CD Projekt Red established the gold standard for open-world narrative role-playing through the morally gray adventures of Geralt of Rivia, poignant side-quest writing, and a massive living Continent.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became the benchmark by which all subsequent open-world RPGs were measured. Rejecting generic fetch-quest fillers, CD Projekt Red crafted every single contract, village encounter, and main questline with deep emotional weight and moral ambiguity.
The story of the Bloody Baron in Velen remains one of gaming's greatest narrative triumphs—exploring domestic abuse, regret, curse folklore, and family breakdown where no choice yielded a purely happy fairy-tale ending.
From the windswept trees and swamp terrors of No Man’s Land to the bustling cobblestone streets of Novigrad and the Nordic peaks of the Skellige Isles, the world felt historically grounded, culturally vibrant, and rich in folklore.
Beyond giving away 16 free DLC packs at launch, the later expansions Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine proved so expansive and masterfully written that they rivals full standalone games.
A legendary year featuring FromSoftware's Victorian cosmic horror, post-apocalyptic Boston, and Kojima's espionage finale.
The sweeping dark fantasy role-playing benchmark celebrated for story nuance, world design, and Geralt's journey.
Hidetaka Miyazaki’s gothic Victorian cosmic horror masterpiece with aggressive trick weapons and the rally heal system.
The post-nuclear Commonwealth sandbox featuring in-depth base settlement construction, weapon crafting, and power armor.
The pinnacle of tactical stealth freedom with the Fox Engine, buddy mechanics, and Mother Base Fulton extraction.
Nintendo's creative revolution handing the tools of legendary Mario level design into the hands of millions of creators.
The Witcher 3 earned major honors: