of CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece.

As the Arisen, players travel through a fairly large dark fantasy kingdom in search of a dragon, and their journey will be defined by unexpected danger and combat. The latter is by far Dragon’s Dogma 2‘s strongest feature, with Capcom developing a robust battle system that supports an impressive range of weapon types and vocations (classes). Unlike The Witcher 3, the 2024 release lets players create their own characters along with Pawns, who are essentially companions. Most of the campaign revolves around taking on traveling quests, with players having to protect themselves and usually NPCs from roaming threats. Dragon’s Dogma 2 crafts a tangible sense that death could be around any corner, and battles are emergent and feel almost random.

Elden Ring

Dark Fantasy Open-World Soulslike

Elden Ring took the gaming world by storm in a way that the popular but still niche Dark Souls games never quite managed. Set in a vast world that demands to be explored, Elden Ring mostly leaves players to their own devices as they traverse the unknown in search of the Great Runes. Unsurprisingly, this journey proves to be extremely difficult.

Honestly, Elden Ring‘s combat, lore presentation, and pacing are not that similar to The Witcher 3 – FromSoftware’s game is very much its own beast. That said, when it comes to action open-world RPGs, both releases were game-changers and deliver experiences that are hard to top. Rather than a direct alternative to The Witcher 3, Elden Ring works well as a companion piece that excels in the inverse areas as CD Projekt Red’s game. Elden Ring‘s flexible class system, challenging combat, and loot are among the best in the action RPG genre. While executed very differently than in The Witcher 3, FromSoftware’s title still features fantastic world-building and writing, with the latter largely being limited to environmental storytelling and lore drops.

Shadow of the Erdtree
expands beautifully on the base game, and it is long enough to keep somebody engaged for dozens of hours.

Planescape: Torment

Fantastic Writing & A Fully-Realized World

Describing Planescape: Torment as an “action RPG” is generous since its combat is static and one-note. That said, the bland battles are worth putting up with to experience everything else this classic has to offer. While The Witcher 3 is generally treated as the standard-bearer for quality writing in RPGs, Planescape: Torment held that title for a very long time.

More importantly, the game’s story, world-building, and dialogue have aged quite well. Permitting someone goes in with realistic expectations, Planescape: Torment is still a must-play RPG and one of the best extensions of the Dungeons & Dragons universe.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

A Grand Historical Epic

Any of the last few Assassin’s Creed games are safe picks for those seeking epic adventures; however, Odyssey gets the nod when it comes to games like The Witcher 3 since it marked the point when Ubisoft’s series fully embraced role-playing elements. Dialogue options and branching paths are integrated into the storyline, providing players more agency than in previous Assassin’s Creed titles.

The open-world is enormous and blends history with fiction, creating a landscape littered with jaw-dropping vistas and neat details. Although not quite reaching The Witcher 3 level, Odyssey‘s story is solid enough, as are the combat and progression systems. Despite its British Isle setting being closer to The Witcher 3, Valhalla is far more bloated and polarizing than its predecessor, along with having arguably weaker combat.

Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

Vibrant World, Fun Combat

Kingdoms of Amalur excels in different areas than The Witcher 3. Its story is a bit uninspired and doesn’t become anything more than just serviceable; conversely, the game’s combat is smooth, fast-paced, flexible, and creative. The protagonist lacks Geralt’s personality; however, Kingdoms of Amalur’s customization options provide players with plenty of room to create their own heroes.

The Witcher 3 and Kingdoms of Amalur both take place in rich fantasy settings that are visually captivating, although the latter’s world is far more colorful than the former. For those seeking an action-heavy RPG, this game is the way to go.

This should not be much of an issue due to the 2012 version’s scarcity, but new players should pick up 2020’s
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
.

GreedFall

Slow Start Leads To An Effective Open-World Game

Placing the player in the boots of a noble emissary exploring a mostly undeveloped island, GreedFall offers a large and dynamic map to uncover. The third-person view that mixes a nice range of melee weapons and firearms gives this ARPG a unique feel that will resonate well with fans of The Witcher games.

There are a ton of cool, original monsters to meet and slay, though the vibrant natural world offers more than just combat. Players can romance various companions along the way, build diplomatic relations with powerful politicians, and bring peace to the divided factions crowding the island.

Cyberpunk 2077

Venturing Into CD Projekt Red’s Night City

CD Projekt Red’s follow-up to The Witcher 3 had big shoes to fill; unfortunately, Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch was anything but smooth, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game being riddled with bugs. On PC and next-gen consoles, the action RPG is a far more enjoyable experience, allowing for the game’s strengths to shine through more clearly. The 2.0 update made things considerably better, as did the Phantom Liberty expansion.

Cyberpunk 2077‘s greatest achievement is Night City, a bustling metropolis filled with skyscrapers stamped with the sigils of corporations that tower over gang-torn streets. Although it trades a third-person perspective for FPS gameplay, Cyberpunk 2077‘s engrossing storytelling, convincing NPCs, and dense world are deeply reminiscent of The Witcher 3.

Deus Ex

Set The Standard For Immersive Sims

Similar to how The Witcher 3 set a new standard for writing in RPGs, particularly for side quests, 2000’s Deus Ex raised the bar when it comes to player freedom. Blending first-person shooter gameplay with RPG concepts like customization and non-linear levels, Ion Storm’s masterpiece was well ahead of its contemporaries in many areas. Even all these years later, few games come close to matching Deus Ex‘s stellar level design and immersion, and that includes its highly-regarded sequels.

Deus Ex is a very different experience than The Witcher 3, but they both represent the RPG genre at its best. Although dated in some ways, Ion Storm’s classic holds up very well overall; in fact, Deus Ex can be described as timeless.

Mass Effect

A Sci-Fi Action RPG Epic

On the one hand, Mass Effect‘s sci-fi setting, third-person shooter gameplay, and self-contained areas put it in direct opposition to The Witcher 3, to the point of potentially discouraging fans of the latter craving something cut from the same cloth. While not exactly companion pieces, the games have fairly similar strengths, both excelling in their character writing, world-building, and smart character customization.

Even though they have well-defined protagonists (Geralt and Commander Shepard), both games permit players to shape their personalities to an extent, making decisions that alter the way NPCs react to them. While Geralt is more of a loner, Shepard is nearly always surrounded by his squad mates, with each entry in BioWare’s trilogy featuring quite a few companions. Mass Effect gives unique missions to each of these characters that can impact their chances of survival. More importantly, these quests are constantly awesome and come close to matching The Witcher 3‘s side quests.

Similar to how The Witcher 3 is the definitive fantasy action RPG, Mass Effect generally fills the same role for the science-fiction bracket. Putting aside a few missteps, the original trilogy is consistently great, telling an escalating story driven by a strong cast of characters and an ever-present sense of cosmic terror.

Newcomers should go with
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
. The package contains the first three games and most of the DLC, along with a few quality-of-life adjustments.
Andromeda
is also fine, but it is definitely the weakest entry in the series.

Victor Vran

Demon Hunting Goodness

In most ways, Victor Vran and The Witcher 3 are directly opposed. While the latter takes place in a vast open-world packed with optional content and NPCs with stories to tell, the former is a linear action RPG that prioritizes combat above everything else. Victor Vran is also an isometric hack and slash game, which is quite a departure from The Witcher 3‘s presentation.

Still, the games have fairly similar protagonists since they both work as monster hunters, albeit Victor targets “demons” in his world. They are also defined characters rather than empty husks that players can mold and customize. Victor Vran nails its fast-paced and satisfying combat, which is arguably among the most enjoyable of its subgenre. The campaign is also relatively short, making it a great candidate to play after completing a lengthy RPG like The Witcher 3.

If both are available, pick up
Victor Vran: Overkill Edition
rather than the vanilla version.

