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The 9 Best Games Like The Witcher 3

Published

9 months ago

August 4, 2023

Want to know the best games like The Witcher 3?

Imagine the following scenario: You just finished the last quest from the Blood and Wine campaign. You’re at a loss. Don’t know what to do with your life.

You want more, but you milked every quest. So, you start searching for games that could offer you the same hype as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

There is no denying that The Witcher 3 is one of the best of the past generation, with its rich lore, beautifully crafted world, and addictive monster hunting.

It is a world like no other that the player becomes completely involved in and one can’t help but feel at a loss when the journey is done.

For our sake, and yours, we have used criteria to list the top 9 games like The Witcher 3 which will help scratch the Witcher itch.

The 9 Best Games Like The Witcher 3

Although no video game will have the same story as The Witcher 3, much like our previous lists we have established a list of characteristics to help identify games like The Witcher 3:

Open-world
RPG Fantasy
Decision-based gameplay
Rewarding exploration & optional quests Intense combat
Engrossing plot

With our criteria set out here are our top 9 picks of games like The Witcher 3:

9. Risen 3: Titan Lords

Initial Release Date: August 12, 2014

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360

Developer: Piranha Bytes

Publisher: Deep Silver

The first entry on our list is Risen 3: Titan Lords.

Let me preface this by saying that it certainly has its issues and is a little rough around the edges, with some dated animations and the odd bug.

Yet it still presents a worthwhile story and a classic RPG experience. While the story can be a little straightforward in places, the world itself is rich and the lore of the ‘Titan Lords’ is fascinating. The combat system is still solid, following the very similar doge and poke format you see in The Witcher and other 3rd person RPGs.

Also, there is spell singing galore for those of us who loved our maxed-out ‘Igni’ builds.

Overall, the combat will feel very familiar to those who have completed The Witcher 3.

For those who love exploring the corners of every game, the world in Risen 3 is massive, with a huge variety of environments.

The game excels most in delivering an extremely atmospheric and beautiful setting, that you can’t help but want to see.

8. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Initial Release Date: February 7, 2012

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Developer: 38 Studios & Big Huge Games

Publisher: 38 Studios & EA

Kingdoms of Amalur is a classic dark and gritty fantasy romp that combines an engrossing world with equally interesting combat which was far ahead of its competitors of the time.

Reckoning is set in the “Faelands”. You play as a character ‘without fate’ in a world where everything is based on the preordained, and this makes you exceptionally powerful. The game world isn’t as open-world as The Witcher 3, but there is plenty to explore.

In a lot of ways, it feels like a Fable game in its execution of each zone.

Much like other RPGs, you can commit crimes and run afoul of the law, for those of us who like testing ourselves against the guards.

There are some interesting choices to be made in side-quests and some quality characters to meet throughout the world.

What makes it stand out from other games is the thoroughly engaging combat that still holds up today.

Players who enjoyed their melee builds in The Witcher 3 will appreciate the nuance of the combat, with limitless combos, weapons, and God of War-style finishers.

7. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Initial Release Date: April 23, 2013

Platforms: Windows Microsoft, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

An enhanced version of the 2012 original, Dark Arisen is a Western-style, Japanese open-world game set in the world of Gransys and, you guessed it, has a huge dragon you must kill.

The game relies upon the same gritty ideas found in Dragon Age but does something different.

With the unique Pawn system, your generated companion can be ‘borrowed’ by other players in their world and vice versa.

One of the great parts of the game is that you can ‘latch’ on to large monsters and climb over them, allowing you to attack more sensitive parts of the body.

For example, the first boss that you will fight is a Chimera that has different heads, so you can clamber over the body and target the snake head until it ‘dies’, rendering it useless for the rest of the battle.

The combat is like The Witcher 3 in its basics but the way it is executed in the game feels weighty and tight, with big hits knocking you off your feet and two-handed smashes making your bones rattle.

The spellcasting feels bold and powerful, allowing for devastating combos that will light up the screen and wreck your enemies.

6. Fable III

Initial Release Date: 26 October 2010

Platforms: Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows

Developer: Lionhead Studios

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios

An industrial revolution and a rebellion, are the perfect ingredients for yet another memorable hero to rise in the land of Albion.

The third installment in the series from the legendary Lionhead Studios, Fable 3 allows you to be any sort of monarch.

Lead a rebellion to become a Tyrant or Saint before organizing your kingdom’s defense against an ancient evil.

The series has always been a game that hinges on its morality choices in the most black-and-white of terms.

Evil or Good, your choices are aesthetic, but it’s satisfying at full evil to see horns sprouting out of your head and people recoiling at your presence. Fable III makes this feel far-reaching because your actions affect the (mainly) innocent people that you rule over.

At its core, Fable III offers an endearing game world filled to the brim with comedy, warmth, and charming visuals. With a myriad of side quests, people to meet, choices to make, and solid 3rd-person combat, Fable III is very much a game that will feel not so different from The Witcher 3.

