Is The Witcher 3 worth it in 2026?

Still the benchmark, a decade later

It is remarkable that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is now over ten years old, because so little of it feels dated. The free next-gen update sharpened the visuals, added ray tracing and folded in the two superb expansions, so a first-time buyer today gets the most complete version CD Projekt Red ever shipped. If you have somehow avoided it, the answer to the question in the title is a resounding yes.

Why it holds up

What sets it apart is the writing. Side quests here carry more weight than the main stories of lesser games, and Geralt is a wonderfully grounded protagonist. The world of Velen and Novigrad rewards curiosity, the monster contracts stay inventive, and Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are among the best expansions the medium has produced.

• Enormous value — dozens of hours before you even touch the DLC.
• Meaningful choices — decisions ripple out in ways you rarely see coming.
• Runs on almost anything — it scales gracefully from a Steam Deck to a high-end rig.

A word on price

The good news is that it is regularly heavily discounted, and the complete edition often sits near its all-time low. If you enjoyed the studio's later open-world work in Cyberpunk 2077, this is the natural place to go back to. Check the current price on its page before you buy, since keyshops and official stores can differ by a fair margin.

For a closer look, read our Cyberpunk versus Witcher 3 breakdown, or browse a few games like The Witcher 3 once the credits roll. When you are ready, our deals page tracks every store at once.