CD Projekt Red is known for crafting expansive open-world games that immerse players in richly detailed environments. Two of their flagship titles, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” and “Cyberpunk 2077,” offer distinct experiences in terms of world-building, narrative structure, and gameplay freedom. While both games share a dedication to deep storytelling and player-driven exploration, they represent two different approaches to open-world game design.
In this blog, we’ll explore the design philosophies behind these two critically acclaimed titles, highlighting their differences in world-building, narrative design, and player agency.
“The Witcher 3” vs. “Cyberpunk 2077”: A Study in Open-World Game Design
World-Building: Fantasy vs. Futuristic Dystopia
“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”
Set in a sprawling fantasy world, “The Witcher 3” is known for its meticulously crafted environments, blending medieval architecture with vast landscapes, forests, and monster-filled swamps. The world feels lived-in, with every village, castle, and ruin telling a story about the history and culture of the Continent. CD Projekt Red prioritized organic exploration, where players could stumble upon quests, hidden treasures, and random encounters that felt naturally integrated into the world.
The world of “The Witcher 3” feels cohesive and interconnected, with no sharp boundaries between regions. The various locales, like Velen, Novigrad, and the Skellige Isles, each have distinct cultural identities and atmospheres, helping players feel immersed in the setting. The rich environmental storytelling, combined with NPCs who react to Geralt’s presence and decisions, adds to the sense that this is a world in motion, with or without the player.
“Cyberpunk 2077”
In contrast, “Cyberpunk 2077” offers a futuristic, dystopian setting with Night City as the centerpiece—a sprawling urban metropolis where towering skyscrapers, neon lights, and dark alleyways blend to create a cyberpunk aesthetic. Unlike the natural landscapes of “The Witcher 3,” Night City is a dense, vertical environment where every street corner feels packed with life, and the chaos of urban decay is visible everywhere.
The world-building in “Cyberpunk 2077” leans heavily on the aesthetic and culture of cyberpunk, with the city feeling like a living, breathing entity. Night City’s different districts—from the corporate-heavy City Center to the poverty-stricken Watson—offer stark contrasts, each with its own social dynamics. However, Night City can feel more confined compared to the vast wilderness of “The Witcher 3,” as the urban sprawl creates a claustrophobic environment where exploration happens largely within the city’s vertical spaces.
While “The Witcher 3” focuses on organic, open landscapes, “Cyberpunk 2077” is all about the urban jungle, presenting a world that’s equally immersive but in a vastly different way. Night City’s dense design means there’s always something to do within a few blocks, while “The Witcher 3” invites players to roam freely across expansive regions.
Narrative Structure: Linear Epic vs. Fragmented Stories
“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”
The narrative of “The Witcher 3” is heavily focused on Geralt’s personal quest to find Ciri, his adopted daughter. The game’s main story offers a more linear experience, guiding players through a series of key events, while still providing plenty of room for player choice and exploration. Side quests are seamlessly integrated into the world, often telling deep, meaningful stories that contribute to the overarching narrative. Each quest, no matter how small, feels significant and often leads to moral dilemmas or unexpected outcomes.
The game’s narrative structure benefits from its tight focus on Geralt, and the quests are often personal in nature, allowing players to invest emotionally in the outcomes. The Witcher 3 is masterful at balancing the epic scope of its main plot with the smaller, intimate stories that unfold in its many side quests.
“Cyberpunk 2077”
In “Cyberpunk 2077,” the main narrative centers around V, a mercenary caught in a race against time to save their life, with Johnny Silverhand, a digital ghost played by Keanu Reeves, at their side. The game’s narrative is more fragmented compared to “The Witcher 3,” offering players multiple paths and endings depending on their choices, alliances, and character builds. The story is deeply tied to the cyberpunk ethos, with themes of corporate greed, identity, and technology driving the plot.
