For many players, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became the best project in their lives, forever changing their perception of the RPG genre. Even seven years later, the success of CD Projekt RED's creation still haunts other developers, but Wild Hunt was not a pioneer, and the ideas embedded in the game had appeared before. By 2022, quite a few good projects were inspired by the third part of Geralt's adventures or offered to experience similar impressions and emotions. In this top, we have gathered all the old and new games similar to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Before we move on to the list, let's clarify the criteria. There are a great many RPG projects, but not all of them even remotely resemble the Witcher series. From our subjective point of view, a number of parameters can be identified.
Setting
The tale of the white-haired monster slayer fits organically into the medieval era but would look odd in a cyberpunk or far-future world. Although Fallout also makes gamers make fateful decisions and play roles, post-apocalypse is not what is associated with the witcher. The book series is rightly considered the standard of dark fantasy, which means no kind wizards, selfless elves, or evil orcs. Despite all its fantasy, the genre is distinguished by a grim, sometimes too down-to-earth atmosphere, an abundance of violence, sex, and the absence of usual fantasy clichés.
Choice and Variability
The series is loved for its abundance of complex, sometimes immoral choices. The concept of lesser evil, presented in the books, is also in the games. Gamers literally felt like Geralt, making the decisions that seemed right for him. Some might say this limits the role-playing system, but we believe it makes the choices more personal and difficult. Fulfill the contract or save the life of a miserable living creature, spare the foolish peasants or wipe out a village for the life of one girl — such would feel less impactful if we played as a nameless or mute hero.
Grey Morality
This point is directly related to the previous one. In the world of the witcher, there are no unequivocally bad or good characters. Even Geralt himself is capable of questionable actions. Some of the villains could easily have become allies of the White Wolf, while others elicited sincere sympathy. The idea that the most terrifying monsters are humans was fully explored in the game.
Monsters
The bestiary of Wild Hunt is astonishing. The game has room for familiar monsters, like vampires and werewolves, as well as for truly original creatures, such as leshens or godlings. While completing quests, players regularly encountered something new and unexplainable. On easy difficulty, monsters did not pose a problem, but on hard difficulty, it was necessary to find an individual tactic and wisely use the available arsenal.
An Unusual Protagonist and Memorable Characters
An important criterion that many RPGs ignore. How many interesting traits do modern heroes have? Most often, they are faceless dummies, at best with voiced lines. With Geralt, it's different. He has white hair, cat-like eyes, interesting abilities and skills, a complex character, and specific humor. The other characters of The Witcher 3 also instantly etched themselves into memory. Seven years later, their names are still easy to recall.
Of course, not all games in this list have absolutely all of the listed features, but we tried to choose those that are closest to the described criteria.
Many forget that the first two parts are the most similar to The Witcher 3. The time gap between the projects was so significant that it is now difficult to perceive the three games as a single series. Nevertheless, all the distinctive elements are in place.
In the first part, many just got acquainted with Geralt. Although the graphics left much to be desired and the combat system was an acquired taste, it is the only game where you could really learn what it means to be a witcher, maintain neutrality in conflicts, and regularly get stabbed in the back by those you just saved.
In subsequent projects, many aspects became more stylish and modern, and the concept of a neutral side was abandoned altogether. This makes The Witcher in many ways much more canonical in relation to the source material than Assassins of Kings and Wild Hunt. The number of complex choices pleasantly surprised, and the convoluted plot became a direct continuation of the book story, which is rare nowadays.
The second part took a step towards cinematography. The stakes were raised, and Geralt's problems became even more global. Depending on your decisions, an entire chapter of the story could change completely. You inevitably missed a significant chunk of content, which motivated a second playthrough more than ever.
The combat system was made more familiar, and the graphics were significantly improved. All this immediately elevated The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings to the top league, turning Geralt into a star.
Two games about the girl Aloy. Remember what we mentioned about the Witcher and the post-apocalypse? It turns out that it all depends on the context. In the Horizon world, humanity has been completely eradicated during a machine uprising. Hundreds of years later, an automated system initiates a cloning process, and new humans populate the world. Due to a program malfunction, they know nothing of the past. Civilization regresses to ancient times, but with some changes. Machines in the form of huge animals and dinosaurs roam the world, while the population wears skins but wields technologically advanced bows and spears.
