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What should you play after Cyberpunk 2077? Start with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition if you want the closest overall follow-up: another authored open-world RPG from CD PROJEKT RED, with consequential quests, memorable companions and a richly characterized setting. Choose Elden Ring for discovery and demanding combat, Skyrim for an open-ended fantasy sandbox, Red Dead Redemption 2 for slow-burn immersion, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II for grounded historical role-playing, or Starfield for science-fiction exploration.

Cyberpunk 2077 is an “open world, narrative-driven role-playing game set in the universe of the classic pen & paper RPG system — Cyberpunk 2020.” That combination matters: the best next game is not simply another large map. It should preserve the particular Cyberpunk quality you value, whether that is authored storytelling, character builds, exploration, combat mastery or a strong sense of place.

How to choose a game after Cyberpunk 2077

Night City combines several experiences that other RPGs separate. It offers a dense urban setting, cinematic missions, dialogue choices, loot and skill progression, and the freedom to approach objectives in different ways. No single game on this list reproduces every part of that formula. The table below shows which Cyberpunk trait each recommendation emphasizes.

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Game Setting Quest and narrative density Combat difficulty Exploration freedom Build depth Pacing Platform and edition notes
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) Dark fantasy kingdoms and wilderness Very high; authored quests and moral choices Moderate; adjustable difficulty High, with story-led regions High; signs, alchemy, gear and skill trees Quest-driven with long optional arcs Complete Edition includes the base game and Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine; current platform availability varies by region and storefront
Elden Ring (2022) Mythic dark fantasy Indirect and discovery-led High; timing and learning enemy patterns are central Extremely high Very high; weapons, attributes, spells and summons Player-directed, with difficulty spikes Available in current PC and console editions; check the platform-specific listing
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) Open fantasy province High volume, from factions to emergent stories Low to moderate, depending on difficulty and build Extremely high Very high; skills can support almost any role Open-ended and self-paced Special and Anniversary editions exist alongside older releases; platform availability differs by edition
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) Late-19th-century American frontier Very high; strongly character-led Moderate; deliberate gunfights and survival systems High, but story chapters control the rhythm Moderate; progression is less build-centric Slow-burn and highly deliberate PC, PlayStation and Xbox editions are sold separately; verify the current regional listing
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (2025) Historically grounded medieval Bohemia High; social consequences drive quests Moderate to demanding; realistic systems matter High within a coherent historical world Moderate; skills develop through use and choices Measured, with simulation-heavy travel and tasks Current-generation PC and console editions; exact edition contents vary
Starfield (2023) Science-fiction settled systems and planets Moderate to high; faction and companion arcs sit alongside exploration Moderate; ranged combat and ship encounters High at the system level, though individual locations are more segmented High; skills, equipment, outposts and ships Flexible, with travel and mission-board loops PC and Xbox Series editions; check regional subscription or purchase options

Think of the table as a decision tool rather than a ranking. If you want another tightly written chain of missions, prioritize narrative density. If you spent most of Cyberpunk scanning rooftops, hacking cameras and wandering away from objectives, exploration freedom and build depth should carry more weight.

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Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - Xbox One
  • If you buy this game, you will receive a free next-gen update on December 14th!
  • Play as a highly trained monster slayer for hire.
  • Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth and complexity.
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year edition brings together the base game and all the additional content released to date.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — the best overall follow-up

Why it is the closest match

The Witcher 3 is the natural first recommendation because it carries the same developer signature while changing the genre of its world. The official Witcher page calls it “the acclaimed open-world RPG” and describes a remastered edition with upgrades to visuals, performance and gameplay. Its world is not a futuristic metropolis; it is a network of war-torn villages, dangerous roads, courts, swamps and islands. The sense of place is just as deliberate, but the mood is folkloric rather than neon-noir.

Quests are the main reason to choose it. Investigations, monster contracts and political errands often begin as straightforward jobs and become moral problems with no clean resolution. Dialogue choices can alter who survives, which factions gain influence and how later scenes unfold. That structure will feel familiar to anyone who valued Cyberpunk’s authored missions more than its shooting.

Builds, expansions and pacing

Geralt’s progression is narrower than V’s, but it is still substantial. You can specialize in swordplay, Witcher Signs, alchemy or a hybrid, then tune the approach with armor sets, oils, bombs and mutagens. The result is a build system that supports preparation and planning rather than constant weapon swapping.

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The Complete Edition is the strongest product anchor because it includes the base game and both major expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Those expansions add long-form stories and new areas, so confirm that the edition you buy includes them for your platform and region. The opening hours are slower than Cyberpunk’s prologue, and travel between settlements can feel spacious. Let the investigation structure set the pace instead of expecting a mission every few minutes.

