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If you want another game with The Witcher 3’s combination of authored quests, exploration, memorable characters and consequential choices, start with Cyberpunk 2077. It comes from the same developer and carries the closest overall approach to quest design, although its swords and Signs are replaced by guns, hacking and cybernetic abilities.
Your best alternative depends on which part of Geralt’s adventure mattered most. Choose Red Dead Redemption 2 for a reactive world and emotional, novel-like story; Elden Ring for discovery and build experimentation; Skyrim for a self-directed fantasy sandbox; Dragon’s Dogma 2 for spectacular monster fights; or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for grounded medieval role-playing without magic.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS Volume 1 | $11.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultimate Edition) | $62.50 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Cyberpunk 2077 - PlayStation 4 | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Cyberpunk 2077: The Complete Official Guide-Collector's Edition | $37.27 | Buy on Amazon |
What makes The Witcher 3 difficult to replace?
CD PROJEKT RED describes The Witcher 3 as the journey of Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer searching the war-torn Northern Kingdoms for his adopted daughter Ciri before the Wild Hunt can seize her power. That premise explains why a substitute needs to do more than offer a large map. The reference point combines a strongly authored main plot, unusually substantial side quests, a world that rewards detours, real decisions with later consequences, and action combat that still leaves room for character builds.
The Complete Edition adds the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions, giving the game an even larger narrative footprint. The current-generation remastered version is listed for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, with both major expansions included. Store editions and platform availability can change, so check the listing for your system before buying.
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The recommendations below compare games on five useful axes: authored story and side quests; world simulation and exploration; combat difficulty and build freedom; fantasy, modern or historical setting; and platform coverage.
Quick decision guide
| If you want… | Play… | What you gain | Main compromise |
|---|---|---|---|
| The closest overall follow-up | Cyberpunk 2077 | CD PROJEKT RED quest design and morally complicated storytelling | Gunplay, hacking and driving replace swords and Signs |
| The richest living world | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Reactive-feeling wildlife, characters and a branching emotional story | Deliberate gunplay instead of melee combat |
| Exploration and build freedom | Elden Ring | Huge discoveries, many builds and minimal hand-holding | Much higher difficulty and less direct NPC interaction |
| A player-created fantasy adventure | Skyrim | Free roaming, guilds, secrets and flexible character identity | Less tightly authored than Geralt’s story |
| Monster contracts and physical spectacle | Dragon’s Dogma 2 | Climbable giant monsters and varied combat loadouts | Smaller world and a more combat-first structure |
| Grounded medieval immersion | Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 | Daily survival and historically grounded role-playing | No fantasy powers; systems demand patience |
1. Cyberpunk 2077 is the closest overall follow-up
Cyberpunk 2077 is the first game to try when what you miss is the way The Witcher 3 turns side quests into character-driven stories. Both games come from CD PROJEKT RED, and GamesRadar’s comparison points to their shared strengths in quest design and world-building. Conversations, faction conflicts and personal loyalties regularly force you to decide which imperfect outcome you can accept rather than select a simple good-or-evil response.
How its structure compares
Night City is divided into districts with their own factions, neighborhoods and local problems. You can follow the main storyline or spend hours on optional jobs, investigations and encounters that reveal how the city works. As in Geralt’s contracts, a job that first looks routine can expose a larger political or personal crisis. The major difference is that the setting is a dense futuristic metropolis rather than a countryside, port city or medieval capital.
What changes in combat
There are no swords-and-Signs rhythms to learn. Combat mixes firearms, stealth, hacking and cybernetic body modifications, and driving connects the districts. You can specialize in weapons, quickhacks, close-quarters attacks or combinations of those approaches. The result is broader mechanically but less tactile if your favorite part of The Witcher 3 was reading a monster, preparing oils and timing a sword counter.