Horizon Zero Dawn was more similar to The Witcher 3 in terms of gameplay than narrative. Aloy traveled the open world, gathered useful herbs and resources, and fought various machines. Hunting became the main feature of the series. Thanks to the augmented reality visor, the girl could obtain very detailed information about her enemies, identify their weak spots, and, as they say, tell a ghoul from an alghoul. Everything the witcher already knew by heart, Aloy had to learn along the way. The absence of two swords was compensated by an impressive arsenal and a quiver full of arrows for all occasions.
In the second part, the creators added a dialogue system and proper side quests. Although Aloy's interactions with others still fell short of The Witcher 3's dialogue system, the progress was pleasantly surprising. Side quests finally became interesting to complete, but the game still lacked variability. The main storyline was also satisfying. Grey morality, ambiguous heroes and villains — all were present. Arguably, it was the second installment that became the most successful clone of The Wild Hunt.
Some projects are difficult to assess separately, as they are too similar. The latest assassin trilogy is an example of how to sell the same game over and over, just changing the scenery. If you've missed it, for several years now, the stories about hooded assassins have resembled Geralt's adventures more than the early games of their own series. A vast open world, tons of content, quests, and dialogues — all this makes Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla exemplary clones. Even the skill system, divided into specializations, sends a nod to the witcher's development branches.
Each part had its main characters with backstories, personalities, and personal opinions. Although gamers couldn't influence their judgments, watching the characters develop was interesting.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla particularly resembles The Wild Hunt. The medieval setting and the overall grim atmosphere only enhance the similarity. Of course, Eivor (the hero of Valhalla) didn't fight monsters, but in all other respects, it turned out to be an almost perfect clone. It's just a pity that there are practically no choices in the game, and those that exist have almost no significant consequences.
It's impossible to talk about games similar to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt without mentioning Ghost of Tsushima. A brave samurai abandons his principles to become the perfect assassin and stand against an entire army. In Ghost of Tsushima, there are no monsters — the project leans on realism. However, it excellently portrays the main ideas of the entire saga about Geralt: the consequences of choosing the lesser evil and humans as the most terrifying monsters.
The thought-out combat system turns your samurai into a true killing machine. Sharp and at the same time beautiful movements captivate, and intuitive combos allow you to quickly master all the nuances. Blocking arrows with your blade is also included (a hallmark of the witchers). Overall, Ghost of Tsushima is one of the games closest to The Wild Hunt in terms of feelings. Like the famous monster slayer, Jin Sakai — the ghost himself — is incredibly deadly to anyone who stands in his way.
Add to this a beautiful open world, numerous side quests, and you get an excellent project that is definitely worth playing. The downside is obvious — excessive linearity. You will only kill those who need to be killed according to the plot. Freedom is expressed only in the ways to achieve the goal — stealth or frontal attack.
We decided not to separate the Gothic, Risen, and ELEX series into different top spots. Despite significant differences in release dates, they are more or less the same game. Piranha Bytes continues to make their perfect Gothic, regardless of the surrounding realities and trends. The result is predictably controversial. The problems of the series that originated in 2001 are still alive today, and the repetitions and narrative clichés have become quite tiresome. Nonetheless, it would be foolish not to mention this great classic, so let's briefly go over each of the three series.
Gothic cannot be called a clone. The first part was released in 2001, that is 14 years before The Wild Hunt. The world of Gothic only gained impressive scales by the third game. In the first two games, the available territory was significantly smaller than the kingdom in The Witcher 3, but there was always something happening. Starting the game as the Nameless Hero, you were literally hit in the face right from the start. An inappropriate joke could lead to losing all your accumulated goods, at night you were beaten for making too much noise, and a simple delivery quest could easily turn into an ambush by bandits.
The level of liveliness in the world of Gothic impresses even today. Of course, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt didn't have such a sandbox — the entire environment was merely a decoration. However, the manually scripted dialogues and situations created similar feelings. You were not just playing; you were truly living in a harsh and unwelcoming world, where absolutely everything posed a danger.
