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The Witcher 3is an epic RPG that puts you in the shoes of Geralt Of Rivia, who is a famed monster hunter. Yet, his main goal in the game isn’t to slay beasts. He is tasked with finding his missing adoptive daughter, Ciri, before the evil specters known as The Wild Hunt find her first.
Upon its release in 2015, it heavily increased the fame of the whole Witcher franchise long before the Netflix series came along. Ever since then, it has been one of the most talked about RPGs in the industry. But is it truly worth playing? Here is all the information you need to help you answer that question.
Updated July 15, 2025 By Ben Jessey:The hype surrounding both The Witcher 3 and The Witcher franchise in general seems to be here to stay. So, we created this piece for any newbies considering trying the epic RPG. In this update, we’ve cleaned things up a bit and added a few more opinions from people who have played the game.
Review
TheGamer’sPatricio Kobek reviewed The Witcher 3 when it was released on the Nintendo Switch.While he points out that the port wasn’t as technically impressive as the other versions, he praises the game itself. He calls it “an outstanding title with enough content to satisfy any player.”
Players can look forward to a massive 100-300 hours of well-made content with the same great voice acting fans have come to expect from the series.
In fact, he gives the game props for the amount of content it provides on multiple occasions. He even says that Witcher 3 probably has more content than The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, and in terms of value, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is hard to beat.” The story and voice acting also receive some praise throughout the piece.
Time Expenditure
The Witcher 3 isn’t known for being brief. The main story alonetakes around 50 hours to beat. Yet, this title is packed to the brim withoptional content that is worth playing. After all, some of the side quests are the most enjoyable in the game.
Not to mention all the other things you can do in the title, such as build Witcher armor, explore every region, and master the card game, Gwent. There is so much to do that a completionist needs around179.5 hoursto do it all.
That’s not counting the DLC, which can add many more hours. To be more specific, it can take14 hours to beat Heart Of Stone, whileBlood And Wine can last 28.5 hours.
Cost
The price of The Witcher 3 varies somewhat based on your retailer of choice and whether or not the game is used. This is the average cost, organized by system and edition:
$39.99
$49.99
PS4 And PS5
Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S
$59.99
Cost Of DLC
There are two major single-player expansions for the game called Hearts Of Stone and Blood And Wine. Both of them include plenty of content and some interesting characters, quests, and stories. As a result, you have to pay extra if you want them. If you have the base game, this is how much they cost:
The two DLCs are automatically included in the Complete Edition of the game.
Blood And Wine Price
$9.99
$19.99
$24.99
What Players Are Saying
A Must-Play For RPG Fans - Ben Jessey
Combat is the only thing about The Witcher 3 that deserves any criticism. The fighting isn’t even that bad. It’s just not amazing, unlike pretty much everything else about this brilliant title. A lot of the praise is directed at the story and characters, which is understandable, as they’re outstanding. But what makes this RPG truly stand out in a packed genre is its side content. Almost every side quest is interesting. And equally compelling is the card game Gwent, which is much more than just a throwaway mini-game. You expect developers to try and make every aspect of a game enjoyable, and in The Witcher 3, they clearly succeeded.
The Quintessential Fantasy RPG, If You Want That - Branden Lizardi
The Witcher 3 is, in many ways, a perfect combination of what ‘fantasy RPG’ means. You fight folktale monsters, gain levels, customize weapons and armor, and have pages of stats to look at. All the while, you’re playing as a stoic but misunderstood hero that constantly saves the day. If you want a casual experience that breaks trends, this isn’t it. But what it does, it does perfectly.
Worth It For The Story Alone - Jacob Whaling
The Witcher 3 is often praised for its outstanding characters and writing, and for good reason. Side quests are detailed and reward you for talking to every NPC you can, creating depth in an otherwise fairly standard fantasy world. The main narrative is satisfying and emotional, but the game’s lack of combat depth holds it back from being a truly greatgame. There’s fun to be had tinkering with the various armor sets and mutations, but The Witcher 3 truly shines when it lets you interact with its amazing cast of characters.
A Fantasy Work Inspired By Reality - Hilton Webster
The Witcher 3 is often lauded as one of the greatest games ever, but that doesn’t signify exactly what it does well. Its characters are incredible, but it’s because of how faithful they are to the books. Its world is gorgeous and untamed, but only because of how inspired it is by European geography. Its enemies are so memorable due to the use of real, local folklore. The game is incredible in so many respects, but it’s one you need to invest in and understand to get the most out of it.
My All Time Favorite - Tallis Spalding
The Witcher 3 is possibly my favorite game of all time, offering a great open-world environment, ambiance, story, a plethora of side quests, and great end-game content. It still holds up against newer AAA games, and even with new games releasing I find myself coming back to it time and time again. It has its faults, but it’s very easy to overlook them in the grand experience.
The Witcher 3 Didn’t Click With Me - Amanda Hurych
I might be the exception, but I just didn’t vibe with The Witcher 3. I kept wanting to dive into the action and the story, but it felt like doing anything took ages. Combat felt a bit repetitive and I wasn’t a fan of having to spend so much time stuck in my inventory prepping for fights. Also, and this is totally on me, I played The Witcher 3 right after playing Red Dead Redemption 2, and after controlling a horse in RDR2, Roach was just an utter nightmare.
The Witcher 3 Is No Baldur’s Gate 3 But Still An Equally Epic Fantasy Adventure - Dennis Moiseyev
For a long time, The Witcher 3 was the reigning champion of the fantasy RPG realm, which has now been dethroned by Baldur’s Gate 3. The world-building, quests, and characters were unlike anything I’ve ever played. I loved the magic mechanics and combat animations. Seeing the creature designs come to life from Sapkowski’s mythology was also purely magnificent. The story is truly one of the best in the fantasy genre, despite some glitches!
