The Witcher 3 changed the way we talk about games. Developer CD Project Red hit a jackpot with their open-world action role-playing, and several years after the release it is still being talked about. Partially because of a recent technical upgrade, bringing the 2015 game up to speed with more modern releases.

But there are no new The Witcher games in the immediate future, so one has to find other titles to get a fix of monster hunting, open world exploration, and dramatic stories.

What makes a “The Witcher 3 experience”?

There are many factors which contributed to the success of the TW3. One of them is certainly the setting: the Northern Kingdoms. Velen is torn by a war against Nilfgaard, and there are plenty of signs that neither side is big on mercy. The map itself is divided into several huge open regions, giving the players a lot of freedom in deciding the course of Geralt’s travels. The level of immersion is impressive, with many neat little touches which make the world feel lived in and reactive.

People were also drawn to the story and vivid characters, including the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia. Many have been following Geralt’s journey since 2007’s The Witcher one, and became invested in the old witcher’s trials and tribulations. TW3 brings the story to a close, with an ending the player has spent three games trying to achieve. The storyline, when it goes into full swing is dramatic and emotional, and resonated with many.

Finally, there’s the third-person perspective combat focused mostly on swords, but making allowances for fans of magic, alchemy and hand grenades mixed into a dynamic, exciting system. Whether you’re fighting literal of figurative monsters, combat in The Witcher 3 doesn’t get boring.

GameReleaseGenresDeveloperTrailer
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales 2018-11-09 Adventure CD PROJEKT RED
Baldur's Gate 3 2020-10-06 Larian Studios
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade 2021-04-10 Square Enix Creative Business Unit I
Elden Ring 2022-02-25 Action RPG FromSoftware
GreedFall 2019-09-10 Action Spiders
God of War 2022-01-14 Action SIE Santa Monica Studio
Nioh: Complete Edition 2017-11-07 RPG Team NINJA
Nioh 2 - The Complete Edition 2021-02-05 Action RPG Koei Tecmo Games
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2019-11-15 Adventure Respawn Entertainment
ELEX 2017-10-17 RPG Piranha Bytes
ELEX II 2022-03-01 Piranha Bytes
Fable Anniversary 2014-09-12 RPG Lionhead Studios
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut 2021-08-20 Sucker Punch Productions
Horizon Zero Dawn 2020-08-07 Adventure Guerrilla Games
Horizon Forbidden West 2022-02-18 Guerrilla Games
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass Nintendo EPD Production Group No. 3
Monster Hunter World 2018-08-09 Action CAPCOM
Outward 2019-03-26 RPG Nine Dots Studio
Red Dead Redemption 2 2019-11-05 Adventure Rockstar Games
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice GOTY Edition 2019-03-22 Adventure FromSoftware
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition 2016-10-27 Adventure Bethesda Game Studios
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition 2009-10-13 RPG Bethesda Game Studios
Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition 2017-09-26 RPG Bethesda Game Studios
Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition 2010-10-21 Adventure Obsidian Entertainment
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen 2016-01-15 Adventure
Dragon Age: Inquisition - Game of the Year Edition 2014-11-18 Adventure BioWare
Assassin's Creed Origins 2017-10-27 RPG Ubisoft Montreal
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 2018-10-05 Action Ubisoft Québec
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 2020-11-10 Action RPG Ubisoft Montreal
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2018-02-13 Adventure Warhorse Studios
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY Edition 2014-09-30 Adventure Monolith Productions
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition 2017-10-10 Adventure Monolith Productions
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition 2021-05-14 BioWare
Risen Collection Adventure
Cyberpunk 2077 2020-12-10 Action RPG CD PROJEKT RED

Gwent: the Witcher Card Game / Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

Release:2018-11-09
Genre:Card game
Developer:CD Projekt Red

These two games aren’t like the entirety of The Witcher 3, but they are a lot like one of the most appreciated elements of TW3. Indeed, they are games using the hit card game Gwent as their central mechanic.

“Gwent” is a PvP card duels, not unlike Hearthstone, meanwhile Thronebreaker is a singleplayer story-based campaign following Queen Meve’s war against Nilfgaardian invaders.

