The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is still regarded as one of the greatest games of all time by critics and one of the best examples of an open-world RPG. It was the most awarded game of all time, only recently surpassed by The Last of Us Part II. With the game main and two DLCs giving players a playtime total of around 150 hours, the quality and effort put into the game by CD Projekt Red has fans still playing six years on.
Unfortunately, quality open-world games are few and far between. High production costs, studio times and bug fixes mean any sequels for previous games are usually not released for a few years after. High costs also mean that indie studios are normally out of the running for open-world creation, so it's up to the big studios to create these massive adventures. That being said, there are some great alternatives for fans of The Witcher 3 wanting to have their next great open-world experience.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the first game developed by Warhorse Studios and is an open-world action RPG set in 1403 Bohemia. The story follows Henry, a survivor of a raid on his village, who seeks revenge for his murdered family. On his journey, he becomes involved in the attempt to restore the rightful King of Bohemia while completing side quests and exploration typical of an open-world game.
Critics praised both the story in Kingdom Come and attention to detail, such as having extensive, lifelike quests. Fans of The Witcher will enjoy Kingdom Come as it has similar environmental settings and sword and shield style combat. Gameplay for the main game stands at around 75 hours, not bad for being the studio's first-ever game, whilst DLC content adds in around 20 hours.
Red Dead Redemption 2
The highly anticipated prequel to Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in 2018 and is set in a fictionalized setting of Western and Southern United States in 1899. Following the story of outlaw Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, players must deal with the decline of the Wild West whilst avoiding rival gangs, wild animals and capture by the government. Playing through RDR2's main story takes around 73 hours, but that gameplay time jumps to around 160 house for those who want to hunt every animal and complete every side quest. This rogue Western experience doesn't stop after the main story.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Fans of both The Witcher and anything by J. R. R. Tolkien will surely enjoy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, it's an action-adventure where the player controls Talion, a Gondorian Ranger, who sets out to avenge the death of his loved one alongside an Elf Lord.
With typical open-world features such as roaming, fast travel and enemies battles, the player has the freedom of choice if Talion is a melee, ranged or stealth fighter. Many characters from the film franchise are included in the game, including following Gollum to find artifacts. Gametime, including the DLCs, stands around 30 hours, a large cut from The Witcher but still includes plenty of side quests and free roam around Mordor.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the newest release in the series from Ubisoft, released at the end of 2020 to huge critical reception. Another open-world action-adventure, the game features several main stories as players take on the role of Eivor, a Viking raider. With a story based heavily on combat, players can also solve quests using diplomatic means, meaning your choices influence the game's outcome.
Fans of The Witcher will enjoy Valhalla due to the Viking setting being similar to the gameplay in the Skellige Isles. Gameplay for Valhalla stands at around 110 hours, including DLCs which is a huge amount of time to explore the game, up around 40 hours of extra content from Origins.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is Guerrilla Games' first open-world RPG, with both the story and setting receiving praise from critics and receiving multiple nominations for Game of the Year. The plot centers around Aloy, an outcasted hunter surviving in a world overrun by huge machines, who sets out on a journey to uncover her past.
With typical open-world features such as exploration and side quests, Horizon has a refreshing revamp of weapons which are traditional bows and spears with technology modifications. Gameplay stands at around 60 hours, and if you enjoy the game, its sequel Horizon Forbidden West continues the story of Aloy and is due to release in 2021.