Cyberpunk 2077 vs. The Witcher 3: A Lengthy Comparison
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The age-old question for fans of CD Projekt Red‘s sprawling RPGs: Is Cyberpunk 2077 a longer game than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? The short answer, unequivocally, is no. While both titles offer immersive experiences with rich narratives and compelling characters, The Witcher 3 boasts a significantly longer playtime, especially when considering side quests, expansions, and overall completion. Let’s dive into the details.
Main Story Length: A Stark Difference
Numerous sources, including interviews with the developers and player data aggregators like “howlongtobeat,” point to a clear disparity in the main story lengths of the two games.
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: The core narrative of The Witcher 3 typically takes players around 50-55 hours to complete.
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Cyberpunk 2077: Cyberpunk 2077’s main storyline is considerably shorter, averaging around 25-30 hours.
This initial comparison reveals a significant difference of approximately 20-25 hours in favor of The Witcher 3. However, the story doesn’t end there. To fully gauge the length and replayability we need to explore the side content.
Exploring Side Quests and the Open World
While the main story length favors The Witcher 3, both games are renowned for their expansive open worlds teeming with side quests, activities, and points of interest.
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The Witcher 3: Completing all side quests and points of interest in The Witcher 3 can easily add another 50-70 hours to the game’s playtime.
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Cyberpunk 2077: Cyberpunk 2077 offers a wealth of side content as well, though perhaps not as extensive as The Witcher 3. Completing the game 100% will take you just over 100 hours.
Expansion Packs: Adding Even More Hours
Both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 have received substantial expansion packs that significantly extend their playtime.
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The Witcher 3: With DLCs Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, The Witcher 3 easily exceeds 100 hours for a complete playthrough. Blood and Wine increases the level cap up to 100.
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Cyberpunk 2077: The Phantom Liberty DLC added substantial content to Cyberpunk 2077, however, it still doesn’t bring the overall playtime on par with The Witcher 3.
Map Size and Exploration
The size and density of the game worlds also play a crucial role in determining the overall playtime and sense of exploration.
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The Witcher 3: The Witcher 3 offers a map 6 times bigger than Cyberpunk 2077.
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Cyberpunk 2077: Night City offers vertical exploration with a lot of detail.
While Cyberpunk 2077 has its areas taken up by water, and may not be totally explorable, it can offer a new way to explore a world in the game thanks to the Update 2.0.
Replayability and Multiple Endings
Both games offer high replayability thanks to branching storylines, multiple endings, and diverse character builds.
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The Witcher 3: The game has earned a position of the longest single player game, even though the completionist time is 189 hours, not as long as some other completionist times.
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Cyberpunk 2077: With multiple endings, with two secret endings, you can see that it will be a challenge to get them all.
Conclusion: The Verdict
Ultimately, The Witcher 3 is the longer game. Its main story, side quests, and expansion packs combine to offer a more extended and immersive experience than Cyberpunk 2077.
The choice between the two depends on player preferences. If you prefer a shorter, more focused narrative, Cyberpunk 2077 might be a better fit. However, if you’re looking for a sprawling epic with countless hours of content, The Witcher 3 remains the champion.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How many hours does it take to 100% Cyberpunk 2077?
Completing Cyberpunk 2077 to 100%, including all side missions, achievements, and maxing out your character, will take around 100 hours on average.
2. What is the max level in Cyberpunk 2077?
The maximum level in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 is 60, up from the original level cap of 50.
3. Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing in 2024?
Absolutely! With numerous patches, updates, and the release of the Phantom Liberty expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 is now in a much better state than at launch and offers a compelling and immersive experience.
4. How many endings does Cyberpunk 2077 have?
Cyberpunk 2077 has five main endings, plus two secret endings that require specific choices and actions to unlock.
5. Is the Cyberpunk 2077 map bigger than The Witcher 3 map?
No, the map in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is significantly larger than the map in Cyberpunk 2077, nearly 6 times larger.
6. Is Ciri from The Witcher in Cyberpunk 2077?
While there are teases and references to Ciri in Cyberpunk 2077, she does not make a physical appearance in the game. There are magazine covers featuring her likeness.
7. How long is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt if I only focus on the main story?
Focusing solely on the main objectives in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will take approximately 51½ hours.
8. What is the maximum level in The Witcher 3?
The maximum level in The Witcher 3 is 70 when playing the base game or with the Hearts of Stone expansion. The Blood and Wine expansion increases the cap to 100.
9. Why is The Witcher 3 so long?
The Witcher 3 is long due to its extensive main story, numerous side quests, a large open world, and two substantial expansion packs. It offers a deep and immersive RPG experience.
10. Can you max out all attributes in Cyberpunk 2077?
No, you cannot max out all attributes to level 20 in Cyberpunk 2077. You can only max out three of the five attributes.
11. Does difficulty affect experience points (XP) in Cyberpunk 2077?
The rate of XP changes depending on the difficulty, and the three activities give out around about the same amount of XP.
12. What is the best starting lifepath in Cyberpunk 2077 for new players?
The Nomad lifepath is often recommended for new players as it provides a combat experience and helps them understand the game’s mechanics.
13. Is Cyberpunk 2077 a true open-world game?
Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world game set in the sprawling metropolis of Night City, although its open-world design has faced some criticism regarding its reactivity and depth.
14. Is Cyberpunk 2077 more violent than GTA V?
Cyberpunk 2077 can be considered more violent due to the potentially higher amount of gore, cybernetic augmentations, and generally darker themes.
15. When should I start playing the Phantom Liberty expansion in Cyberpunk 2077?
It is recommended to begin Phantom Liberty after unlocking the Act 3 mission “Nocturne Op55N1”.