Although Thronebreaker involved overland travel and even narrative choices, the inevitable battles are resolved mostly like a game of Gwent you know from TW3, except with two lanes instead of three. Despite that difference, you run a deck of cards based on one of the political powers of the Witcher world and try to deploy powerful synergies to gain an edge over your opponent.

Key features
  • Satisfying card game mechanics
  • Multiple online modes in Gwent: The Witcher Card game
  • A singleplayer story of Queen Meve’s defense of her kingdom before the events of TW1
  • Based on inarguably the best feature of The Witcher 3

Baldur's Gate 3

Release:2020-10-06
Genre:RPG
Developer:Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a party-based role-playing game with tactical, turn-based combat and a completely customizable player character.

Sure, it doesn’t sound anything like The Witcher 3 from that description, but it’s also complex, story-oriented, open world, and set in a familiar fantasy world. It’s also developed by Larian studios, developers with a long history of making RPGs.

You begin in an unenviable position: awakened on a ship moving through the first layer of Hell, soon after you got implanted with a transformative parasite. Things only escalate from there, but thankfully you have an array of tools at your disposal. Some of them are derived from the Player’s Handbook for the 5th Edition of D&D, others from Larian’s amazingly interactive world design.

Key features
  • A dozen classes with several subclasses each, all with a different playstyle
  • Tons of conversation options reflecting your character creation choices
  • Large, elaborate maps filled with interactable elements ripe for creative solutions
  • Be ready for a lengthy adventure

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Release:2021-04-10
Genre:Action RPG
Developer:Square Enix Business

Although the original Final Fantasy VII would be less suitable, the Remake’s much more action-oriented combat and cinematic flair makes this game a good fit for the list.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

As Cloud Strife, a gloomy mercenary, you’ll work with an eco-activist group AVALANCHE fighting against the exploitative actions of a megacorporation Shinra, a power company with a private army and deeply corrupt officers.

Although the first part of the Remake doesn’t really let you leave the city too much, it’s a big, detailed locale you can explore at your leisure talking to NPCs, taking odd jobs, and engaging with side activities. Its vibe is different from TW3’s Novigrad, but if you like being a somber swordsman walking among downtrodden citizens and looking for problems to solve, give it a chance.

Key features
  • A mighty remake of an all-time classic RPG
  • A story about standing up to the corporate exploitation of the environment
  • Combat is a mix of action and a variant of the classic Active Time Battle
  • The second part of the Remake is coming soon

Elden Ring

Release:2022-02-25
Genre:Action RPG
Developer:FromSoftware Inc.

Studio FromSoftware’s latest grand hit, Elden Ring shakes up the Souls-like formula by spicing things up with a rich, detailed, intricately designed open world.

That’s right – you can go off-road at your earliest convenience and go around doing quests for the weird people of the Lands between. Some of them are even interconnected, often in mysterious ways.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a FromSoft game if it didn’t have an engaging combat system which tends to put to test everything you’ve learned up to that point. Although the general aesthetic and combat specifics make ER quite different from The Witcher 3, the open world, a faithful horse, and tons of content still make Elden Ring a worthwhile option if you’re starving for open worlds and swords.

Key features
  • A big, but well-designed open world
  • Very diverse arsenal of weapons and armor
  • Several endings
  • Fascinating setting

Greedfall

Release:2019-09-10
Genre:Action
Developer:Spiders

Greedfall is an action RPG developed by Spiders. It takes place on the island of Teer Fradee, which is in the process of being colonized by several nations.

You begin as an agent of the Merchant Congregation, sent to the island to find a cure for malichor, a deadly plague troubling the continent. How you do it and who you ally yourself with, including the native population, is up to you.

Greedfall isn’t going for grand scale and endless hours of scouring the land for loot. However, if what kept you enjoying The Witcher 3 was the story and the dialogues, you might well find Spiders’ game to be quite satisfying. The game features a dynamic and diverse combat system with plenty of room for weapons and magic, and there’s also a tactical pause if you don’t want to rely on reflexes alone.

Key features
  • You can recruit companions, each with their own motivations, of course
  • A handy tactical pause
  • Interesting setting with compelling choices
  • Solid progression system

God of War

Release:2022-01-14
Genre:Action
Developer:SIE Santa Monica Studio

2018’s God of War has quite a few things in common with The Witcher 3. It features a gruff protagonist who looks good with a beard, a great melee-oriented TPP combat.