Star Wars Outlaws

Side Quests, Sabacc, & A Galaxy Far Away

Star Wars Outlaws‘ appeal comes down to two things: the sci-fi franchise and Ubisoft. If somebody is not a big fan of either, they are unlikely to get much out of this project, regardless of its similarities to other open-world games. However, as much criticism as the publisher tends to attract nowadays, Ubisoft and its formula are successful for a reason, and there is enough room in the gaming industry for both The Witcher and Assassin’s Creed. Outlaws is both a quintessential Ubisoft experience and something of an outlier, at least compared to their in-house properties. For one, Massive Entertainment seemed to take inspiration from other successful modern releases, all in pursuit of crafting a game that feels like a progression to the publisher’s blueprint rather than a complete retread.

While the setting, story, characters, and structure are not particularly similar to CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece, Star Wars Outlaws seems to take a page or two from The Witcher 3‘s playbook when it comes to side quests. Unlike quite a few Ubisoft open-world games, Outlaws‘ optional content is one of its main selling points, and it is not unusual for a seemingly nothing quest to balloon into something surprisingly expansive and enjoyable. Players even get to make a few choices during these storylines, which helps enhance the game’s overall immersion.

Beyond the side quests, Outlaws even includes a card game called Sabacc, which is found fairly easily throughout the world. Although not quite as deep as Gwent, this mini-game serves as a nice little distraction and a fun way to spend a few minutes.

Ghost Of Tsushima

Travel To Another Time & Become A Legend

With Ghost of Yotei announced for 2025, this is the perfect time to give Ghost of Tsushima a spin, especially since it is relatively accessible thanks to being on Steam and Plus Extra. Bringing the PS4’s heyday to a close, Sucker Punch’s open-world epic transports players to the 13th century, dropping them on the Japanese island of Tsushima right on the cusp of a Mongolian invasion. Just about surviving an encounter with the invading force’s head honcho, Jin Sakai must travel across the island in search of resistance fighters, all the while challenging his own ideals as an honorable samurai.

Although hardly identical, Ghost of Tsushima shares a couple of notable similarities with The Witcher 3. They feature real-time combat that typically pits players against multiple enemies, forcing them to engage in crowd management and use all the tools at their disposal. At their best, both systems create battles that resemble dances, striking a beautiful and satisfying rhythm. Also, similar to Geralt’s relatively limited moveset, Jin primarily fights with a katana and only unlocks a few additional abilities throughout the campaign.

Beyond the combat, Ghost of Tsushima is plainly gorgeous. While not a fantasy setting, Tsushima nevertheless seems like another world, and the game does a great job of immersing players by limiting UI elements. Although quite conventional, the story is generally great and builds up momentum nicely. The side quests are fine but not on the same level as The Witcher 3.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

Immersive RPG With A Cool Setting

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines might seem somewhat antiquated in this day and age, but the action RPG was a game-changer in 2004. Prior to The Witcher 3, Troika’s project helped set the standard for writing in video games, and the range of choices the RPG provides players is still impressive nearly two decades later. Narratively, Bloodlines is among the genre’s greatest representatives, and time has done nothing to change that perspective.

Bloodlines 2 is in production, although a release date has yet to be announced. Provided someone goes into the 2004 release with reasonable expectations considering its age, they will find one of the best games like The Witcher 3.

No Rest For The Wicked

Great Combat, Loot, & Dark Fantasy Goodness

The Ori games put Moon Studios on the map; however, while both of those Metroidvanias are incredible, they are nothing like the developer’s subsequent project. No Rest for the Wicked is an action RPG that blends Soulslike combat with an isometric camera and loot akin to, well, Diablo, a blend that mostly works but can take a while to grow accustomed to.

Starting out with very little to their name, players are dropped onto an island that has a plague problem, transforming many of its residents into horrifying creatures. Survival is hard even in the most idle circumstances, which players will not find themselves in for at least a few hours. Therefore, they will initially spend their time making small progress against the challenging foes, gradually accumulating resources, experience points, and weapons along the way. While not as hard as the toughest Soulslikes, No Rest for the Wicked is by no means easy and comes with a fairly notable learning curve.

