18 Games Like 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'

Ubisoft kicked off the Assassin’s Creed series in the 2000s with incredible games back to back, but somewhere along the line fans complained of things feeling stale and repetitive. The company eventually gave in and updated the mechanics of the game with Origins. With fans responding positively, they really kicked things up a gear with Odyssey, a game that certainly borrows from The Witcher 3 in parts. It has a loot system and skill points system and gives players more control of events in the game than usual.

'Dark Souls' games have a reputation in the gaming community for being somewhat difficult beyond the point of enjoyment, but that’s not totally fair. The games are indeed challenging, but the reward makes things worth it. The challenge of hard enemies gives you a real feeling of suspense and danger in boss fights. For this one, in particular, you’ll also have to go slightly out of your way to really appreciate the story, mostly through NPC dialogue and item pick-ups, but finding your way with Dark Souls III is absolutely a gratifying experience.

Where 'Divinity Original Sin 2' really shines is its writing and the depth to its combat and strategy. There is a learning curve to the game but if you figure it out, you’ll be more than satisfied. Just like 'The Witcher 3,' the narrative is long, but it never feels too long or like you’re going along with events for the sake of it. If you can convince a few friends to play it, there’s a great co-op mode too.

'The Dragon Age' series is lengthy and 'Origins' is widely considered to be the best game, but certain elements of 'Inquisition' mean that it’s better suited for this list. You can skip straight to Inquisition, but a little context never hurts anyone. The Inquisition combat system will give you strong flashbacks to 'The Witcher 3,' along with its leveling system and general depth. You can easily clock in one hundred hours on the game and still have things left to do.

Some fans will argue that in most key aspects of the game (like voice acting, plot, level design, etc.), ‘Dragon’s Dogma’ falls far short of being what ‘The Witcher 3’ is, but most games do. If you’re looking for something that can replicate ‘The Witcher 3,’ you’re out of luck, but if you’re searching for the same feel, ‘Dragon’s Dogma’ is well worth a try. The character creation process is special and where this game really shines is the fighting aspect. Hits just feel meatier than most other games, making combat more immersive and impactful. Plus at the end, you get to fight a chimera, i.e. a multiple headed animal. That’s always fun.

Before we get into why this game might be right for you, it has to be mentioned that this is an Xbox 360 and PC exclusive. For those that this suits, you’re in for a treat. The Fable series by Lionheart Studios has been built on choice from its inception. In a nutshell, you decide whether you want to be good or bad in their simplest forms and you watch the world around you change because of it. NPCs will react accordingly based on your reputation and there are many of them to meet. Side quests don’t quite match the depth of The Witcher 3, but there are enough of them to help fill the void.

With the fourth installment in the ‘Fallout’ series, players will experience the height of being free and able to customize in a game. There are dozens of guns in the game with hundreds of attachments that you can craft to your own preference. Players can even craft buildings, which will help in filling in the emptiness of the post-apocalyptic world. Without spoiling too much, the storyline might also give you ‘Witcher 3’ flashbacks.

If you’re looking for a vast open-world, characters with layers to them, a central protagonist that you can get behind, a range of special side quests, a fun combat system and a plot with twists and turns like what ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ provides, look no further than ‘Final Fantasy XV’. The best part is, while it being the fifteenth game in the series might look daunting to those who have never touched a ‘Final Fantasy’ game, it’s standalone, meaning you can jump right into it without playing anything that came before it and still gets the full experience.

Before we get into this one, ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ is indeed exclusive to the PS4 so if you’re an Xbox One or PC gamer, you’re out of luck here. ‘Horizon Zero Dawn,’ though set in quite a different world than ‘The Witcher 3,’ is just as unique in its own right. Instead of monsters, you’ll go toe to toe against machines, trying to exploit their weak points to win battles. The world itself is not as large but looks just as incredible, if not better. The combat is not the same but is just as dynamic. Plus, the main character Aloy just has a similar feel to Geralt in a way that’s indescribable.