It also matters a lot that while Geralt aims to save and guide Ciri, Kratos aims to protect and guide his son, Atreus, clumsy though the execution of that aim might be. Thankfully, Atreus is a much better shot.

GoW soft-rebooted the series in a clever way. Instead of retconning anything, it simply moved Kratos to a place where he can be mostly free of the baggage of what happened in previous installments. Now Kratos hangs around in the mythic side of Scandinavia, and the plot puts him, and his son, on a collision course with numerous monsters and irritable Norse gods.

Key features
  • Linear, but leaves some room for mild exploration and sidequesting
  • A sequel, GoW Ragnarok scales things up into epicness
  • Compelling story
  • New camera perspective, the same over-the-top violence

Nioh

Release:2017-11-07
Genre:RPG
Developer:Team NINJA

White-haired protagonist? Check. Plenty of swords to pick for your build? Check. Monsters to slash? Check-check.

Sure, Nioh is based on Japanese folklore and history instead of being a fully fictional creation inspired by Slavic legends, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a fantastic, and rather challenging, game you should give a chance to if you want to slash some monsters.

Nioh even includes a lot more political plotting than you’d expect. While you won’t decide the fate of kingdoms the way Geralt does, you will rub elbows with historical figures of the Sengoku period, and your hero, William Adams, has his own grudge to settle. Nioh’s big draw is the three-stance system changing how William moves in combat and the arsenal of weapon types with their own progression.

Key features
  • Fight against a yōkai invasion of the Sengoku period Japan
  • Plenty of weapons to experiment with before finding your favorite
  • Challenging combat
  • Nioh 2 allows even more customization and it is technically a prequel

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Release:2019-11-15
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Respawn Entertainment

A story from a Galaxy far away for people who installed the lightsaber mod to let Geralt become a Jedi.

Jedi: Fallen Order is a great action-adventure game set a few years after old man Palpatine orchestrated the downfall of Jedi and the takeover of the galactic government. You’re playing as Cal Kestis, a Padawan survivor of Order 66 who has been hiding for 5 years, working as a scrapper.

Fallen Order lets you visit several distinct planets, including the Wookiee planet Kashyyyk and the home of Nightsisters, Dathomir. A lot of time is spent on exploration of large, mildly metroidvania-esque levels opening up as you gain new abilities. Sometimes it’s more plot, sometimes it’s useful or cool secrets. Who knows. Combat is more Souls-like in nature, but not quite as hard.

Key features
  • Rewarding exploration gated by abilities you have unlocked
  • Story set between the Prequels and the Original Star Wars Trilogy
  • An excellent, more open sequel, Jedi Survivor
  • Engaging combat system

Elex (and Elex 2)

Release:2017-10-17 / 2022-03-01
Genre:Action RPG
Developer:Piranha Bytes

Some time ago a meteor crashed into planet Magalan, shattering a thriving civilization.

On the upside, it brought the titular Elex with it, a substance which helped new societies to emerge and survive in the post-apocalyptic world. The game is a mix of genres, held together by the eponymous substance and Piranha Bytes’ practiced approach to making immersive settings.

Elex is a solid open world game set in a curious, seemingly disjointed world with PB’s classic faction system and more than a few ending-defining choices to make as you, a former member of the villain faction, need to make. It doesn’t have the polish of The Witcher 3, but it’s worth checking out, especially if you enjoy exploration and verticality in your open world maps. There’s also a really good sequel!

Key features
  • Three joinable factions and one antagonistic faction
  • Hand-crafted open world
  • More vertically oriented than other PB games
  • Predefined protagonist

Fable

Release:2014-09-12
Genre:RPG
Developer:Lionhead Studios

Fable was a game with grand ambitions. And even though they weren’t all realized, the end result was still a very fun, memorable game.

After the short, yet momentous prologue you become a freshly minted Hero, hired by the people of the land to solve their problems with animals, bandits, and threats to the idyllic Albion. And your hero will visibly change as his power and legend grows.