The combat system in Gothic was distinguished by its tactfulness and complexity. To learn sword fighting or magic, it wasn't enough to just gain a new level; you also had to find a suitable master. The more you learned, the more varied the animations of movements and attacks became. Something similar exists in The Witcher 3, where the complex pirouettes in the later stages resemble more of a dance than a fight.
Many tasks did not necessarily have to be completed in just one way. Similar to Geralt, the Nameless One communicated a lot with those around him. For example, the same bandit ambush could have been avoided if the hero had been more cooperative.
A remake of the first Gothic is now in the works, featuring updated graphics and mechanics. There are fears that the endeavor will fail, but the chance that the project will succeed, and we will be able to return to those very mines, warms the heart.
The Risen series has released three projects. The first game was practically a verbatim copy of all the main ideas of Gothic, the second offered gamers to dive into the atmosphere of pirate romance, the third turned out to be a kind of rethinking of Gothic 3, albeit unsuccessfully again. Despite an improved combat system, we were once again forced to perform a multitude of repetitive tasks, earn reputation in factions, and seek masters for leveling up.
However, one could still enjoy the trilogy, as there were indeed cool quests with branches, choices, and far-reaching consequences. It is precisely for its variability that Risen made it into our top.
The ELEX series is currently the newest for Piranha Bytes. In some ways, it can be considered the quintessence of all their previous work, both positive and not so much. This time, the character had a quite specific backstory and even a family. The hero landed on a planet after the apocalypse, where separate groups of people adapted by using an unusual resource — Elex. Some injected it intravenously, while others used it in the creation of weapons or prohibited substances. Despite the external fantasticality, most battles took place in hand-to-hand combat, and the bestiary strongly resembled standard fantasy.
A distinctive feature of both ELEX parts was that depending on the chosen faction, the entire gameplay changed. You could become a swordsman or a mage equivalent, receiving weapons and equipment that were simply unavailable in competing camps. This allowed for a personalized playthrough. However, numerous bugs and repetitive tasks are a hallmark of all Piranha Bytes projects. This prevented ELEX from becoming a super hit.
Yet, it would be unfair to say that the latest series by Piranhas is bad. Grey morality, variability, and interesting dialogues make both parts of ELEX enjoyable to play through.
GreedFall is as similar to Gothic and Risen as two peas in a pod, but was made by a completely different studio. Welcome to a world of alternative history, where a conditional Europe conquers a conditional America with magic, natives, and other exotic elements. Aesthetics are one of the best aspects of the game. Wide-brimmed hats, doublets, muskets, and rapiers instantly make you fall in love, making you dive deeper into the lore.
Despite a rather linear storyline, you often will be choosing how to act in a specific situation. Side quests excellently reveal the grey morality, where absolutely all sides pursue selfish goals and do not care about the consequences. A twisted plot, unusual style, dark atmosphere, and strong role-playing component make GreedFall one of the brightest Wild Hunt clones.
The two parts of the famous series are considered the best and canonical. The third was a strange misunderstanding and failed miserably, so it's not mentioned in polite society.
In many ways, this is an exceptional series, offering an experience unlike anything else. You started your journey as a child, gradually gaining experience, acquiring abilities, scars, and other external attributes. Yes, everything you did or did not do was directly reflected on the character. Abused flour products — you had to get rid of the belly. Loved kicking chickens — hello nickname Chicken Chaser. Bullied the little ones and aspired to world domination — time to file down those grown horns.
Despite its apparent simplicity, the combat system included a mountain of diverse melee and ranged weapons, the effectiveness of which directly depended on the character's physical condition.
The world of both games represented something of a cross between a charming children's fairy tale and dark fantasy. A grim atmosphere coexisted with sunny little villages. Werewolves dwelled in dense forests, while just around the corner in a clearing, dandelions grew. Wondrous talking doors offered challenges, including those involving killings, and a bit further, you could cosplay as King Arthur and participate in a sword-pulling contest from a stone.
Although Fable bears little resemblance to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and the dialogue system does not imply frequent choices, you have enough freedom to solve problems at your discretion. Moreover, the character was a member of the Heroes' Guild, where you had to fulfill contracts and solve the problems of the villagers. Geralt of Rivia is closer than he appears.