So, none of the above really explains why Moon’s early access title holds any value for The Witcher fans. Well, the protagonist’s situation is quite similar to Gearlt’s. In No Rest for the Wicked, players are Cerim, which are basically warriors charged with taking down creatures that have been transformed by the plague. Despite depending on them for survival, the world mostly looks down on Cerim, similar to Witchers in CD Projekt Red’s trilogy. The story also slowly introduces political elements.

No Rest for the Wicked
is still in early access and has likely a few years before it reaches completion.

Grim Dawn

Dark Fantasy Hack And Slash

Grim Dawn is an isometric action RPG in the style of Diablo and Titan Quest, therefore, any person contemplating whether they should pick up this game should be aware that it plays nothing like The Witcher 3. Like most entries in this subgenre, Grim Dawn is primarily loot-driven, and the game does not hold back on drops.

Even though it is very much a different type of beast from CD Projekt Red’s RPG, Grim Dawn also envisions a dark fantasy world that has a more grounded aesthetic compared to other similar games. While not the focus, the game’s story is pretty good as well, taking place in a world ravished by a war that left humanity on the brink of annihilation.

Alpha Protocol

The Power Of Choice

Before proceeding any further, it should be noted that Alpha Protocol is far rougher around the edges than The Witcher 3. With janky controls, lackluster gameplay, and quite a few bugs, the game’s negatives can be difficult to overlook, but they do not detract from its positives: story and customization. Set in a futuristic sci-fi world, Alpha Protocol centers around a secret agent who goes on worldwide missions, and players are given the freedom to warp Michael Thorton’s personality, skillset, and future.

Alpha Protocol has branching storylines, dialogue options that genuinely matter, and great world-building. This RPG rewards multiple playthroughs, each one better than the last since players steadily become more adept at circumventing the game’s frustrations. In many ways, Alpha Protocol is similar to the first Witcher game, at least in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Gritty Historical RPG

No game is exactly like The Witcher 3, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance arguably has the most similar-feeling world. While the latter does not have fantastical creatures, Kingdom Come‘s Bohemia is a gritty and dirty place that prioritizes realism above everything else. If The Witcher 3 is a dark fantasy, then Kingdom Come is the version set on Earth.

Kingdom Come‘s open-world is vast and punishing, but also capable of inspiring moments of beauty. The game’s first-person combat comes with a steep learning curve as players need to master their swordsmanship (or other weapons) to stand a chance in any of the harder battles. Like The Witcher 3, Kingdom Come is an immersive sim that strikes a grim tone and makes players work for every success.

Gothic 1 & 2

Underappreciated Old-School RPGs

Piranha Bytes is synonymous with eurojank, which are basically games that prioritize mechanical depth over visuals. Even though it sounds like a criticism, “eurojank” is really a term of endearment, and a lot of that goodwill can be traced back to the first two Gothic projects. Generally, the sequel is considered superior, but as Gothic 2 continues directly from its predecessor, newcomers should start from the beginning. The original game is pretty good too, so it is hardly a painful sit.

Gothic is rough around the edges, fairly ugly by 2001 standards, and punishingly difficult at times, and the same can be said about the sequel. On the positive side, the games craft believable worlds that emphasize player growth and immersion. Rather than focusing on massive maps, Gothic fills its real estate with NPCs that genuinely seem like they have their own lives beyond the player’s actions. The protagonist is also fairly weak and takes a while to become a powerhouse, which means players have to be very careful not to get into fights with the wrong people.

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden

A Haunting Ghost Love Story With A Detective Element

Although mainly known for Life is Strange, Don’t Nod occasionally takes a trip into action RPG territory, and both of the developer’s efforts are decent picks for fans of The Witcher. Now, it should be noted that Vampyr and Banishers: Ghost of New Eden are not massive open-world games filled with countless secondary content that can keep someone engaged for 100+ hours; however, they bring to life immersive historical-esque universes while weaving gripping narratives and encouraging some exploration, particularly the 2024 release. Banishers: Ghost of New Eden sits comfortably among Don’t Nod’s best games, telling a touching story about death, grief, and commitment. Antea and Red are ghost hunters, and they head to the small town of New Eden to investigate supernatural claims. Long story short, tragedy strikes, setting the leads on a testing journey with its share of difficult decisions.