On a list with some of the best games ever made, 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance' probably goes under the radar and is maybe the least popular game of the bunch. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t give you an experience reminiscent of your time with 'The Witcher 3'. It is set in medieval times, 1403 in Bohemia to be exact, and you’ll take the role of Henry, whose goal is to battle an invasion. Warhorse Studios took their time with this with specific attention to realism and it really comes through in the gameplay.

Just like ‘Dragon Age’, although we’re only putting one game on this list, truthfully, the entire series could be here. There are some key differences with ‘The Witcher 3,’ but in terms of storytelling, character progression, and making decisions that impact the entire game, this might be one of the closest comparisons to the epic nature of that game. The world isn’t quite as open and it’s less an RPG than a shooter, but think of it as a science-fiction version of ‘Wild Hunt’ and you can’t go wrong.

If you appreciated 'The Witcher 3’s' combat system above any other aspect of it, trying out 'Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War' is a must. You’ll play as Talion, who has sword skills beyond belief, utilizing them when defeating anyone that the game’s Nemesis System spawns. Defeating Sauron’s Army is very rewarding because of it. Outside of that, there is an abundance of loot to pick up and of course, the environment was created by J.R.R. Tolkien, so that should let you know about the level of atmosphere we’re dealing with.

If you hadn’t already guessed by the name, this is another game that is a good choice for people that enjoyed the monster hunting aspect of ‘The Witcher 3’. There are a bunch of complex fighting mechanics to learn. If you’re skeptical, in 2019 there was an official crossover with the games, and Geralt Of Rivia was made available to play in ‘Monster Hunter: World’. Geralt has his own quest and it’s one of the more complex ones in the game with some great rewards.

One thing about ‘The Witcher 3’ that fans loved was the side quests in the game that impacted the experience so much. If you’re looking for the unpredictability of running into strangers and not knowing where conversations will take you, the second ‘Red Dead Redemption’ game is for you. The stranger missions in that game often rival missions in the main story. Plus, the open-world experience is really second to none, maybe not even the Northern Kingdoms. Landscapes are breath-taking and in my own playthrough, I often stopped on a mountain top just to take things in and appreciate the realism. The game allows you to make big decisions but also carry out remedial tasks on your own.

'Skyrim' was the talk of the gaming world for so many years and not just because of the ‘arrow to the knee’ meme. It received extremely favorable reviews upon release and all kinds of gamers worldwide put dozens, if not hundreds of hours into it. The open-world, unique quests, third-person combat and more will restore that feeling that 'The Witcher 3' gave you. If you’re planning to put some work into 'Skyrim,' you might as well go all out and get the special edition for its DLC too. When you’re done, you can join the many that still play modded versions of it today.

If you’ve never played through ‘The Last Of Us,’ you’re in for one of the better gaming experiences of your life. While its sequel continues to suffer from delays, I’m contemplating playing it through for the third time. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world and is filled with action, adventure, horror, and more. Being Joel is like being a part of one of the best movies you’ve ever seen. There’s nothing like watching characters you feel close to develop and build relationships and comparisons can be drawn between Joel and Ellie’s and Geralt and Ciri’s. Unfortunately, just like a few other games on this list, it is a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Although 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' was most people’s introduction point to the series, there is a hell of a lot of character development that takes place before it which is well worth the time and will give you a newfound respect for 'Wild Hunt'. The second in the series is by no means just an older version of the third, but it’s also technically as close to 'The Witcher 3' as you’re going to get. It has more of an old school RPG feel to it with some key differences. Unfortunately, CD Projekt couldn’t make this one for PS3 because they ran out of time, so you’ll need a 360 or PC to play it.

Contrary to most other vampire games, Vampyr lets you play as the vampire, giving you a unique experience. Throughout the game’s plot, you decide whether you want to feed on the people of 1918 London to level up quicker or spare them their lives. Taking both paths give you alternate endings. For those that enjoyed Witcher Sense, there is a similar mechanic here due to your vampire senses. The game naturally lives in the Fantasy genre and gives you the same feel as 'The Witcher 3'.