Increase your strength, and you’ll grow more muscular. Use magic a lot, and you’ll get glowing runes on your body. Even a moral stance you represent finds an appropriate visual expression. The world isn’t as open as The Witcher 3’s, and the choices are fewer, but where TW3 is a trip through a Slavic-inspired fantasy, Fable is a (much more cheerful) jaunt through mythic England.

Key features
  • Your character morphs smoothly as he develops
  • There’s a new one coming!
  • Roleplaying both through choices and spontaneous interactions like emotes and titles
  • The Anniversary edition updated the game to be suitable for newer systems

Ghost of Tsushima

Release:2021-08-20
Genre:Action-Adventure
Developer:Sucker Punch Productions

Unlike most games on this list, Ghost of Tsushima is not set in a fictional setting. Instead, it’s set on the island of Tsushima during the 13th-century Mongol invasion of Japan.

You’re playing as Jin Sakai, a samurai who survived a disastrous battle against the invaders, and now tries to sabotage the Mongol forces and eliminate their leaders by any means necessary.

Once you’re out of the initial tutorial sequences, the world opens up and you can go out and explore the absurdly beautiful island in its fullness, discovering secrets, honoring shrines, and completing challenges in addition to pursuing the storyline. Although Jin’s fighting styles don’t look quite as flowing and graceful as Geralt’s, wading into an enemy camp and defeating everyone soundly is still very satisfying.

Key features
  • The Tsushima island’s beauty cannot be overstated
  • You can discover secret locations through diegetic clues
  • You can approach challenges in open combat or through stealth and sabotage if you want
  • The primary antagonist is Genghis Khan’s grandson

Horizon Zero Dawn (and Forbidden West)

Release:2020-08-07
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Guerrilla Games

With its recent arrival on PC there are even fewer reasons to avoid playing Horizon Zero Dawn. If hunting unnatural creatures in a beautiful open world is what you’re looking for, HZD has that in spades.

Although set in a post-apocalyptic science fiction world rather than a deliberately anachronistic fantasy one, there are enough features that can be of interest to a The Witcher 3 enthusiast.

Instead of a grizzled monster hunter Geralt, you’re playing as Aloy, a young woman trained in hunting robotic animals and turning them into useful parts. The story involves investigating what’s causing many robots to become actively aggressive and attack human settlements. During her journey Aloy will find crucial information about the past of the world she lives in, and this sense of discovery carries over to the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West.

Key features
  • A stunning open-world adventure with unique fauna
  • Satisfying hunting systems
  • Interesting storyline
  • Solid expansion and an awesome sequel

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Release:2017-03-03
Genre:Action-adventure
Developer:Nintendo EPD

2017’s Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is possibly one of the best open-world games in general, not just on its native Switch.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gamescreen

The land of Hyrule is massive, and Link, freshly out of a century-long sleep, has so much freedom in exploring it that nothing’s stopping him even from going straight to Calamity Ganon’s stronghold and trying to defeat his most famous antagonist.

The world feels incredibly reactive thanks to a detailed physics engine encouraging experimentation and unorthodox solutions to problems. LoZ: BotW doesn’t have The Witcher’s dark grey atmosphere and harsh storylines, but it easily rivals TW3’s sense of immersion and the grand scale of the world. It also makes up for the lack of alchemy with Link’s preternatural cooking skills providing useful bonuses.

Key features
  • Sprawling open world
  • Physics engine allows you to do some really impressive and complex manoeuvres
  • Much more free-form and open than previous games in the series
  • A truly outstanding sequel with much richer gameplay

Monster Hunter: World

Release:2018-08-09
Genre:Action
Developer:CAPCOM

Whereas The Witcher 3 splits its attention between monsters and humans alike, Monster Hunter World doesn’t mess around and focuses its gameplay almost entirely on defeating huge beasts.

Monster Hunter World

With its theme and combat system it would likely appeal not only to the fans of The Witcher 3 but also to Dark Souls enthusiasts, because large monsters require being patient and figuring out their movesets.

