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For Geralt’s main story, play The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, then The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, then The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If you want a shorter route, you can begin with The Witcher 3; its story introduces Geralt’s search for Ciri. After the main game, play its Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions.

What order should I play The Witcher games in?

The official Witcher games catalog lists the three Geralt games in this sequence:

  1. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
  2. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
  3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

This is the natural choice if you want to follow the main game series from its beginning and are willing to play the earlier entries. The two additional story chapters for The Witcher 3, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are expansions rather than separate numbered games. The official Witcher 3 page describes them as continuations of Geralt’s adventures.

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Can I start with The Witcher 3?

Yes. Starting with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a reasonable short route if you want to get to the most recent main entry without playing the earlier games first. CD PROJEKT RED’s official premise centers on Geralt searching for Ciri, giving newcomers a clear starting point. Treat this as a practical recommendation, not a developer guarantee that earlier stories are irrelevant.

#1 Best Overall
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - Xbox Series X
  • Trained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.
  • Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity.
  • Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world.

For this route, play The Witcher 3, then its expansions:

  1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
  2. Hearts of Stone
  3. Blood and Wine

If you want to play the expansions, check which edition is available for your platform. CD PROJEKT RED announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered as available from September 29, 2026, for GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The announcement says both expansions are included and describes the remaster as a free upgrade for eligible owners; check the official announcement and your store for platform-specific availability and upgrade eligibility.

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Where do Thronebreaker and GWENT fit?

Neither is required to follow the Geralt game sequence. Choose between them based on whether you want another Witcher-universe story or a separate card game.

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Game What it offers Place in the order
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales A story following Queen Meve, with card battles based on GWENT mechanics and adapted for storytelling. Optional separate tale; not a numbered Geralt game.
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game A standalone card-game experience. Optional; not a story-order requirement.

The official Thronebreaker page describes its battles as using GWENT-derived mechanics tailored for storytelling. If your main goal is Geralt’s story, skip both until you want to explore beyond the core sequence.

Rank #3
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition (Xbox Series X)
  • PLAY AS A HIGHLY TRAINED MONSTER SLAYER FOR HIRE: Trained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.
  • Gruesomely destroy foes as a professional monster hunter armed with a range of upgradeable weapons, mutating potions, and combat magic.
  • Hunt down a wide variety of exotic monsters, from savage beasts prowling mountain passes to cunning supernatural predators lurking in the shadowy back alleys of densely populated cities. Invest your rewards to upgrade your weaponry and buy custom armor, or spend them on horse races, card games, fist fighting, and other pleasures life brings.
  • EXPLORE A MORALLY AMBIGUOUS FANTASY OPEN WORLD: Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity. Traverse a fantastical open world: explore forgotten ruins, caves, and shipwrecks, trade with merchants and dwarven smiths in cities, and hunt across the open plains, mountains, and seas. Deal with treasonous generals, devious witches, and corrupt royalty to provide dark and dangerous services. Make choices that go beyond good & evil, and face their far-reaching consequences.
  • TRACK DOWN THE CHILD OF PROPHECY: Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world. In times of war, chase down the child of prophecy, a living weapon foretold by ancient elven legends. Struggle against ferocious rulers, spirits of the wilds, and even a threat from beyond the veil – all hell-bent on controlling this world. Define your destiny in a world that may not be worth saving.

Which play path should you choose?

  • For the complete Geralt game sequence: Play The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, The Witcher 2, and The Witcher 3, then continue with Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.
  • For a shorter entry: Start with The Witcher 3, then play its two expansions.
  • For a different Witcher story: Add Thronebreaker as an optional side story.
  • For card battles rather than the main RPG sequence: Try GWENT separately.

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