As a veteran of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I am not afraid to tell you that it’s probably one of the best games - period - that I have ever played. Just talk to anyone who has ever played the game and you could have an idea of just how monstrously large and expansive the world of The Witcher is. From the very first second being in this game, CD Projekt Red (CDPR) - the developer - did not shy at all from showing just how insignificant you are amidst the simultaneously vibrant and dark, grimy continent.
Sights and landmarks are scattered innumerably across the map that could take months to thoroughly investigate and see every nooks and crannies. Along the way, every few minutes there seem to be something or someone that beg for your attention. But mostly, there is no shortage of NPCs who beg you to give them in hand in banishing some fowl devils from their lands.
Not just the narrative, the gameplay mechanics are also powerful hands that would hold you in its grasp. From the brilliant combat mechanics, to the fantastical and well written lores that stretched across the lands. You will eventually find yourself enamoured with the world and its inhabitants. Before long, you will have forgotten completely about the main quests that you were supposed to be on and spent days just trying to finish the impressive arsenal of side quests. That’s the reason why a single, thorough play through of the game can last well into a month.
But no matter how long it might take you, Geralt’s adventure will eventually reach an end. And when his story does, you might be athirst for something new to grab onto.
If that’s how it is for you, try to browse through a couple of these games here on our list.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
This one doesn’t need a lot of description, it was the best selling games year on year ever since its release. It is the it game that would pop up whenever someone mentions the open world genre. The theme of the game is also quite similar with the Witcher, with fairies, devils, dragons, and mystical creatures of all sorts. Magic, sword fighting, you name it.
Though Skyrim has been a popular theme in quite a lot of ‘Best games e.t.c.’ lists since its launch, it’s too good for us not to repeat it once more.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
If I was to be completely honest with you, you shouldn’t just try out Inquisition alone, but the entire Dragon Age series is worth getting a check-out of. Although the second instalment Dragon Age II seems to have a bit troubles quality-wise, all of the three games are quite good if you love the fantasy - RPG genre. The combat system is quite well-built, but in my opinion, not as solidly designed as The Witcher 3. Still, it can give a lot of RPG games out there a run for their money.
Immersing in the game, you will find yourself strategising through your four-man team that can be made out of several classes. Slinging spells, arrows, quick knife slashes, or powerful blows with great swords, e.t.c. every tactics are fair game to bring down some pretty deadly foes.
Inquisition is set in a relatively expansive open world. Though not as big as The Witcher 3, it still has a sense of depth to it that’s quite alluring. Enough to spend a few dozens hours into the game.
Red Dead Redemption 2
This right here is right next to The Witcher 3 in term of best games ever on my list. No matter if you like the cowboy, gunslinging, horse-riding style of the Old West or not, if you’re even remotely interested in open world game, this is a title that you cannot pass over.
The next version of Rockstar’s first Red Dead Redemption - which by itself was a legendary title - is of a class above master. The storyline is incredibly well-written and thought out, the characters vibrant and forced you to invest into their personal lives in just minutes. The world is extremely expansive and portrayed down to the littlest details, populated by sights and quests plentiful enough to keep you on the saddle for months on end.
Mass Effect 2
Jumping from Euro-medieval theme, to the Old West, and now all the way to the far future is a pretty drastic cut in time. But Mass Effect - the entire trilogy - isn’t something that you want to pass (We consider Andromeda dead and buried, and should be avoided at all costs). If you want to have a starting point, Mass Effect 2 is a pretty good place to start. The first game is a joy to play, and Mass Effect 3 nailed the details down pretty good, Mass Effect 2 is where the apex of the game is in term of quality.
If you’ve played through Dragon Age, the squad selection mechanism of Mass Effect is more or less the same. Every possible teammates can contribute their own unique skills, interactions, and dialogues to the combat and scenarios. Each choices you make in your adventure will have an impact of various degree on the world and its inhabitants. There are plenty of side-quests for you to spend your time doing, and of course, even though it is hiding behind the facade of a third-person shooter, Mass Effect is an RPG at its core.
Though it’s got the narrative down, one thing that Mass Effect can’t really compete against The Witcher 3 is the open world experience. While the game still allows you to explore in your own pace, the maps are limited to small areas and the majority of travelling is done through the Normandy - your spaceship in the game - map system. That’s why the world of Mass Effect is quite pathetic in term of sights and exploratory potentials in comparison to The Witcher 3.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Unlike the three games that came before, if you want to play Horizon: Zero Dawn (H:ZD), you need to have a PlayStation 4 console. But believe me, if you still don’t have a PS4, this could be the game that persuade you to place a shipment with a large open world, compelling story-telling with a pretty awesome protagonist.
Horizon: Zero Dawn follows the footprints of Aloy through a post-apocalyptic world thousands of years into the present future as society is reduced to a strange mix of techno-tribalism. Instead of hunting down giant, organic animals, you will have your chance at hunting machines. If The Witcher 3 pitches you against mythical beasts, H:ZD sets you loose against a fleet of robotic, oil-running, and electronically-wired T-rexes, panthers, and more.
The RPG element, with addictive combat mechanics, the plot-line, and the most visually impressive graphics to ever appear on the PS4 recreates a very Witcher-esque experience that could transform you into a fan immediately.
Assassins’ Creed: Odyssey
It seems like every year there’s a new Assassins’ Creed making it out of Ubisoft’s doors, and in every games, the world just gets larger and larger. Of course, the more recent iterations of Assassins’ Creed have been under fire by some fans (And not without merits) that the overall quality of the series had been going downhill ever since the second Assassins’ Creed with Ezio Auditore da Firenze. But at the very least, the newer Assassins’ Creed is worth one play through.
Odyssey is a departure point of the series from the traditional formula of Assassins’ Creed, focusing considerably more on the RPG elements instead of the traditional actions and free-running. You now have the ability to equip different pieces of armours and weapons to gain certain perks and attributes. The equipments are also rated on a familiar rarity scale often seen in RPG games. This, the combat mechanism, the open world, along with the pretty … extensive romance options really remind me of The Witcher more than it should.
Fallout 4
Yes, yes, Fallout 4 is a shooter, but still, it’s an RPG at heart from the very first Fallout. The wasteland is filled with interesting NPCs with their own stories to tell and probably some quests for you to partake in. You can venture through the dangerous open world to try and find some good loots to barter or use, track (Or avoid) the dangerous beasts of the post-apocalyptic world, and of course, immerse yourself in the world that Bethesda had built.
The Fallout series is similar to Dragon Age and Mass Effect, I do recommend you to see through Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. They’re all good games worth sifting through.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
This game may sound a little bit unfamiliar, considering it did not come from a popular or oversized video game company. But the quality of the game is so great that not mentioning it would be a sin.
Although the game suffers from a pretty rocky launch and there are still glitches and bugs populating the game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a pretty solid experience that has the closest resemblance to The Witcher’s atmosphere. Its gameplay is more similar to Skyrim, however. But the RPG elements, the branching, exciting plot line, and stunning visuals still managed to coalesce to create a game worth a place on your game’s library.
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War
Although the storyline behind the game as well as the plot may be more appealing to the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s infamous Middle-Earth. But even if you’re the uninitiated, you will still be able to find some quality entertainment in Shadow of War’s gigantic open world.
You really don’t need to have an idea of what’s the lore is all about nor the characters, so you could just dive right in just like any other games without fearing for confusion to get in the way of your experience. Though friendly NPCs are not as plenty as enemies, you would still be able to meet some interesting people with unique skills and dialogues along the way. The combat and the great world-building and design are all pluses.
Final Fantasy XV
We really don’t need to talk much about this iconic series. Final Fantasy is one of the biggest and probably the most enduring icon of the RPG genre. Just like The Witcher 3, FFXV also features an incredibly vast and vibrant open world setting, with loveable and relatable characters, well-built and narrated protagonists, as well as stellar gameplay mechanics. This is definitely a game that you must not pass if you’re on the look out for a similar experience to The Witcher 3.
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