There are fourteen weapon types, each with a completely unique playstyle and niche, and a ton of different armour sets conferring useful skills. MHW also has something that other games on the list don’t: a special assignment featuring Geralt himself hunting a monster none of the local hunters are equipped to deal with. The mission even has dialogue options, unlike normal MHW gameplay. The game received an excellent Iceborne expansion, and in 2021 another game in the series came out on Switch (and then PC): a slightly easier and smaller (but still filled to the brim with content) Monster Hunter Rise.

Key features
  • Each weapon changes substantially how you fight
  • Excellent monster design
  • The locations look great and feature many useful shortcuts
  • Armour and weapon designs look great

Outward

Release:2019-03-26
Genre:RPG
Developer:Nine Dots Studio

Outward’s world is one where nothing comes easy, least of all personal power.

In this way Outward’s setting isn’t too dissimilar from TW3’s Continent, which, despite having wizards and superhuman monster hunters, isn’t a high-fantasy place at all. Here you start out in debt you have only five days to pay back, and what happens afterwards is going to change the story ahead of you in some big ways.

Outward also does its best to be more realistic than many other RPGs, and applies this even to spellcasting, which isn’t as simple as pressing LMB to chuck bolts of fire at enemies. There are also three major factions your character can ally themselves with, in a move somewhat reminiscent of games like Risen or Gothic, or The Witcher 2. Truly, what it doesn’t have in graphics, it more than makes up for in complexity.

Key features
  • Interesting spellcasting system
  • Multiple outcomes to many quests
  • Death isn’t the only thing that can happen when you lose health
  • No save scumming, only auto-saves

Red Dead Redemption 2

Release:2019-11-05
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Rockstar Games

A total genre shift, true, but Red Dead Redemption 2 has a huge world you can completely lose yourself in, putting the main story off almost indefinitely if you so choose.

There may be no Gwent, but there’s plenty more things to do, including hunting rare wildlife, chasing bounties, and more. The world is incredibly detailed, with stunning graphics and detailed animations for almost every activity.

The gruff protagonist this time is Arthur Morgan, a member of a notorious gang led by Dutch van der Linde, whom many people familiar with the first RDR already know. Here we’re seeing the story of the group’s twilight years, as it’s the prequel to RDR. There’s also an online component, letting you play as your own outlaw, trying your luck in a world shared with dozens of other players.

Key features
  • An excellent Western in its own right
  • Stunningly detailed
  • Prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption
  • A staggering number of activities and ways to interact with the world

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Release:2019-03-22
Genre:Adventure
Developer:FromSoftware

Sekiro: Shadows Die doesn’t have many similarities to The Witcher 3 in its gameplay, but there are some things that may resonate with people yearning for more Geralt in their lives.

The main character is nicknamed “Wolf”, which is nice, and the main story involves dealing with rescuing a younger protégé (in this case: a young noble whom Wolf is supposed to protect) and dealing with their mystic importance. The game itself is a demanding action game, putting your skills against fast and deadly enemies, human and monster alike.

Sekiro’s combat system strongly relies on parrying and dodging to throw your enemies off balance and be able to move in for the killing blow. You also get a few cool gadgets which will substantially help you with your enemies, most of which are susceptible to certain tactics.

Key features
  • A gruff man called Wolf searches for a young person holding unique power. Sounds familiar?
  • The combat system demands good timing
  • Introduces myths and legends to the historical Sengoku period setting
  • Interesting storyline with several possible endings

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Release:2016-10-27
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Bethesda Game Studios

Before The Witcher 3 arrived, Skyrim had been the biggest fish in the open-world RPG pond.

One of Bethesda’s most popular games, Skyrim lives on years later thanks to extensive modding community and Bethesda’s dedication to bringing it over to newer consoles with technical upgrades, an approach now shared by The Witcher 3’s developers.

At your disposal is a large world filled with locations and activities, letting you roleplay anyone from an alchemist to a monster hunter, to a blacksmith. It’s lighter on story than TW3, but offers much more by way of immersion and roleplaying possibilities, allowing you to abandon your violent ways for a long tie and focus on, for example, playing around with the crafting systems.

Key features
  • Large world in which to make your own story
  • Plenty of things to do: alchemy, mining, crafting, and much more
  • Two parallel key storylines: reborn dragons and civil war
  • Action-packed, first- or third-person perspective combat

Fallout 3, New Vegas, 4

Release:2010-10-21
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Obsidian Entertainment

The Fallout series has some obvious, crucial differences from The Witcher 3.