Choose it if

  • You want the closest blend of authored quests, companions and open-world role-playing.
  • Moral ambiguity matters more to you than twitch combat.
  • You would rather follow a strong protagonist than create an entirely blank-slate character.

Elden Ring — best for discovery and combat mastery

What changes from Cyberpunk

Elden Ring is the right answer to “What games are like Cyberpunk 2077?” only if “like” means freedom, build experimentation and a world that rewards curiosity. PlayStation describes creating a character and traversing a breathtaking open world on foot or horseback while uncovering mysteries. Bandai Namco presents it as a redefinition of open-world design. The design puts discovery ahead of directed storytelling: you may find a ruin, descend into a cave, meet a cryptic character and uncover a major boss without a quest marker explaining why it matters.

Combat is the central skill. Enemies punish reckless attacks, and major encounters require you to learn patterns, spacing and openings. A difficult fight is rarely solved by selecting the correct dialogue option; it is solved by changing equipment, adjusting attributes, summoning help or improving your execution. That makes the game demanding in a way Cyberpunk’s adjustable shooter combat generally is not.

Build experimentation and exploration

The build system is exceptionally broad. Strength, dexterity, intelligence, faith and arcane-oriented setups can support distinct weapons, spells and status effects. Respec options let you change direction after finding an exciting weapon or spell, while spirit summons provide another layer of tactical choice. You can ride across the surface, enter subterranean zones and approach many objectives from several directions.

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The trade-off is narrative clarity. The story is intentionally fragmented, item descriptions and conversations carry context, and some characters can be easy to miss. Choose Elden Ring when you are comfortable making your own goals and accepting that the game will not always explain what to do next.

Choose it if

  • Your favorite Cyberpunk moments involved experimenting with a build or finding an unexpected route.
  • You want the deepest combat challenge on this list.
  • You prefer environmental storytelling and discovery to cinematic mission direction.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — best fantasy sandbox

Freedom over authored structure

Skyrim is the strongest choice when you want to stop following a single protagonist’s arc and simply inhabit a world. Its province contains faction questlines, caves, ruins, settlements, monsters, alchemy ingredients and countless detours. You can pursue the main conflict, join guilds, become a thief, learn magic, craft equipment or ignore the central story for dozens of hours.

That flexibility makes it a useful contrast with Cyberpunk’s more authored city. The game gives you a direction, but it rarely insists on one. A trip to a nearby town can turn into a dungeon expedition, a faction initiation or an improvised battle with a dragon. The resulting stories are less tightly edited than Cyberpunk’s set pieces, yet they feel personal because your choices determine the route.

Builds, factions and editions

Skills improve through use, so a character can evolve organically. One playthrough might combine stealth, archery and alchemy; another might focus on heavy armor, two-handed weapons and crafting. Faction stories provide the strongest authored content, while the broader world supplies the sandbox connective tissue.

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Modern releases include Special and Anniversary editions, but features and included content differ. Check the edition description for your platform before purchasing, particularly if mod support or bundled creation content matters to you. The combat is less demanding than Elden Ring, and the facial animation and quest presentation show its 2011 origin. Its appeal is breadth, not cinematic polish.

Choose it if

  • You want the most open-ended fantasy world and a long-established mod ecosystem.
  • You enjoy faction quests and making your own character build.
  • You are happy with emergent adventures rather than constant cinematic direction.

Red Dead Redemption 2 — best for slow-burn immersion

A world that asks you to slow down

Red Dead Redemption 2 belongs in this conversation for readers who value simulation and character-led storytelling over rapid progression. Its frontier is built around routines: riding between settlements, caring for equipment, hunting, interacting with camp members and observing how towns change. The world often asks you to travel at a deliberate pace instead of fast-traveling from one objective to the next.

The narrative follows a tightly defined character and group, so it does not offer Cyberpunk’s same degree of protagonist customization. In exchange, performances, relationships and environmental detail create an unusually strong sense of life. Side activities are not merely collectibles; they reveal personalities, local economies and the consequences of the group’s choices.

Combat and progression

Gunfights are deliberate rather than build-driven. Weapon choice, cover, Dead Eye abilities and preparation matter, but you will not create the same kind of radically different combat archetype available in Cyberpunk or Elden Ring. Progression improves the gang, equipment and core attributes while the story remains the primary engine.

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The pacing can be a deal-breaker. Early chapters spend time establishing routines and relationships, and missions may require long rides. Choose it when immersion is the point, not when you want immediate access to a dense chain of upgrade-driven missions.