Banishers is split into cases that allow players to fill the role of detectives, and these cases strike a similar chord to Geralt’s monster hunting missions in The Witcher 3. As they serve as the story’s driving force, these storylines are long and engaging, and they typically come to an end by providing players with a choice. In terms of combat, Banishers plays pretty well, even if it can be clunky in places. The combat is simple but enjoyable, and it receives a few tweaks as more skills become unlocked. The campaign takes a while to open up, but it does eventually provide space for players to engage more in combat and exploration.

The Definitive Western RPG

While the story of The Witcher 3 is definitely one of the biggest reasons why people love this game, another aspect that should also be highlighted is its fantastic open-world exploration. Therefore, it’s only a given that people who love exploring the beautiful world of The Witcher 3 would also enjoy playing Skyrim, which is considered to be right up there with the best role-playing games ever made, and for good reason.

Through mods and ports, Skyrim has remained relevant for more than a decade, as millions of players have and will continue to immerse themselves in its engrossing lore and world. While Skyrim‘s first-person combat has very few similarities with The Witcher 3‘s gameplay, both RPGs excel in other areas like their quests and depth.

The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings

While Not Fully Open-World, This Entry Is Great

Typically, someone should start with the first rather than the last chapter in a trilogy, but The Witcher is an exception. The third entry served as this universe’s introductory point for a lot of people, and the game’s popularity far eclipses its predecessors. Although they do tell one ongoing story, CD Projekt Red succeeded in making The Witcher 3 accessible as a standalone experience. As such, even people who adored the game might not feel tempted to revisit the previous entries.

Even though its writing is fantastic, 2007’s The Witcher‘s gameplay is polarizing and completely different from anything that came after it. Fortunately, the same cannot be said for The Witcher 2, which incorporates many of the same ideas as its successor. While consisting of separate zones rather than a continuous open-world, the RPG still contains its share of exploration and side quests, and the latter are decent in their own right. The combat system is also similar to The Witcher 3, which means people will either love or hate it. More importantly, Assassins of Kings tells a great story.

Upcoming Games That Might Interest Witcher 3 Fans

• 	Dragon Age: The Veilguard	Ghost of Yōtei
  Platform(s)	PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC	PlayStation 5
  Released	2024-10-31	2025
  Developer(s)	BioWare	Sucker Punch
  Genre(s)	RPG	Open-World, Action, Adventure

Nowadays, most weeks seem to produce a couple of major games, and keeping up with every announcement can be downright exhausting. New open-world projects are not released every other day, but they are not particularly rare either, with most months usually having a handful of titles that utilize the concept.

Even within this never-ending cycle of sandbox adventures, The Witcher 3 still feels fresh and unique. Still, there are a handful of in-development games that might scratch a similar itch or fill the void until CD Projekt Red releases a new entry in the franchise. Fans should keep an eye on the following projects:

• Dragon Age: The Veilguard – BioWare is finally releasing a new Dragon Age, the first in roughly a decade. This should be a cause for celebration, but the project’s pre-launch life has not been smooth. The developer’s last few outings were polarizing, which has somewhat neutered expectations and hype surrounding the upcoming sequel. Furthermore, The Veilguard‘s early showcases were not greeted with universal praise, garnering criticism for things like their graphics and combat. That said, the most recent footage was more encouraging, so this RPG really cannot be judged until it is widely available at the end of October 2024.
• Ghost of Yōtei – Sucker Punch is following up Ghost of Tsushima with a spiritual successor set hundreds of years later. Rather than a direct sequel, the developer has seemingly opted to use “The Ghost” as a moniker that is passed to different protagonists. The game will be set during the 17th century and in Hokkaido, highlighting another part of Japanese history that has rarely been touched by the industry. While not much is known about the 2025 project, Ghost of Yōtei should have gorgeous visuals, real-time action combat, and a heavier focus on player choice than its predecessor.