Fallout 4

The world is very different and follows a very different literary genre, but there are still elements both games have in common. For one, they feature a large world filled with NPCs, stories and activities. There are also political maneuvers and considerations thanks to robust faction systems, particularly in New Vegas.

They differ a lot from game to game, but the common thread is that the maps are hardly empty of things to do. Both franchises also focus on an action-based combat system, even if Fallouts have a heavier emphasis on ranged combat than The Witcher 3. Fallout 4 even has a similar “find your missing child” storyline, which can get similarly derailed by the side activities typical for an open-world game.

Key features
  • Open-world environment filled with activities
  • Action-filled melee and ranged combat
  • Choices affect the world and the endings
  • Incredibly moddable

Dragon's Dogma

Release:2016-01-15
Genre:Adventure
Developer:

If what has drawn you to The Witcher 3 are the monster fights, then Dragon’s Dogma should be right up your alley.

It’s even more relevant to the topic than Monster Hunter: World thanks to its open-world structure and strong action role-playing underpinnings, including an occasionally weird storyline, sidequests, and character progression.

The Witcher 3 is undeniably a prettier game, but Dragon’s Dogma rivals it as far as designs are considered, and has it squarely defeated in terms of how good it feels to use weapons and magic. The Witcher’s oddly graceful death ballet has little on Dragon’s Dogma’s crunchy hits and ground-shaking impacts. Few are games better than The Witcher 3, but Dragon’s Dogma comes close just through the POWER of its combat. And the best part is that they recently announced a new one!

Key features
  • Unexpectedly deep and disturbing mythos
  • An open world to explore and cleanse of monsters
  • 9 diverse classes with unique abilities
  • Very satisfying character creation process

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Release:2014-11-18
Genre:Adventure
Developer:BioWare

Dragon Age: Inquisition is much more outwardly cheesy than The Witcher, but underneath the high fantasy facade there is a story dealing with some of the issues that The Witcher tackles too.

Discrimination of non-humans, the war between religious fundamentalism and magic users, and a foreign power trying to get a foothold on the continent.

Of course the gameplay is very different: team-based and relatively tactical, with active pause, but Dragon Age: Inquisition has dramatic storytelling, quite a few beautiful locations, and a grand scope of events. There’s also a great cast of characters, both in and outside your field team, and you can romance many of them, in case you found romance in The Witcher 3 to be lacking in variety.

Key features
  • Several large open-world areas with their own stories
  • One of the most worthwhile crafting system in RPGs
  • Epic scale of the story and cinematic cutscenes
  • You get to be a commander of a powerful organization

Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey & Valhalla

Release:2020-11-10
Genre:Action RPG
Developer:Ubisoft Montreal

After a long time of making action-adventure recreations of medieval-to-modern cities, Ubisoft decided to take a couple of steps back in time, and a massive and risky leap forward in mechanics.

In Origins the developer decided to lean into RPG systems, and, seeing the success of this solution, turned the next game, Odyssey, into a full-blown action RPG, and one taking obvious inspiration from The Witcher 3.

Now Assassin’s Creed games have a solid loot system always giving the players new toys to play with, extensive skill trees catering to different playstyles, and Odyssey puts a lot of story agency in players hands. If you want to play an RPG taking place in ancient Egypt or ancient Greece, that’s the way to do it, and if you want a more North-European option, AC Valhalla, the latest in the series, is even MORE similar to TW3.

Key features
  • Huge world to explore, and plenty of monuments to climb
  • Combat system more engaging than in previous AC games
  • There’s a new AC announced, going back to the Middle Eastern story roots
  • Interesting protagonists with strong personalities

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Release:2018-02-13
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Warhorse Studios

Where The Witcher 3 felt realistic and believable due to its serious tone and story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance took pains to also be as realistic and historically accurate as possible.

Kingdom of Deliverance

You’ll engage in tense melee fights, learn how to read, and brew herbal potions. And all of it takes place in a quite faithfully recreated medieval Bohemia.