Choose it if

  • You want a richly simulated setting with believable daily rhythms.
  • You prefer a long-form character drama to a custom-build power fantasy.
  • You are willing to trade fast pacing for atmosphere and detail.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II — best grounded historical role-playing

Role-playing through consequences

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II broadens the list beyond fantasy and science fiction. Set in a historically grounded medieval world, it focuses on social status, practical skills and the consequences of how you behave. Quests may depend on reputation, clothing, speech, timing or whether you completed an earlier obligation. The setting is not a playground of superpowers; it is a society with rules that your character must learn.

This makes it a good follow-up for Cyberpunk players who enjoyed solving missions through dialogue, stealth and preparation rather than simply winning firefights. A conversation can be as important as a weapon, and the most efficient solution may involve understanding local customs instead of forcing an encounter.

Systems and learning curve

Combat and survival systems are more demanding than in a conventional action RPG. Positioning, stamina, equipment and training affect your performance, while travel and daily tasks reinforce the simulation. Progression is tied to using skills and making choices, so the character develops in a way that reflects how you play.

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The same realism can create friction. You may need patience with travel, inventory management and social requirements, and the medieval setting offers none of Cyberpunk’s hacking, firearms or vertical megacity traversal. Pick it for systemic role-playing and consequences, not for a familiar combat loop.

Choose it if

  • You want realistic social systems and a world that reacts to your behavior.
  • You enjoy learning rules and planning before difficult encounters.
  • You prefer historical texture to spectacle.

Starfield — best for space exploration

From one city to many worlds

Starfield is the broadest science-fiction alternative. Instead of concentrating activity in one dense city, it spreads exploration across settled systems, planets, stations and ships. That structure suits players who want to travel, scan, gather resources, customize a vessel and build a character around a chosen set of skills.

The difference from Night City is structural. Individual locations are more segmented, and travel often moves through menus, loading transitions or a sequence of destinations rather than one continuous urban space. The reward is scope: you can pursue faction stories, companion arcs, ship-focused progression, outpost construction or planet-side exploration according to your mood.

Progression and pacing

Skills support combat, science, social abilities, piloting, crafting and outpost management. Equipment and ships provide additional layers of optimization, while faction questlines supply more directed storytelling. The main story is only one route through the game, so you can spend long stretches pursuing personal projects.

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Its pacing is uneven by design. Some missions deliver focused narrative drama; others emphasize travel, scanning or resource gathering. If you expect Cyberpunk’s dense street-level encounter design, the emptier stretches may feel less immediate. Choose Starfield when the fantasy of operating across a spacefaring frontier matters more than constant quest density.

Choose it if

  • You want science-fiction travel, planets, ships and flexible skill progression.
  • You enjoy setting personal goals between faction missions.
  • You accept a more segmented structure than Night City.

Match the recommendation to the Cyberpunk feature you miss

If you miss cinematic quests and moral choices

Pick The Witcher 3. Its investigations and branching consequences provide the closest continuation of Cyberpunk’s authored role-playing design. Red Dead Redemption 2 is the alternative when character drama matters more than build variety.

If you miss experimentation and difficult combat

Pick Elden Ring. Its attributes, equipment and summons produce more radically different combat approaches, but you must accept a less directed story and a steeper learning curve.

If you miss wandering without a plan

Pick Skyrim. Its factions, skills and dense collection of optional locations make it easy to create your own agenda. Starfield offers a science-fiction version of that freedom, though its locations are more separated.

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If you miss inhabiting a believable place

Pick Red Dead Redemption 2 for a living frontier, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance II for a historically grounded society where reputation and practical behavior shape your options.

A practical order for playing these games

  1. Begin with The Witcher 3 if you want the least disruptive transition from Cyberpunk’s quest-first structure.
  2. Move to Elden Ring when you want a mechanical challenge and a world that rewards getting lost.
  3. Use Skyrim or Starfield as the sandbox reset when you want to set your own objectives and ignore the main plot.
  4. Choose Red Dead Redemption 2 or Kingdom Come: Deliverance II when you are ready for slower, more simulation-oriented pacing.

Before buying, verify the platform, region and edition. The Witcher 3’s Complete Edition is specifically identified as the package containing the major expansions; other games have multiple editions or platform-specific releases, and storefront contents can change.

Bottom line

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition is the best overall game to play after Cyberpunk 2077 because it preserves the combination of authored quests, consequential decisions, memorable characters and open-world exploration. Elden Ring is the better choice for discovery and combat mastery, Skyrim for maximum sandbox freedom, Red Dead Redemption 2 for immersion, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II for grounded role-playing, and Starfield for space exploration. Choose according to the Cyberpunk feature you want to keep, not simply the size of the next map.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - Xbox One
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - Xbox One
If you buy this game, you will receive a free next-gen update on December 14th!; Play as a highly trained monster slayer for hire.
$25.60
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply. Prices as of November 12, 2026 12:30 am GMT.