Weirdly enough I consider Wild Hunt to be the weakest of the three. I was in a similar situation and I played them in order of release. I like the first one the most and Wild Hunt the least.

Each game is different enough and 2 going into 3 has the most relevancy story wise that skipping 2 and jumping into 3 could be a bit jarring.

The first Witcher uses the same engine as Knights of the Old Republic if I remember correctly and there is something about how it handled quests and how monsters seemed a bit more important that I liked.

Players who enjoy the series, especially 3, tend to enjoy it because they buy into the world and the characters, which are enormously rich and detailed because they draw on an entire series of novels. Players who approach the game as a technical exercise in meeting mileposts/achievements, speedrun it, or treat it as a pure combat game don't usually like it so well.

I ignored W1 and played 2 only.

Was hyped for W3 because 2 is a damn good game as well. Story, characters... average-ish combat. But yeah if you DO prefer games with characters you design it will not be as good.

I played 3 first and it got me rerally excited to buy the rest of the Series. I liked the first one "with mods of course" more than the second if u can tolerate the gameplay.

I would only play W3, 1 was already dated on release, and 2 is very good but its a frustrating experience gameplay wise by today's standards.

I went into W3 not having played either of the previous 2 to completion, and I had no issues. W3 is my favorite game of all time, its an amazing experience!

W1 is also getting a remake thats supposed to release after W4.

Don't even think about not starting with The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. It is a masterpiece. The atmosphere and music are otherworldly, and the characters are unforgettable.

I strongly advise you to install a copy of Windows 7 in order to avoid any problems with older games.

You should play them in order of release.

Started straight from W3 in 2025. Bought Hearts of Stone in discount now.

They're not similar at all. I started with W3 and I love it, but when I tried W1 and W2 I just couldn't get into it because of the dated gameplay, especially W1.

You could try starting from the beginning, but if you don't like W1 and/or W2, don't stop there, try W3 too.

I'm sure playing the older games first gives you some extra story that would enhance your experience with W3, but you don't NEED to play them in order to enjoy W3 or to understand what's going on. It works perfectly fine in its own right.

All 3 games are not similar at all. I would recommend you to play W3 with all dlcs, and then if you will like the story and setting, try other 2 games.
They are a bit... dated, especially W1. While some players praising them because of nostalgia, I would not recommend them for a new player.

Originally posted by bur:

I started with W3 and I love it, but when I tried W1 and W2 I just couldn't get into it because of the dated gameplay, especially W1.

Originally posted by Deo:

They are a bit... dated, especially W1. While some players praising them because of nostalgia, I would not recommend them for a new player.

There is nothing "dated" about the gameplay of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, and "nostalgia" is not the reason millions of people continue to replay TW:EE.

Originally posted by Dryspace:

There is nothing "dated" about the gameplay of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, and "nostalgia" is not the reason millions of people continue to replay TW:EE.

I strongly disagree. The combat for example was very hard to get into, at least for me.

I have only played 3 so I cannot comment on the merit of those games and story, but I think they are showing their age and nostalgia carries alot of people here. Its like playing Knights of the Old Republic as a Zoomer in 2025, I think they'd really struggle as the gameplay has aged alot and so the story can only carry you so far.

That being said, I loved 3. It did take me two attempts to get into it, cause at first it throws you in far too low context and you really should know more about the series for the cold start it does, introducing alot of characters as if you should know them, but if you can power through a couple of hours to when the game opens up, and just start immersing yourself in sidequests, hunting monsters and learning about the world it becomes amazing. I found myself researching alot of the characters and backstories cause the world building is so strong.

The DLCs are awesome. Both Heart of Stone but especially Blood and Wine are some of the best DLCs I think I have played, adding hours and hours of fully voiced gameplay, with Blood and Wine giving you a huge new area that is pretty damn full and has an awesome story.

If you decide the old games are too old to try, you should still try to just play this one.

Just a warning here..
Playing the old games are for the special people, not the other way around.

Most people would never manage to play though W1 these days, i guarantee it.
Its just very old and dated.

Originally posted by Grimmx:

Just a warning here..
Playing the old games are for the special people, not the other way around. :FriendlyTroll:

Most people would never manage to play though W1 these days, i guarantee it.
Its just very old and dated.

This is really funny to me considering the much, much, older games I do play.