Dragon's Dogma is of interest to us, first and foremost, for its extensive bestiary. The hero will encounter such a variety of monsters that any witcher would be envious. The plot offered a dive into standard fantasy, not devoid, however, of dark charm. In addition, there were quests that sometimes created extremely amusing situations, due to which you could easily find yourself in jail for a while.
Compared to The Witcher 3, the combat system looks somewhat chaotic, but the ability to crawl on the back of a huge dragon while it speeds through the sky is not found in every game. Very soon, you will feel like the local monster slayer, who knows exactly how to defeat a hydra and with which sword to go after a griffin.
One of the most underrated games on our list. Intriguing plot, numerous quests with good variability, a smart and quite complex combat system, and finally, the ability to transform into a dragon — these are just a few of the merits of Divinity 2: Ego Draconis. Now we know the games in the series as representatives of old-school isometric RPGs, but in 2009, things were different.
Character progression was not tied to a single class and allowed for the creation of a custom build (just like in The Witcher 3), and the ability to read the minds of absolutely any NPC and transform into a huge lizard with full gameplay should have ensured the project's success and universal love. Alas, despite receiving good reviews from the press, the game never took off. A complex lore and high entry threshold deterred new players, which is a pity. Nowadays, it's rare to find an RPG with as many original ideas as there were in Dragon's Blood.
Although you didn't become a witcher, the story started with the hero joining a squad of dragon hunters. The further dilemma is not hard to predict, as you essentially turned into what you swore to kill. Such twists are very much in the spirit of serious fantasy, as is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
The whole series about Geralt is often called Slavic fantasy for its spirit and narrative close to our hearts. However, there is a game where there's even more of the Slavic essence. In Kingdom Come: Deliverance, there's no magic or wondrous creatures, but there is realism, grimness, and interesting quests.
Players immersed themselves in the role of a simple blacksmith's son, whose family was brutally killed during an enemy raid. Now, the orphaned boy needs to seek revenge, while gaining status and influence at court along the way.
The grounded way in which events are portrayed gives a run for their money to the bloodiest massacres from any fantasy. The main character — Henry — can't do anything. What he becomes is entirely up to the player. You even have to learn literacy separately. The first-person combat system is also as close to reality as possible, with armor worn in several layers.
The problems Henry faces and the overall spirit of adventure immediately bring thoughts of the witcher. Yes, the guy is not as cool as Geralt, but you can make him into such a character with as many skills as you want.
This top couldn't do without The Scrolls. Although Skyrim is somewhat about something else, the game is capable of delivering emotions just as well as Wild Hunt. The plot forces you to make fateful decisions, and the quests' non-linearity is enviable. Entire YouTube channels were created and promoted based solely on the secrets of Skyrim. If Geralt traveled in carefully drawn and prepared settings, then the hero-dovahkiin is surrounded by a full-fledged sandbox, existing separately from the player. The population goes to work, sleeps, eats, and fights. You can interfere in their routine life or be a prudent citizen and only complete the given tasks.
The Elder Scrolls 5 is a first-person game, so it has little in common with the project from CD Projekt RED gameplay-wise. However, this is a case where the essence is what matters. You can always play as a sort of witcher, acting exclusively in your own interests, as Skyrim allows for it.
Another prime example of dark fantasy on a serious note. The Dragon Age trilogy consists of very different games, but each introduces us to interesting characters and their small, yet memorable stories. You'll be managing not a single hero, but an entire squad. Nevertheless, plot-wise, it's a quintessential witcher clone. There are no unequivocally bad or good characters, humans are scarier than monsters, and the order of Grey Wardens turns its members into mutants and dooms them to an early death, all to successfully counter evil.
The leveling up depends on classes, forcing you to spend a lot of time in build settings. However, in dialogues, virtually any answer will lead to consequences that you will definitely feel. A gloomy sorceress — the love of your life included (though, only in the first part).
Some games we didn't include in the top, however, for various reasons, they are still worth mentioning.