5. Dragon Age: Inquisition

Initial Release Date: November 18, 2014

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Developer: BioWare

Publisher: EA

There is a reason that Dragon Age: Inquisition is the most successful launch in BioWare history.

It combined the elements of the first two games to create an action-packed and memorable adventure that must be experienced by those who love RPGs. The storytelling elements that BioWare are most famous for are at their best in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Like The Witcher 3, the game has vast dialogue options, endearing companions, tough choices to be made, and an incredible music score, that makes for an epic journey.

The combat isn’t strictly real-time, it is a hybrid between that and turn-based combat. It works well, and good party composition is key to success when taking on the more challenging enemies of the game.

The game’s main issue is that it is overloaded with meaningless ‘fetch quests’, which can easily double a completionist’s playtime.

This is compensated for by a variety of stunning locations, such as ‘Storm Coast’, a rocky coastal area where you can almost feel the spray of the ocean as a dragon bellows in the distance.

4. Vampyr

Initial Release Date: 5th June 2018

Platforms: Windows Microsoft, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch [TBA]

Developer: Dontnod Entertainment

Publisher: Focus Home

Instead of hunting Vampires, why not play as one?

While Vampyr stands apart on this list in terms of a high fantasy setting, Vampyr is a game that feels remarkably like The Witcher 3.

Vampyr is a blood-soaked action RPG set in the semi-open world of 1918’s London. It follows the story of Dr. Jonathan Reid, a newbie vampire on a quest to hunt down the one who sired him. The game follows a set story path but offers great choice and consequence as to how you deal with the ‘citizens’ of London.

You have to decide whether to feed on all citizens to level up faster and destabilize the boroughs, or spare everyone. These decisions will affect which ending you can get.

The vampire sense tool that you use to follow trails and stalk victims is essentially the same mechanic as the ‘Witcher sense’.

It will appeal to those who enjoyed the hunting and tracking aspect of The Witcher 3.

Featuring familiar RPG elements like skill trees and crafting, there is enough depth to keep the RPG fanatic glued to the screen as you hunt as a merciless predator to your heart’s content.

3. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Initial Release Date: September 30, 2014

Platforms: Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Developer: Monolith Productions

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Mordor has never been the most inviting of places to visit, but we have a difficult time tearing ourselves away from the Mordor we can explore in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

You take control of Talion, who is a likable enough Aragorn clone after his wife and child have been murdered by the servants of Sauron. The revenge tale that you embark on is basic but keeps you engaged while you conquer Mordor.

The environment and the living, breathing society of Mordor is the game’s strength.

Through the “Nemesis System”, each zone has a procedurally generated hierarchy of Orcs and Talion can get directly involved in the power struggles of the Orc captains.

He can turn captains to his cause through mind control and then engage in powerplays to elevate his puppet higher up to the top of the region’s hierarchy. A visit to Middle-Earth has never been so appealing or so engaging.

With tabs of lore to read, new abilities to discover, and Orcish society to disrupt, what are you waiting for?

2. Horizon Zero Dawn

Initial Release Date: 28 February 2017

Platforms: PlayStation 4

Developer: Guerrilla Games

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Taking on the role of Aloy is one of the most unique and engrossing adventures that can be experienced in this generation of consoles.

Horizon Zero Dawn is a unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi, set in the 31st century where humans live in tribal communities in a world occupied by machine life forms collectively known as the ‘Old Ones’.

You navigate the world by scrounging, crafting and carefully planning hunts against robotic creatures who are far more powerful than you. Few things are more satisfying than having a giant mechanical sabretooth tiger walk straight into your lightning tripwire, before letting loose with your fire arrows and reducing it to a burnt-out husk.

Although different in execution, this part of the game will feel like The Witcher 3’s monster bounties; tracking, planning, hunting, and cannibalizing the robots for materials. The breathtaking wild beauty of the world always leads you away from the beaten path, with a wide variety of different robots to hunt.

Aloy herself is acted out so well and her journey keeps you hooked until the very end. With gorgeous visuals and incredible voice acting and music, the post-apocalyptic has never looked better.

1. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Initial Release Date: October 5, 2018

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia

Developer: Ubisoft Quebec

Publisher: Ubisoft

No surprise that this worthy title takes the top spot for games like The Witcher 3.

Ancient Greece is yours to explore whilst you navigate the ‘Peloponnesian War’ and come face to face with characters of legend.

The main strength of Odyssey is the incredible world, which has beauty around every corner and some stunning visuals.

You can explore this massive map however you want via your ship which allows you to traverse the seas freely, engage in epic sea battles and recruit new cut-throats to your crew.

Combat has been vastly improved from the more linear Assassin’s Creed games of the past as there is a wealth of gear, weapons, and skills to choose from.

Nothing feels quite like forcing a ship to a halt, jumping aboard, grabbing an enemy warrior’s shield, and tossing it into their face.

With a beautiful open world, incredible characters, RPG elements, and a compelling storyline, there is so much for you to do in Odyssey and so much to see, that you are doing yourself a disservice if you haven’t experienced it.