It's rare for a video game to remain as relevant and as popular today as it was after their release date. However, two games stand out better than most in this regard: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which has been out for nine years, and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt which has been out for five. Both games are still going strong well past their release dates and as such comparisons between the two are inevitable.
That's because both compete in the same genre, which is the open-world RPG. Each is also a strong contender for the best in their genre and have won their respective share of awards. For new players wanting to try out either game and are torn between the two, this list might help in deciding which to play. After all, most spend upwards of a hundred hours playing and finishing each game. So let's weigh which is the better RPG between the two!
10 WHY SKYRIM: BETTER LEGACY
Both games are sequels and have had a long history of preceding games. Of the two, however, Skyrim has a richer record in the gaming industry. It has been around since the 1990s whereas The Witcher games first came out late in the 2000s.
Why is this a relevant point of comparison? Because after finishing either game, players will surely want more and there's no better way of experiencing more of the same or similar than looking at their predecessors. Skyrim is the clear winner in this department with tons of forerunners, all of which are awesome.
9 WHY THE WITCHER 3: OFFICIAL SOURCE MATERIAL
That isn't to say that The Witcher saga is a newcomer to the modern world. In fact, the novels have been around since 1993— roughly a year before the very first Elder Scrolls game got released. Hence, The Witcher has its own literary legacy in the form of short stories and novels.
Fans can easily read and peruse these books before or after finishing the game. The books also provide a sense of a more established lore for The Witcher 3's game world, not to mention they have their own awards.
8 WHY SKYRIM: CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION
Now on to gameplay details. Skyrim is the winner here. The Witcher games might have been largely successful but one constant point of criticism for them was how the players are always forced into the shoes of just one character.
There's no such thing in Skyrim as it allows players to combine a multitude of races, backgrounds, and classes in order to create their own truly unique character. For some, this is more immersive and is truly representative of the RPG experience compared to the static and rigid Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher games.
7 WHY THE WITCHER 3: MORE PERSONAL STORY
Sadly, there is one drawback in Skyrim's character template: it's a cookie-cutter format that doesn't feel deep nor specialized for a specific character. The player character often feels like a stranger no matter how many friends or enemies they make and they always feel like they're an outsider to the story that will still exist without them.
The Witcher 3's story is more cohesive and more personal as it tells Geralt of Rivia's journey. It also introduces some of his old friends and enemies and their relationship with him feels genuine and more natural compared to the awkward interactions in Skyrim.
6 WHY SKYRIM: BETTER GAMEPLAY VARIETY
It there was one glaring weakness in The Witcher 3 and its previous games, that would be the combat. The third game is the most refined in this aspect of gameplay but even so, it doesn't offer much replay value or room for imagination.
Skyrim, with its flexible class system and better distinction in three RPG archetypes (warrior, mage, rogue) offers better gameplay variety. No two characters will be the same (unless forced to be) in every playthrough whereas the options are much more limited in The Witcher 3.
5 WHY THE WITCHER 3: MORE MATURE
Skyrim might have been better suited for all ages, but that doesn't make it better lore-wise or when it comes to relevance. The Witcher 3 or even the previous Witcher games unapologetically discuss and incorporate more mature issues and topics in its story and gameplay.
As a result, it has better creative freedom, especially when dealing with serious subject matters such as racism, war, and politics. By comparison, Skryim's game world looks more sterile and less violent or representative of familiar real-world concepts compared to The Witcher 3.
4 WHY SKYRIM: BETTER MODS
One of the main reasons why Skyrim or just about any other single-player Elder Scrolls games might never die-off is the modding support. Skyrim is by far one of the most moddable games today and some fans have even made their own standalone games out of that game.
The Witcher 3 does have its own modding community, but much like customizing Geralt of Rivia in-game, it's rather limited and inflexible. As a result, one can't transform The Witcher 3 the same way Skyrim's can be with its mods.
3 WHY THE WITCHER 3: BETTER DEPTH
Skyrim does allow for plenty of freedom, more so than The Witcher 3, but this sort of sandbox feature comes at the cost of having a shallow RPG component: consequences. To be more specific, the consequence of choices. Those are simply not that defined in Skyrim.
In The Witcher 3, on the other hand, every action holds players accountable and the consequences have more emotional weight. Even something as menial as a side quest has its own set of impactful and lasting rewards and punishments depending on players' choices.
2 WHY SKYRIM: THERE'S MORE OF IT
The sad truth for The Witcher fans is that the developers appear to want to stop on the third game. At the moment, they don't seem to have any intentions of proceeding to make a fourth Witcher game especially since Geralt of Rivia's journey has already concluded.
Then there are the Elder Scrolls games which fans are 90 percent sure will go on for several more decades until all provinces of Tamriel have been covered. The Elder Scrolls VI is now on the way which is always happy news. Too bad The Witcher fans can't expect the same for the franchise at the moment.
1 WHY THE WITCHER 3: LESS GENERIC
The Witcher 3 touts itself and its setting as a dark fantasy game which is always a good thing for the genre. It's a game where mutants exist alongside real-world parallels of former European kingdoms and where elves and dwarfs are oppressed.
It's definitely not afraid to shake up fantasy tropes and conventions, subverting player expectations, and providing a more unique story. Moreover, it explores philosophical themes better than Elder Scrolls' supposed grand high fantasy adventure, making either game feel vastly different from the other though definitely still comparable enough for a competition.