The List: Best Open-World RPGs to Play if You Love The Witcher 3

[Last Updated: September 2, 2026]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The game is getting a free remaster on September 29, 2026 for those who own the game, while the Songs of the Past expansion is coming in 2027 and The Witcher 4 is currently expented in 2028.

But if you’ve already spent hundreds of hours exploring the Continent and you’re looking for something new, what game can scratch that same itch?

Finding a game that delivers the same feeling as The Witcher 3 isn’t easy. It’s not just the open world. It’s the memorable characters, surprisingly great side quests, meaningful choices, exploration, the combat, and that feeling that there’s always something worth discovering around the next corner.

Thankfully, there are plenty of open-world RPGs that can somewhat fit the Witcher 3 bill. Here are the games I’d recommend if you’re looking for something to play while waiting for the next Witcher adventure from CD Projekt RED.

Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt RED’s next game after The Witcher 3 is a good starting point for this list, and is probably the easiest recommendation to make if you’re looking for something that can scratch the same itch.

The RPG had a horrendous launch, there’s no going around that as everyone knows that, but the studio stuck with it and accepted that they dropped the ball. After years of updates and the excellent Phantom Liberty expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 is no longer the joke it used to be on its first year. It has evolved into one of the best open-world RPGs of its generation.

Set in Night City, you play as V, a mercenary who becomes the unwilling host of Johnny Silverhand, a legendary rocker and anti corporate revolutionary whose personality has been preserved inside a digital construct implanted in V’s head.

With Keanu Reeves playing as Johnny, you’ll spend much of the game trying to figure out how to get him out of your head before his presence consumes you. Along the way, you’ll take on odd jobs for Night City’s various factions and characters, build V however you want, and decide whether you want to become a firearms specialist, a stealthy hacker, a cybernetic killing machine, or a combination of all three.

There’s no real timer in the game for V’s condition, so have the freedom to explore all that Night City has to offer.

It doesn’t have The Witcher 3 medieval high fantasy setting, and most of the game is set in one city, but it has the same attention to detail with its characters, side quests, and world building that make CD Projekt RED the best studio in the genre that it will be easy to get lost in this world.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Excellent characters, side quests, romances, major choices, and world building.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 isn’t as dark and filled with magic and fantastical creatures, it’s actually humorous and grounded but delivers that perfect atmosphere of getting lost in that particular world. You have various side quests scattered around the game, points of interests that lead to interesting encounters, treasure waiting to be found, and a storyline that is borderline comical half of the time. You have to manage your equipment, tend to your hunger, clean your clothes, and make sure you get a good amount of sleep and not be a nuisance to the population.

I started playing it a couple of weeks ago and has become my wind down game before going to bed.

It’s one of those games that when you start playing, you didi’t realize it’s been three hours, and all you were doing was making potions and hunting animals for food.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: World building, major decisions matter, scale, and excellent characters

Ghost of Yotei and Ghost of Tsushima

Another open world banger that takes you in through not only the combat but the world Sucker Punch has created. It’s the best way to experience the samurai era, and while it doesn’t have the RPG elements similar to The Witcher 3, it does a good job in delivering interesting stories, satisfying combat, and an open world that’s fun to slowly explore.

You can go either Ghost of Tsushima for a samurai going beyond his samurai ways to strike fear on the invading Mongolian army, or be the jack of all trades warrior in Ghost of Yotei, where Atsu’s journey of vengeance pushes her to learn a variety of different weapon types in order to succeed in her mission. Different flavors, same level of quality, storytelling, and scale.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Satisfying combat, the exploration and level of detail in the world,

The Blood of Dawnwalker

If you’re looking for the game on this list that wears its Witcher 3 influence the most proudly, it’s The Blood of the Dawnwalker.

Developed by Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by several former CD Projekt RED developers, Dawnwalker is a dark fantasy open world RPG set in a fictionalized version of 14th-century Europe. You play as Coen, a man who has been transformed into a half-vampire and has 30 days to save his family from a vampire lord.

The game’s biggest hook is its day and night cycle system. Coen is human during the day and will have access to unique abilities and magic only available when the sun is up. By night, his vampiric side takes over as you now have a completely different playstyle to use in order to approach not only combat but exploration and even completing certain quests.

The first wave of reviews have been mostly positive so far, an impressive feat considering it’s the studio’s first project.

Based on what many are saying, this feels like the closest you’ll get out of a spiritual successor of The Witcher 3.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Dark fantasy setting, branching quests, interesting characters, moral choices and a medieval European-inspired open world.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Of all the open world games, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is probably the best title that did a solid job embracing both the open world aspect, and the action RPG aspect due to how they changed how the gear system works and its abilities.

You’ll get The Witcher 3 scale but set in Ancient Greece. It’s not too overly stuffed like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla but long enough that you can go over 100 hours by exploring and doing each side activity available. If you can tolerate the Ubisoft open world formula, this is the best title to scratch that itch.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Open world RPG elements, exploration and scale, fun combat

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a no-brainer as it’s one of the titles that influenced the open world genre in terms of scale, the amount of content, and the various stories you can encounter by simply exploring.

The remastered was shadow-dropped earlier this year and it was amazing to play the game again after all these years. The same game, just with modernized visuals and systems. If you haven’t played Oblivion, you’re missing out as Bethesda did a good job at bringing back this classic to the spotlight once again.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: One of the games that inspired the open world formula, Interesting stories, densely populated world filled with stories and experiences.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a different beast all together, but it has two things it has in common with The Witcher 3, and that is exploration and atmosphere. Open world games shine when exploring aimlessly can lead you to unexpected content. You pick a direction and just go nuts. That’s one of the things I love about The Witcher 3, and Elden Ring captured that experience perfectly.

If you see a cave, you’ll come across a dungeon with unique rewards and a boss that might take you a few tries to beat. You might even come across an elevator that brings you to a massive underground region that is not talked about or hinted in the game.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Exploration, atmosphere, and rewarding discovery rarely seen in open world games

Outward Definitive Edition

The Witcher 3 is all about the adventure. Each region delivers a new experience as you go from one area to the next. Among all of the games mentioned in this list, Outward Definitive Edition is the one open world game that needs a bit of patience.

It’s not that visually appealing as other AAA titles, and it has decisions like not having a fast travel option to make it a difficult game to get into. This game requires a lot of patience and planning as you need to bring the right equipment and the right amount of items to survive not only the trip to your location but the return back.

The sense of discovery is satisfying as you are going in blind with a map that doesn’t show where you currently are. You need to recall how to go back, remember what the NPC told you when giving the directions to the dungeon, and survive the dangers waiting inside. It can be intense, sometimes frustrating, but the successful journeys give you this satisfying high not many games can deliver. It’s not for everyone, but it grows on you, and captures the beauty of open world RPGs.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Exploration, the importance of preparation, and satisfying sense of going on an adventure

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About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.