Games like The Witcher 3 don't come along very often, and it's one of those rare titles that has shifted from just successful to iconic. It won over critics and fans, sold on every platform like blazing hotcakes, secured itself a PS5 and Xbox Series X remaster, and inspired a Netflix series and animated film based on original source material. Plus there was that bathtub Geralt meme that went everywhere.
It's no surprise that if you've finished the adventure, perhaps even for the second or third time, you're looking for more games like The Witcher 3 to try and fill the Geralt-sized hole - around 5ft 10in, trivia fans - in your life.
Plenty of recent games have looked to The Witcher 3 for inspiration, and there are some classics that can you might have missed that are packed with monsters and magic too. Here are ten of the best games like The Witcher 3 to keep you busy until the next Netflix show or Geralt meme.
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar’s gargantuan magnum opus is a fine place to start once you’re getting bored of the medieval world of The Witcher 3. Whilst it might offer a jarring departure from Wild Hunt’s in-depth melee combat system, Red Dead Redemption 2 delivers a similarly rich world full of life and uniquely affords players the agency to interact with every moving part. Arthur Morgan’s story is engaging, involved, and driven by emotion, resulting in bombastic set pieces that make use of the game’s crunchy gunplay and peerless open-world setting, which covers multiple biomes and a variety of wildlife that you can hunt and catalog. If you enjoyed the detail and care behind The Witcher 3’s many quests, Rockstar’s open-world tour de force offers similar delights, with some truly memorable characters and a branching, novelesque story that never drops the ball.
2. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
The latest game in the Assassin's Creed series leans heavily into Norse myths and legends for plenty of monsters and magic to calm your Witcher cravings. Play as Viking raider Eivor as their clan sets up home in ye olde England. Build a base, dual wield axes, master stealthier combat skills, and turn the political tide of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to your advantage. Away from the main story, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is stuffed with side quests, activities, and secrets to discover, and there's a beguiling mix of tongue-in-cheek shenanigans and emotional narrative twists to bring it all to life. Ubisoft released the game in 2020 and hasn't been shy about updating it since, with regular free seasonal events and bigger expansions like Wrath of the Druids.
3. Greedfall
RPG Greedfall has stayed under the radar of many an epic adventure fan but is well worth checking out if you need a new fantasy world to conquer. You play as the noble De Sardet, traveling with a band of companions through the newly settled land of Teer Fradee, facing monsters and a deadly plague called the malichor. You'll need to work with different factions, make important decisions (and live with the consequences), and forge relationships with your team, as well as all the usual fighting and exploring. The game might not be as polished as some of its fantasy RPG genre peers, but is worth checking out for its unusual Baroque art style and diplomatic designs.
4. Monster Hunter: World
If you really took a liking to the monster hunting aspect of The Witcher 3, you should feel right at home with Monster Hunter World. Capcom’s mainstream dambuster is a focused battler with plenty of complex mechanics for you to sink your teeth into. If you’ve always wanted to bring your friends along for the Griffin-tracking ride then World is one of those games like The Witcher 3 which provides the perfect co-operative framework and a hellishly addictive progression system. Regardless, if you get bored of playing with the default characters you can even dress up as Geralt himself and perform some acrobatic Insect Glaive takedowns on Leshen thanks to the crossover event!
5. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Sure, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is an easy choice for a list of games like The Witcher 3, but that doesn't mean isn't the right choice. When it came out in 2011 Skyrim set the standard for fantasy RPG games, mixing a fully-realized magical world with the freedom to roam around, discovering secrets, monsters, and a passion for alchemy at your leisure.
Unlike The Witcher 3, you create your own character who then flees execution and quickly discovers they are Dragonborn and the only one who can stop the 'the World-Eater' Alduin from killing everyone and everything. That's a lot of responsibility, but along the way, you can also get married, join a guild or two, and even become a werewolf. Skyrim was such a hit it's since been ported to everything from PSVR to Amazon Alexa, and still has a thriving community of fans, modders, and players.
6. Fable Anniversary
Another golden oldie, the first Fable is another game that should be in the same conversation as The Witcher 3 for the best Western RPGs of all time. Lionhead’s 2004 epic was recently remastered for the PC and Xbox 360, bringing the visuals up to date whilst retaining the absorbing charm of Albion. For its time, the ambitious morality system which took into account player actions and warped their appearance in tow was groundbreaking, and it’s still plenty of fun to toy around with as you eat crunchy chicks and break the law only to grow horns and turn your skin pale. With an engaging narrative, a brilliant antagonist and a similar combat system, it’s hard to fault Fable Anniversary if you’re a fan of The Witcher looking for something nostalgic that treads on similar ground.
7. Dragon Age: Origins
Widely considered to be the best in the series, Dragon Age: Origins shares a lot of muscle memory with The Witcher 3 given its medieval setting, diverse cast of characters and genuinely world-altering dialogue choices. Despite being almost 10 years old now it still holds up on modern platforms and certainly had a part to play in fostering the modern RPG renaissance that paved the way for The Witcher 3. With a hard but fair combat system and snappy, consistent dialogue that complements a 40-hour narrative, this is a classic not to be missed if you’re looking for a challenge and consider yourself a fan of games like The Witcher 3.
8. Divinity Original Sin 2
Whilst being a strictly top-down experience, fans of old-school RPGs and tabletop enthusiasts who are looking for a bit more depth in systems than The Witcher 3 should rush to Divinity Original Sin 2. As well as being able to play four-player drop in/drop out co-op with your friends, you’ll find yourself in a vibrant world full of interesting characters and most importantly, impeccable writing. Larian is a studio full of world builders and true story-tellers who understand how to weave a 50+ hour long narrative without making it drag, a shared skill with the fine folks at CD Projekt Red.
9. Middle Earth: Shadow of War
If you consider The Witcher 3’s combat to be the star of the show you should definitely considering picking up a title from Monolith’s Middle-Earth series - Shadow of War being the latest and greatest. Playing as a budget Aragorn you’ll quickly feel the same endorphin blast as Talion rips and tears his way through Uruk-hais and Orcs in an acrobatic fashion that would make Geralt of Rivia swoon. Whilst the characterization and emotional heartstrings aren’t being tugged quite as hard here you can certainly still get wrapped up in its lore-rich world via the Nemesis system, where legions of enemies will hold grudges against Talion and track him down through the vast open-world.
10. Horizon Zero Dawn
Another game that offers a shift in setting but will still be enjoyable for fans of The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn is easily one of the most inspired new I.Ps in recent years. The beauty of the Decima engine offers up similar jaw-dropping visuals to Wild Hunt whilst boasting a seamless open world full of retrofuturistic dinosaur beasties. If hunting was your game in The Witcher 3 than Aloy’s cat-and-mouse combat should be second nature to you, and you’ll no doubt enjoy the gripping storyline and well-voiced characters throughout. With light RPG mechanics and a robust stealth system, there are a lot of unique features to keep you interested, and whilst it’s a bit more lonely than The Witcher 3’s populated regions this dystopian absence of life creates a certain atmosphere that is hard to put into words.
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