Hayes Madsen
The Witcher & The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Kicking off our list of games like The Witcher 3, are well, the first two games in the series. This one may seem obvious, but in all honestly many players have yet to experience the first two Witcher games, and started with The Witcher 3. While Witcher 3 is leaps and bounds above the first two games, they’re still fine games in their own right — though not open-world. The first Witcher certainly feels a bit clunky and dated, but it has some fantastic stories and character moments for Geralt. Meanwhile, the Witcher 2 has a great main story that splits the game in two with a big decision, and its combat is incredibly challenging and more styled to what The Witcher 3 has. If you’re invested in the world and characters after playing The Witcher 3, the second game will help expand upon the lore and world even more. So much in The Witcher 2 serves as the basis for what CD Projekt Red would do with their Game of the Year, and it’s worth going back and playing simply to see the development path. They certainly fit the bill of games like the Witcher 3. No matter the reason, if you love The Witcher 3 and haven’t checked out past games, you owe it to yourself if you’re looking for more games like The Witcher 3.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a continuation of Ubisoft’s transitioning of the franchise to a role-playing experience, and it’s clear the developer took a lot of inspiration from The Witcher 3. Many elements of the game’s exploration, combat, questing structure, and branching dialog feels derivative of CDPR’s masterpiece. Valhalla takes place in Ancient Britain, starring Eivor, a viking warrior intent on settling part of the country along with his fellow Northmen. There’s a gripping main plot that lasts a good 40 hours or so, but that can quickly rise beyond 100 hours with all the additional content and expansions that have been added since launch. In particular, the side quests featured in Valhalla feel directly inspired by The Witcher 3. They’re much more fleshed out than ever before, and the game deliberately tries to either weave them back into the main story or create interesting standalone narratives. At the same time, there’s a similarly massive world(s) to explore by foot, ship, or horseback. There’s also a fun settlement-building mechanic that forms a crux of the main story.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Along with The Witcher and Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age is one of the other biggest fantasy series in video games and is probably the best recommendation you can give for games like The Witcher 3. Dragon Age: Inquisition, in particular, should appeal directly to Witcher fans for a variety of different reasons. Dragon Age and The Witcher have a ton of similarities in truth, both series heavily feature races like Elves and Dwarves, and Elves are discriminated against heavily in both. Inquisition has you playing as a player-created character called The Inquisitor, working to stop civil unrest on the continent of Thedas while also investigating a giant tear in reality looming in the sky. Inquisition, like The Witcher 3, has a heavy emphasis on political drama and schemes, and there are different forces across Thedas each vying for power. While the game’s combat isn’t quite as fast as The Witcher, it still has an action-oriented focus mixed with different skills and abilities you can use on cooldown timers, which should work just fine for fans looking for games like The Witcher 3. There are even more similarities the two games share, too many to list honestly, but it boils down to both games being complex high fantasy experiences that often call morality into question. The fourth game in the series, called Dreadwolf, is looking on the horizon, but don’t wait and skip Inquisition in the meantime. It’s very much still worth playing.
Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War
Any piece of fantasy media or literature draws some kind of inspiration from The Lord of the Rings, and that holds true for games like The Witcher 3. Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War are the most violent and mature we’ve ever seen in the LOTR series, telling an original story that takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, and it is perfect for those looking for games like The Witcher 3. The games follow Talion, a Ranger killed by the forces of Sauron, who is reincarnated by the spirit of the Elf lord, Celebrimbor. The world of the Shadow games may not be quite as large or dense as the Witcher, but there’s quite a bit to see and do still. Talion is a quick, versatile character and the power of Celebrimbor makes it a snap to dash across the landscape of Mordor in the blink of an eye. Witcher fans should enjoy the two game’s combat. They both feel fast-paced and focused on pulling off combos and counters. The Nemesis system is, of course, what gives Shadow of Mordor its personality, with a dynamic system that creates both enemies and allies of the orc captains for you. If you love the high fantasy of the Witcher you can’t get more on the mark than Shadow of Mordor, and that’s why it’s on our list of games like The Witcher 3.
Elden Ring
FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series set the gaming world on fire many years ago, and it has enjoyed enduring popularity ever since. But it is the developer’s next major IP, Elden Ring, that bridges the gap between that beloved franchise and The Witcher 3. The enormous, sprawling open world is one of the most compelling in any fantasy RPG, and while there isn’t quite the same depth to the storytelling that brings it all together, there are all manner of secrets and fascinating quests to undertake. Like Dark Souls, Elden Ring brings a heavy dose of dark fantasy, with a decayed world, horrific bosses, and tons of cryptic hints for the story and lore. Considering the Witcher is a blend of high fantasy and dark fantasy, the fascinating world of Elden Ring should be a joy to explore for any Witcher fan looking for games like The Witcher 3.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Another high fantasy open world game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning combined some serious talent. Ken Rolston, the gameplay designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, was the executive producer. Acclaimed fantasy author R.A. Salvatore crafted the world and lore, and Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn, worked on artwork and character designs. Kingdoms of Amalur may not have totally lived up to the lofty expectations of its creators, but there’s still a quality fantasy game to play through. The game presents a fantasy setting through and through with different races and regions. Combat is real-time and action-focused, allowing players to use a variety of weapons, styles, and classes. There’s also a large emphasis put on player choice, with consequences to match it. In some regards Kingdoms of Amalur fails to break out of genre conventions. However, its world is so massive and rich that it doesn’t really matter. If you’re itching for a new fantasy world to explore after The Witcher 3, it’s a great choice to go with.
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Kingdom Come: Deliverance shares many similarities with The Witcher 3, though it trades fantasy for realism. Still, there’s a huge open-world, deep RPG mechanics, and sprawling questlines that feature branching dialog. If you’ve not heard of KCD, one of its most unique features is very realistic combat that requires patience and carefully calculated attacks instead of the hack-and-slash third-person style in The Witcher 3. But learning to master it yields big rewards and keeps the experience fresh throughout. As with most RPGs, there are a number of different ways to approach combat according to the style of build you go for. Again, unlike The Witcher 3, the game is based on real-life events, taking place in Bohemia in 1403, and its main and side quests are centered around events during that time period. Since its launch back in 2018, there have been a number of major DLC expansions, and there’s also a variety of community-made mods you can enjoy if you’re on PC.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
You couldn’t have a list of games like The Witcher 3 without mentioning The Elder Scrolls, and especially Skyrim. Bethesda’s beloved RPG had an influence on open-world design that is still felt today. And while a laundry list of bugs, stiff animations, and fetch quests have become the butt of many a gaming insider joke, there’s still plenty it does better than many modern open-world games. A decade after its launch, Skyrim stands shoulder-to-shoulder with The Witcher 3 at the very top of the fantasy genre.
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