While the main story offers plenty of player-driven moments, “Cyberpunk 2077” excels in its side quests and character-driven stories. Some of the most memorable moments in the game come from interacting with Night City’s eclectic inhabitants, many of whom have multi-layered stories that unfold over the course of the game. However, the side quests in “Cyberpunk 2077” can sometimes feel more disconnected from the main plot compared to the tightly woven side quests of “The Witcher 3”.
“Cyberpunk 2077” allows for a more open-ended narrative structure, where players can choose to focus on different storylines at their own pace. This freedom is a double-edged sword—while it offers greater player agency, it can also lead to a sense of narrative fragmentation, where the game’s various storylines don’t always come together as cohesively as they do in “The Witcher 3.”
Side Quests and Player Freedom
“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”
Side quests in “The Witcher 3” are often cited as some of the best in any RPG. They are deeply woven into the fabric of the world, with each quest feeling like a fully fleshed-out story in its own right. Players might start a quest that seems simple—such as hunting down a monster or investigating a missing person—only to find themselves drawn into complex, morally ambiguous narratives.
Player freedom in “The Witcher 3” is present in terms of how they approach quests, but it is more narratively driven rather than gameplay-driven. Geralt’s choices often lead to permanent consequences, affecting the world and its inhabitants. However, players are still following a path where Geralt’s role as a witcher dictates the type of activities they engage in.
“Cyberpunk 2077”
“Cyberpunk 2077” gives players a significant amount of freedom in how they approach both the main story and side quests. The game features a wide array of side jobs, gigs, and random encounters, many of which offer multiple ways to complete them depending on the player’s build, dialogue choices, and playstyle. Players can opt for stealth, hacking, or go in guns blazing, making each encounter feel unique.
However, the sheer number of side quests and gigs in “Cyberpunk 2077” can sometimes lead to choice paralysis, where the abundance of content can overwhelm players. While “The Witcher 3” focuses on meaningful side quests that tie into the larger world and story, “Cyberpunk 2077” offers a wider variety of activities, not all of which are equally memorable or impactful.
Gameplay and Customization
“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”
In terms of gameplay, “The Witcher 3” focuses on action RPG mechanics with a heavy emphasis on swordplay, alchemy, and magic. Geralt’s combat is precise and skill-based, requiring players to balance attacks, dodges, and the use of signs (magic spells). While players can customize Geralt’s abilities through a skill tree, the customization options are more limited compared to Cyberpunk 2077.
Geralt’s role as a witcher provides a defined gameplay framework—players hunt monsters, solve local mysteries, and explore the wilderness in search of contracts. The game encourages players to embrace Geralt’s identity, which can limit role-playing freedom compared to the more open-ended character creation in Cyberpunk 2077.
“Cyberpunk 2077”
“Cyberpunk 2077” offers a wider array of gameplay styles and customization options. Players can choose between different life paths (Nomad, Street Kid, or Corpo), which affect their backstory and dialogue options. The game’s extensive skill trees and cybernetic augmentations allow players to tailor their playstyle, whether they want to focus on hacking, gunplay, or melee combat.
While Cyberpunk’s combat is more fluid and dynamic, it can also feel less focused compared to The Witcher 3. The ability to switch between multiple playstyles means that combat doesn’t always feel as tight or rewarding as the more refined swordplay of Geralt’s adventures. However, the game’s flexibility in character builds offers more freedom and encourages players to experiment with different abilities and approaches.
Conclusion:
Both “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” and “Cyberpunk 2077” showcase CD Projekt Red’s talent for creating immersive open worlds, but they offer very different experiences. “The Witcher 3” is rooted in a more traditional, story-driven approach, with a focus on rich world-building and deep, meaningful side quests. In contrast, “Cyberpunk 2077” offers players more freedom in how they approach the game’s challenges, with a wider range of customization options and a fragmented, open-ended narrative structure.
Ultimately, both games excel in their respective areas, but the choice between them comes down to whether you prefer the fantasy epic of Geralt’s world or the chaotic, high-tech urban sprawl of Night City.
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