Who should choose it
Pick this first if you want another long, cinematic RPG in which conversations and side stories matter as much as map completion. It is also the easiest recommendation for readers who want a modern setting without giving up elaborate quests. The source lists PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. If you are buying a physical edition, verify the exact platform and edition on the retailer listing.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2 has the richest living world
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the strongest choice when your favorite Witcher moments were not necessarily fights, but quiet rides, surprising encounters and relationships that developed over dozens of hours. GamesRadar highlights its wildlife, multiple biomes, player agency and emotional, novel-like story. The world feels reactive because people, animals and settlements continue their routines while you travel through them.
A world that rewards slowing down
You can hunt, track wildlife, explore different environments and let random events interrupt a planned journey. Towns and camps have their own social rhythms, and the game frequently asks you to observe rather than rush toward an objective marker. That slower pace makes exploration feel like inhabiting a place instead of clearing a checklist.
Story and agency
The central narrative follows an outlaw gang under pressure, with character relationships changing as circumstances deteriorate. Your choices influence how encounters unfold and how the story feels, though the game remains more focused on a defined protagonist than a create-your-own-character sandbox. Its emotional payoff depends on spending time with the cast, so players who skip camp activities and optional conversations will miss part of its strength.
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- THE ULTIMATE CYBERPUNK 2077 EXPERIENCE - Includes the critically acclaimed spy thriller expansion Phantom Liberty
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK
- Explore the city of the future – you decide when you want to go where and how to get there
- Decide how the story ends – your choices in the main game as well as in the spy thriller adventure Phantom Liberty lead to a complex web of consequences
The trade-off for Witcher players
Combat is built around firearms, cover and deliberate aiming. There is no equivalent to Signs, potion preparation or sword schools, and the game’s animations intentionally take time. That measured pace can feel heavy after Geralt’s faster melee, but it supports the sense of a physical frontier. The listed platforms are Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC.
3. Elden Ring is best for exploration and build experimentation
Elden Ring is the right answer if the part of The Witcher 3 you valued most was leaving the road, finding something unexpected and developing a build around the discoveries you made. Its world offers little hand-holding, and its scale encourages you to make your own route rather than follow a single prescribed sequence.
Why exploration feels different
Important locations, optional dungeons and bosses are scattered across a landscape that often withholds explicit directions. You may find a new weapon, spell or area and reorganize your character around it. When a boss is too difficult, the open structure lets you ride elsewhere, gather equipment, learn a different skill set and return later. That flexibility is one of the game’s most valuable forms of player agency.
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The combat system supports a wide range of weapons, statistics, spells, summons and status effects. Experimentation is encouraged, but the baseline challenge is substantially higher than in The Witcher 3. You need to learn attack patterns, manage stamina and accept repeated defeats as part of progress. There are fewer direct conversations and less conventional NPC interaction than in Geralt’s adventure, so this is not a replacement for its dialogue-heavy side quests.
Who should play it
Choose Elden Ring when discovery and mastery matter more to you than a continuously guided narrative. The listed platforms are PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is a separate consideration; confirm that any bundle or edition you buy includes it if you want the additional content.
4. Skyrim is the best self-directed fantasy sandbox
Skyrim answers a different question: what if you want to be the author of the adventure rather than inhabit Geralt’s established identity? You create the central character and decide whether to become a warrior, mage, thief, alchemist, werewolf or some combination.
Freedom to choose a life
You can roam between settlements, uncover secrets, fight monsters, join guilds, practice alchemy, marry and transform into a werewolf. The world offers many activities without insisting that you complete them in a particular order. A player who spends an evening investigating a cave or improving a crafting skill is still making meaningful progress.
How it differs from The Witcher 3
Geralt’s personality, relationships and professional expertise give The Witcher 3 its distinctive dramatic voice. Skyrim instead makes your character the center of the role-playing, so the story’s emotional force depends more on the identity you invent and the routines you adopt. Its quests can be memorable, but the overall experience is less tightly authored and less dependent on a single cast.
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- Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City
- Become a cyberpunk, an urban mercenary equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City
- Take the riskiest job of your life and go after a prototype implant that is the key to immortality
Best fit and platforms
Pick Skyrim Special Edition if you want a classic open-world fantasy RPG that lets you set your own goals. The source lists Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC. Check which edition is being sold, because included add-ons and mod support can differ by platform and storefront.
