Geralt of Rivia. Eleven years on, still the benchmark for open-world RPGs. Image: CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt released on 19 May 2015 and is still widely considered one of the greatest RPGs ever made. Its side quests are better written than most games' main stories, and its two expansions — Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine — are among the best ever released. A free next-generation update in December 2022 added ray tracing and 60fps console modes.
The Witcher 3 at a glance
| Developer | CD Projekt Red |
| Released | 19 May 2015 · next-gen update December 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch |
| Expansions | Hearts of Stone (~10h) · Blood and Wine (~30h) |
| Length | ~50 hours main story · 150+ hours for everything |
Which edition should you buy?
The Complete Edition — sometimes listed as Game of the Year Edition. It includes the base game, both expansions and all sixteen free DLC packs.
Never buy the base game separately. Blood and Wine alone is longer and better than most full-priced RPGs, and the price difference in a sale is usually trivial.
The next-generation update released in December 2022 is free for all existing owners. On PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC it adds ray tracing, a 60fps performance mode, faster loading, and extra content inspired by the Netflix series.
Do you need to play The Witcher 1 and 2 first?
No. Wild Hunt opens with a recap, and the story is designed to stand alone.
Playing the earlier games adds recognition rather than comprehension — a few returning characters land harder. The first game in particular has aged poorly, and skipping it costs you very little.
Reading Andrzej Sapkowski's novels is a better use of your time if you want the background, though it is entirely optional.
What is the story?
Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter, is searching for Ciri — his adopted daughter, pursued by a spectral army called the Wild Hunt.
What makes it work is that the world does not revolve around you. The Northern Kingdoms are at war with Nilfgaard, and most of what you encounter is people trying to survive it. Geralt is a professional passing through, and the game rarely treats him as a chosen one.
The main quest is good. The side content is exceptional.
Velen, Skellige and Novigrad each feel like genuinely different places.
Why are the side quests considered the best in gaming?
Because they are written as stories rather than tasks.
A typical Witcher 3 contract begins as a monster hunt and turns into something else — a village covering up a crime, a curse that was deserved, a creature that is not the real threat. Many have no good outcome available, only choices with different costs.
Two commonly cited examples: the Bloody Baron questline in Velen, which becomes a study of domestic abuse and grief, and Возвращение-style haunting contracts in Skellige where the monster is a symptom rather than the problem.
Even the noticeboard contracts — the game's nominal filler — usually carry a small story. That consistency across a 150-hour game is the achievement.
What is combat like, honestly?
The weakest part of the game, and worth being straight about.
Geralt uses two swords — steel for humans, silver for monsters — alongside five Signs (basic magic), bombs, crossbow and oils. Preparation is the real system: reading the bestiary, applying the right oil and using the right Sign trivialises fights you would otherwise struggle with.
The moment-to-moment swordplay is serviceable rather than satisfying. It is floaty compared with dedicated action games, and enemy variety thins out in the late game.
Play it for the writing and the world. The combat is the price of admission, not the attraction.
Are the expansions worth it?
They are the best argument for the Complete Edition.
Hearts of Stone (~10 hours) is a tightly written supernatural bargain story with one of the series' best antagonists. It is essentially a novella and rarely misses.
Blood and Wine (~30 hours) moves Geralt to Toussaint, a sun-drenched region untouched by the war, with an entirely new map, its own questlines, and a proper ending for Geralt's story. Many players consider it the high point of the entire game.
If you finish the base game and stop, you are leaving the best content unplayed.
Is The Witcher 3 worth playing in 2026?
Yes, without hesitation. It is eleven years old and still the reference point other open-world RPGs are measured against.
It also runs on almost anything now. The Switch version is a genuine technical curiosity, and on modern PCs the game is undemanding unless you enable ray tracing.
Two caveats: the combat has not aged as well as the writing, and the sheer volume can be daunting. Do not attempt to clear every question mark on the map — follow the quests that interest you and the game is far better for it.
The writing and performances are why this game endures.
Where can you buy it?
- PC — Steam, GOG (DRM-free, CD Projekt's own store) and Epic Games Store
- PlayStation — PlayStation Store (PS4 and PS5)
- Xbox — Microsoft Store, Xbox One and Series X|S
- Nintendo — Nintendo eShop
Getting it cheaply
The Witcher 3 is one of the most heavily discounted major games in existence — the Complete Edition regularly drops to a few dollars in Steam, GOG and PlayStation sales, and it has appeared in subscription catalogues. All sixteen post-launch DLC packs were free, as was the 2022 next-generation update. Buy the Complete Edition and you own everything.
A note on cracked builds: they are illegal, a malware risk, and frozen at whichever version was cracked — which for this game usually means a pre-2022 build without ray tracing, the performance mode or the extra content. GOG also sells it DRM-free, so the usual argument for piracy does not apply. IGGG Guides does not link to pirated software.
The Witcher 3 FAQ
How long is The Witcher 3?
Around 50 hours for the main story, 100+ with side content, and 150 or more including both expansions.
Is the next-gen update free?
Yes. It is free for all existing owners on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Which expansion should I play first?
Hearts of Stone, then Blood and Wine. That is the intended order and matches the level progression.
Does the Switch version hold up?
Impressively, yes. It is visually cut back but plays well and includes both expansions.
Is there a Witcher 4?
CD Projekt Red has confirmed a new Witcher saga is in development. No release date has been announced.
Does the game have multiple endings?
Yes. The main story has several endings determined largely by how you treat Ciri throughout, and Blood and Wine has its own.
The verdict
The Witcher 3 remains the standard for open-world storytelling. The writing is consistently excellent from the main quest down to noticeboard contracts, the world is coherent and lived-in, and the expansions are among the finest ever made.
Combat is merely adequate and the scale can overwhelm. Neither has stopped it being the game most often recommended when someone asks for a great RPG — and eleven years later, that has not changed.
Best for: anyone who wants the best-written RPG world available.
Skip if: you need excellent action combat above all else.
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- Borderlands 4 review — 150+ hours of gameplay insights
- Hollow Knight: Silksong review — a beautiful, brutal adventure
- Top 15 new Nintendo Switch 2 games
Last updated: 6 September 2026