Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt may be two completely different games but they still happen to share some similarities and they were both made by the same company, which makes people naturally wonder which one is better. So, Cyberpunk 2077 vs Witcher 3: which one you should play and why?
Introduction
While it’s hard to make a one-to-one comparison between Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, because both games excel in different areas and offer different experiences, it’s safe to say that both are amazing AAA titles to try if you’re into the open-world role-playing genre.
Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough start which left a negative, long-lasting impact on the community. As we know it, you never get a second chance to make a first impression – and if the first impression isn’t good, you’ve got a problem, because it’s infinitely harder to make people change their minds about the topic than showing them something that’s amazing from the start. This is unfortunate because over the years Cyberpunk 2077 received numerous patches that fixed most of the issues players were facing at the time of the original release, turning the game into a title that’s currently at the edge of an absolute must-play tier.
The Witcher 3 had a much smoother start and people fell in love with the game from the very beginning, and the admiration only grew stronger with time, thanks to the two impressive DLCs that added tons of new content to the base game. But is it enough to call it a better game? Let’s dive into some details.
Similarities
Both The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 are action role-playing games focused on providing players with an immersive experience in imaginary and well-detailed worlds that feel alive, although don’t expect NPCs to live their own lives as they do in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Exploration feels meaningful, as there’s always a new place to see, a new side quest waiting to be picked up, or a treasure to be found. The GUI is clean, consistent, and easy to understand in both games.
Character customization and progression allow players to fine-tune the gameplay to their own personal preferences by investing in skills and abilities they find the most useful for their character and playstyle.
The music in both games is absolutely stunning and greatly helps to build the right mood and atmosphere.
Differences
The first and most obvious difference is the setting. The Witcher 3 takes place in a high-fantasy medieval universe while Cyberpunk 2077 takes players to the dystopian future, where ability-enhancing implants and augments are as much popular as video games are today.
Due to the difference in settings, your means of transportation will also be different – in Cyberpunk, you’ll be able to drive a variety of fast cars, while in The Witcher you’ll mainly use a horse. Blazing through the city is fun, but so could be galloping while admiring the medieval landscapes.
Although both games feature character progression, it’s much better in Cyberpunk 2077. It’s more fluid and flexible, and gives players a lot more freedom, as you can easily combine different abilities and create an entirely new playstyle this way.
Combat also feels more dynamic in Cyberpunk, at least if you choose a more combat-oriented specialization. The environment can be destroyed to a degree and you can even shoot through walls. And if you want to try a stealthier approach, it’s also a possibility. The Witcher focuses mainly on melee combat with the use of swords and similar types of weapons, although you can also use special magic tricks that provide additional utility.
The enemies are vastly different in both games. In Cyberpunk, you’ll usually fight humans and hostile robots, while in The Witcher you’ll face a lot of ferocious beasts and creatures known from real-world myths, legends, and local folklore.
When it comes to the map size, The Witcher 3 offers a bigger map. On the other hand, Cyberpunk’s map is denser and packed with more content in a smaller area.
Finally, Cyberpunk is played from a first-person perspective, as opposed to The Witcher’s third-person perspective. Even though in both games you’re playing the role of the main protagonist, in The Witcher 3 it feels like you control a character. In Cyberpunk 2077 it feels like you ARE the character, which greatly helps with the immersion. This can, however, be changed with mods.
Graphics
Cyberpunk is a more modern game, which means that the development team had the tools that allowed them to make it look better and shinier than The Witcher. The next-gen update for The Witcher closed that gap a bit, although Cyberpunk remains the clear winner in this department. With that being said, The Witcher 3 still looks beautiful, and that’s quite a feat, considering it was released back in 2015.
Story and Characters
Although both games feature some meaningful choices that affect the story, Cyberpunk feels much more linear. It’s not necessarily worse this way, but if you’re expecting a rich, branching storyline that can be shaped according to your own actions, The Witcher 3 handles that job a lot better.
Characters you’ll meet in both games are memorable and full of charm and so it would be difficult to pick the game that has better characters. At least that’s true as long as only the vanilla versions of both games are considered – characters that come with The Witcher 3 DLCs are whole another story and they give The Witcher the upper hand in that regard.
Conclusion
Objectively speaking, The Witcher 3 may be a little bit better, but ultimately it depends on what you’re expecting from a video game. If you prefer sci-fi settings, for example, then you’ll most likely have more fun with Cyberpunk and so that’s the game you should go for. Alternatively, if a high-medieval experience is what you’re after, then The Witcher 3 will certainly give you a higher entertainment value. Both games can be considered top-tier in their own right and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to play them both if you get a chance.