5. Dragon’s Dogma 2 puts monster battles first
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the specialist choice for players who loved the physicality of Witcher contracts: tracking a dangerous creature, learning its behavior and surviving a fight that feels like an event. GamesRadar notes that the game matured after launch, offers varied giant monsters and loadouts, and lets you climb onto monsters during combat.
Why the fights stand out
Large enemies are not simply oversized health bars. You can reach their weak points by climbing over their bodies, knock them off balance and coordinate with companions while changing your vocation and equipment. Different loadouts encourage you to approach a griffin, cyclops or other giant foe as a tactical problem rather than repeat one universal combo.
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World density over world size
The world is smaller than The Witcher 3, but it packs activities and encounters into the space between major destinations. Travel can produce emergent situations, and party members contribute observations and assistance instead of functioning as silent inventory slots. The structure is more combat-forward, with less emphasis on long chains of branching dialogue.
Who should choose it
Choose this game when monster encounters and party-based action matter more than a sprawling political narrative. The listed platforms are PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Because performance and feature availability can vary by platform and post-launch update, check the current edition details before purchase.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers grounded medieval immersion
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the current-generation recommendation for readers who want medieval life without fantasy powers. It released on February 4, 2025, and is set in 15th-century Bohemia. The source lists PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Everyday systems shape the role-playing
The game emphasizes feeding yourself, choosing appropriate clothing, finding shelter, practicing alchemy and spending time in taverns. These are not decorative activities: preparation and reputation affect how you move through the world and how other people respond. Your character develops gradually, so early mistakes and limited resources are part of the intended experience.
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From local problems to major battles
The story begins with the scale of personal survival and regional politics before expanding toward larger sieges and battles. That progression gives the setting a sense of historical weight. Unlike The Witcher 3, there are no monsters, Signs or supernatural contracts; the tension comes from social stakes, equipment, terrain and the danger of ordinary weapons.
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Best fit
Select it if you want to inhabit a medieval world rather than visit a fantasy version of one. It rewards patience with systems and attention to context, making it a better fit for players who enjoy preparation and simulation than for anyone seeking immediate power.
How to choose based on the part of The Witcher 3 you miss
You miss complicated quests and morally gray choices
Start with Cyberpunk 2077. Its shared developer and comparable emphasis on consequential conversations make it the nearest structural match, even though the setting and combat are completely different.
You miss wandering through a world that feels inhabited
Choose Red Dead Redemption 2. Its wildlife, biomes, routines and unplanned encounters make travel itself a major activity.
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Choose Elden Ring if you want exploration to be deliberately opaque and rewarding. Choose Skyrim instead if you prefer a more familiar fantasy setting and want to define your own character’s goals.
You miss witcher contracts and studying monsters
Choose Dragon’s Dogma 2 for battles built around giant creatures, climbing and changing loadouts. It captures the physical spectacle of a hunt more closely than the other alternatives, even without Geralt’s investigation structure.
You miss medieval atmosphere more than magic
Choose Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Its food, clothing, shelter, alchemy and tavern systems make ordinary life part of the adventure, while later sieges provide a larger historical arc.
Platform and edition checklist
Platform lists in this article reflect the cited game descriptions and can change as publishers add editions or discontinue older releases. Before you buy, verify three details on the current store or retailer page:
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- Included expansions: an edition may include only the base game, a season pass or named expansions such as Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine or Shadow of the Erdtree.
- Physical versus digital format: confirm the disc or cartridge platform, region and whether a download is required.
For a direct continuation of the original experience, the current-generation Witcher 3 upgrade remains available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, with both major expansions included according to the official page.
Bottom line
Cyberpunk 2077 is the best first game after The Witcher 3 because it most closely carries over CD PROJEKT RED’s quest-writing priorities. The other five recommendations are better when your priority is specific: Red Dead Redemption 2 for a living world and emotional story, Elden Ring for discovery and difficult build experimentation, Skyrim for player-created fantasy, Dragon’s Dogma 2 for monster combat, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for grounded medieval role-playing.
