The short answer is yes, The Witcher 3 was available for free for a limited time on the Epic Games Store in December 2022. But if you‘re looking for more details and insights around this popular open-world RPG, read on as we dive deeper into The Witcher 3‘s pricing history, platform availability, mature content, massive scope, system requirements, and more.
Free for a Week – But Act Fast for Next Opportunity
If you‘re a PC gamer who somehow doesn‘t own The Witcher 3 yet, you missed a golden opportunity in December 2022 when Epic Games offered the game free for one full week. I know – I was kicking myself too when I heard the news. After all, this is arguably the greatest open world RPG ever made we‘re talking about!
But don‘t despair too much if you didn‘t claim it in time. The Witcher 3 revolves heavily around seasonal themes, so I anticipate it could easily go free again around wintertime next year. After all, ‘tis the season of giving!
Not a very patient gamer? Keep an eye out on other major sales like Steam‘s Summer Sale and Winter Sale. The Witcher 3 often drops as low as $10-15 during these big events. Considering you‘re getting 200+ hours of critically acclaimed content, that‘s an absolute steal!
Focusing on the Story? 50 Hours Should Do It
As an avid gamer myself, I‘m amazed at the scope and attention to detail CD Projekt Red achieved with The Witcher 3. Completing just the core main storylines will easily take around 50 hours. Maybe a bit less if you avoid side content and focus only on finding Ciri and confronting The Wild Hunt.
But be warned – those 50 hours go by in a flash! Before you know it, you‘ll be rushing to start a New Game+ playthrough. The story and characters (especially Geralt and Yennefer) are just so well written. Oh, and did I mention the side quests are just as good as the main quests?
Want 100% Completion? Set Aside 175+ Hours
Listen, I consider myself a pretty hardcore gamer. But even I don‘t feel the need to go for 100% full completion on a game as massive as The Witcher 3. That kind of commitment requires close to 200 hours!
But if you really want to wring every last drop of content out of this dark fantasy world, I‘d budget 175+ hours. We‘re talking completing the main game, both expansions, all side quests and contracts, unlocking every ability and upgrade, discovering every question mark on the map, completing the monster compendium, maxing out Geralt‘s relationships with every romantic option (you cad!), and whatever other ocd-fueled objectives you can dream up.
However you play, with over 50 hours dedicated just to the core story, it‘s impossible not to feel like you got your money‘s worth and then some from The Witcher 3. The value proposition here puts most other AAA titles to shame.
CD Projekt RED: The Anti-EA?
In an age of soulless live service games riddled with predatory microtransactions, The Witcher 3 feels like a unicorn. No loot boxes, no battle passes – just honest-to-goodness incredible single-player RPG content. And loads of it!
Having recently replayed the game myself, I credit CD Projekt RED‘s player-friendly business model for The Witcher 3‘s lasting greatness. They self-published the game, meaning no meddling publishers or shareholders demanding manipulative monetization.
This shows in their continued generosity – like the free next-gen update, regular steep discounts, and 16 free DLCs. In an industry plagued by greedy executives, CD Projekt feels so pro-consumer it‘s downright shocking!
| Platform | Average Discount | Best Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | 60-80% | $15 |
| GOG | 60-85% | $10 |
| PlayStation Store | 50-75% | $12 |
| Microsoft Store | 60-80% | $15 |
*Sale price data gathered from various storefronts for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition
Rated M for Mature – BRING ID
Now don‘t go asking your parents to buy you The Witcher 3 for Christmas quite yet! This game earns its Mature rating with aplomb thanks to plenty of violence, gore, nudity and sexual situations.
Parents should absolutely adhere to the ESRB‘s 17+ age rating. Even as a seasoned adult gamer, some moments gave me pause thanks to their graphic nature.
The complex moral choices don‘t pull any punches either. I often found myself agonizing over decisions where every outcome felt equally dubious. Now that‘s quality mature storytelling!
So if you‘re a younger gamer interested in The Witcher 3, my advice is simple: wait till you‘re 18. It‘ll be here waiting for you. Trust me, this is NOT one you want to sneak behind your parents‘ back to play early.
Beauty and the Beast (of a PC)
Make no mistake, The Witcher 3 is a visually stunning game, even several years after launch. But all that graphical fidelity comes at a cost. You‘re going to need some serious hardware to max out settings and resolution.
When the game first launched, it brought PCs to their knees. Even today, you‘ll likely need to turn down some settings to maintain smooth performance unless you have a cutting edge rig.
Based on my experience, here are some minimum and recommended system requirements:
Minimum
- CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-8320
- 8GB RAM
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 4GB / Radeon R9 290 4GB
- 50GB storage space
Recommended for 60 FPS High Settings
- CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 3600
- 16GB RAM
- GPU: RTX 2070 Super 8GB / Radeon 5700 XT 8GB
- 50GB storage space + SSD
The new ray tracing enabled next-gen update pushes requirements even higher. You‘ll need an RTX 3000 series or Radeon RX 6000 card to enable those cutting edge lighting effects.
The Best Entry Point – Amnesia Made Easy
As The Witcher 3 was many gamers‘ first introduction to the wider franchise, CD Projekt cleverly built the game to be welcoming to newcomers.
Early on, Geralt comes down with a bout of amnesia that leaves big gaps in his memory. This lets the devs feed you just enough backstory without requiring knowledge from past games and books.
Of course, veteran fans will appreciate callbacks and references more. But I never felt lost in the story or characters as a new player. The amnesia plot device eases you in gently.
So if you find medieval dark fantasy appealing, by all means jump right into The Witcher 3. It stands perfectly well on its own, even though there are two previous games in the series to further expand the lore and world if you get hooked!
Verdict: Don‘t Miss This Hall of Fame RPG
The Witcher 3 absolutely deserves every one of its perfect review scores – it really is that phenomenal. And while the free promotion has ended, I still wholeheartedly recommend picking it up at full price. Heck, it‘s worth paying double or triple for the staggering amount of quality content.
Or do what I did – set up email alerts and wait for the next discount to grab it for around $15. Either way, The Witcher 3 is mandatory playing for any RPG fan. Just mind the gratuitous gore ‘n nudity and leave the kiddos at home for this one!