KCD doesn’t provide the sense of power that being Geralt does, but the general atmosphere of the world in both games is quite similar. Bohemia of KCD also feels very much alive, so much so that certain events can happen even without player’s participation. Notably, KCD is a first-person perspective game, rather than TPP like The Witcher 3, but it shouldn’t take more than just a little time of getting used to.

Key features
  • Realistic and brutal: a faithful recreation of medieval Bohemia
  • Innovative melee combat system
  • From zero to “someone who might be a bit useful”
  • The events don’t wait for you to appear on the scene

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor & Shadow of War

Release:2014-09-30 / 2017-09=27
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Monolith Productions

The Shadow of… series shares a fair bit with The Witcher 3. Both have a gruff, but roughly likeable protagonist, both feature improbable sword skills, and both have an open world littered with things to pick up and miniquests to deal with.

Monolith’s games also have magically enhanced social engineering and, in Shadow of War, a subdued but hard to ignore strategic layer.

The Nemesis system allows Talion not only to always have a new foe to hunt him, but, mixed with the hierarchy of orc horde, lets Talion plant spies in Sauron’s army and exploit them when he sees fit. This is one of the pillars of Shadow of…’s loop, alongside combat, parkour, and gathering collectibles for upgrades.

Key features
  • Responsive and spectacular combat system
  • Nemesis system
  • Shadow of War features plenty of loot
  • Inspired by Tolkien’s work and set in the world he created

Mass Effect Trilogy (Legendary Edition)

Release:2021-05-14
Genre:Action role-playing
Developer:BioWare

The Witcher games owe a fair bit of their story presentation to the standard BioWare established in their Mass Effect series.

ME was the first popular game to blend cutscenes with fully voiced, interactive dialogues to such a degree, and the conversation wheel became a standard framework for other action RPG games, The Witcher 3 included, even if there is no literal wheel being displayed.

The story of Commander Shepard leading a multi-species charge against a primordial threat coming from beyond the Milky Way galaxy definitely captures people’s attention, and the conversation scenes made for a very memorable presentation, emphasizing the personalities of companions and NPCs, and making conversations more dynamic.

Key features
  • Dramatic storytelling
  • One of the iconic protagonists of modern gaming
  • Cover-based third-person action-RPG shooter
  • Choices and consequences transfer between games

Risen

Release:2009-10-02
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Piranha Bytes

The developers of The Witcher games cited the Gothic series as an inspiration for their games.

Risen

Which puts Risen, developed by the creator of Gothic, as an obvious candidate for this list. Risen gives the player a large island to explore, several factions to navigate, and an ancient mystery to uncover.

If what you loved most about The Witcher 3 was the world itself, then you’ll likely take a shine to Risen. No markers, no minimap, plenty of ways of engaging with the environment, functional climbing, diverse biomes, and tailor-made loot waiting for the most dedicated explorers make traversing the island of Faranga engaging, worthwhile, and entertaining.

Key features
  • You can go nearly anywhere, if you can survive the experience
  • Three distinctive factions to pick from
  • Engaging crafting systems
  • No RNG

Cyberpunk 2077

Release:2020-12-10
Genre:Action RPG
Developer:CD PROJEKT RED

In the absence of The Witcher 4 (although a new The Witcher game WAS announced in 2022), there is only one recourse for the fans of CD Projekt Red’s productions is their next game.

Although Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch, technical issues didn’t affect the engaging transhumanist story, interesting characters, and the scope and depth of the city we get to spend our time in, and virtually all hiccups were smoothed over with patches flowing in quickly.

Cyberpunk 2077 is based on a tabletop role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020, and takes place almost entirely in Night City, a metropolis controlled by gangs and corporations. Unlike The Witcher 3, CP2077 is be a first-person perspective game, although fans of slicing people up with sword can find a proper Cyberpunk katana.

Key features
  • First-person perspective action RPG
  • Set in the future of a classic tabletop RPG setting
  • A transformative expansion featuring Idris Elba
  • Reactive and complex storyline

A round of Gwent?

Thus concludes our list of games similar to The Witcher 3 which may fill a part of the void left in your heart after completing CD Projekt Red’s hit game. Are there other RPGs like The Witcher 3? Certainly, but this list takes from the top. We hope we sufficiently helped you find the next title to play, one sharing your favourite features of The Witcher 3.