Mass Effect series (except for Mass Effect: Andromeda)
In many ways, this series is similar to Dragon Age. Understandably so, as they were both created by the same studio — BioWare. However, Mass Effect offers an immersion into a completely different setting. Captain Shepard by chance becomes the chosen one. Now he (or she) needs to save the galaxy from being destroyed by an intelligent army of machines — the Reapers.
The hero has quite a lot in common with Geralt. You can be a brave savior or a goal-oriented and aggressive rebel, but in the end, you'll still achieve your own goals. Although the series has nothing to do with fantasy, it is full of excellent dialogues, difficult choices, and interesting characters.
The consequences of your decisions may manifest in a few minutes or in the next part, making the trilogy a unified, inseparable work. If you appreciate The Wild Hunt specifically Geralt's involvement in the events, his active participation, and the ability to influence what's happening — Mass Effect is definitely not to be missed.
We didn't include Shepard's story in the top only because the games are too dissimilar to the familiar world of a monster hunter. Mass Effect is an excellent representative of smart science fiction, far from the realm of dark fantasy.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) and Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017)
A grim man with two blades on his back slicing through hordes of monsters — and it's not the White Wolf. One of the best game series in the J.R.R. Tolkien universe doesn't fit into the official canon, but it treats the source material with much more respect than the recent Amazon series.
By chance, the ranger finds himself bound to the spirit of an ancient elf. Together, they not only stand against Sauron's growing army years before Frodo and the Fellowship but also forge their own ring. In Shadow of War, the abilities are expanded, allowing you to control an entire army of orcs, fortify bases, and wage full-scale war. A feature of the series became the Nemesis system, through which orcs lived their own lives, independent of the player's actions. Moreover, each of Sauron's minions remembered encounters with the hero and had a personal opinion about your combat skills, victories, and defeats. It's a pity that such a cool feature wasn't developed in other projects.
The series didn't make it to the top for several reasons. First, it's a completely different genre. There are few dialogues in both games, and the only choices you really make are about the means of assassination. Second, there's virtually no gray morality in the project. All orcs are enemies; the only difference is whom they serve. However, the game still deserves a mention. Perhaps, there's no better project for feeling so deadly and skilled with a sword. The well-thought-out combat system allows you to kill dozens of enemies at once. Geralt would be proud.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Despite the game starting with the death of the main character, calling the project true dark fantasy is a stretch. It's too full of familiar genre clichés. Take on the role of a person who changed their fate and became immortal. The cartoonish style and simple battles set a calm, even meditative mood. You'll still be fighting universal evil, but not in the way Geralt would. And there's hardly any interesting choice in quests.
Vampyr (2018)
A dark tale about an English doctor who became a vampire shows us the world through the eyes of the very monsters that the Witcher usually hunts. Throughout the game, you will decide how to proceed — kill citizens for blood and quick leveling; or be a vegetarian vampire, relying only on basic abilities. The game didn't make it into the top due to its weak RPG component, plus variability only affects the ending. The story offers a conditional choice between good and evil, so there are no problems with decisions. If you love a slow atmosphere and unusual stories, definitely play Vampyr, but don't expect revelations — it's a simple tale, nothing more.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
A game that doesn't fit into our top at all, but it would be a mistake not to mention it. The plot of Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn't offer a choice, there's only one ending. And the setting is not related to dark fantasy at all. However, the main character Arthur — a cowboy, a bandit, and just a good guy — would definitely have become friends with Geralt. Both act in their own interests and want to get as much gold as possible, but both also have a sense of justice and are ready to sacrifice everything for their loved ones.
The secondary characters are also well-written and will remain in memory for a long time. There's something about the Rockstar Games project that mysteriously connects it with the hit from CD Projekt RED. Call it atmosphere or the spirit of adventure, or maybe it's all about the endless love for horses — it doesn't matter. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt leaves behind powerful emotions, makes you think and evaluate other games differently. Red Dead Redemption 2 does the same with the player.
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In our top, we have collected games that are closest to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt either in gameplay or emotionally. Without a doubt, it is one of the most important projects in the industry. You can dislike it, you can admire it, but absolutely everyone knows about it. Unfortunately, since 2015, there has been no continuation of Geralt's story, but there's no need to be upset. Among the presented games, you will definitely find something to your taste, and who knows, maybe The Witcher 4 will appear.