Is Cyberpunk Longer Than Witcher? A Deep Dive into Game Length and Content
No, Cyberpunk 2077 is generally not longer than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. While individual experiences may vary based on playstyle, completionist tendencies, and engagement with side content, The Witcher 3 generally offers a significantly longer playtime, especially when expansions are considered. Let’s delve deeper into why this is the case, considering factors like main story length, side quests, map design, and overall content volume.
Comparing Main Story Length
The primary difference in playtime lies in the core narrative. As confirmed by Patrick Mills, a senior quest designer at CD Projekt Red, the “main story run in Cyberpunk 2077 is slightly shorter than The Witcher 3.” This statement is backed by data from websites like “HowLongToBeat,” which estimates the main story of The Witcher 3 to average around 51 hours, compared to Cyberpunk 2077’s approximately 21 hours. This is a substantial difference, suggesting a more focused and streamlined narrative in Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red itself acknowledged that they received complaints about The Witcher 3’s main story being too long, influencing their design choices for Cyberpunk 2077.
Examining Side Content and Completion Time
While the main story of Cyberpunk 2077 might be shorter, the presence of substantial side content needs to be considered. Both games offer a plethora of side quests, gigs, and open-world activities that can significantly extend playtime. However, The Witcher 3’s side quests are renowned for their depth, storytelling, and impact on the game world. Completing the main story along with “most of the important side stuff” in Cyberpunk 2077 will likely take around 45-50 hours. To achieve 100% completion in Cyberpunk 2077 may take around 103 hours.
The Witcher 3, however, offers an even greater playtime for completionists. To fully explore The Witcher 3, including all side quests, monster contracts, and exploration, players can easily spend over 100 hours. Adding the expansions “Hearts of Stone” and “Blood and Wine” significantly extends playtime; achieving complete 100% in The Witcher 3, including expansions can take approximately 173 hours, more than that of Cyberpunk 2077.
Map Size and Density: Quality vs. Quantity
The discussion of game length naturally leads to a comparison of the game worlds. While The Witcher 3 boasts a larger overall map size, Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City is often described as “denser”. This means that within a smaller area, Cyberpunk 2077 offers a higher concentration of activities, NPCs, and environmental details. Night City is a vertical metropolis filled with intricate alleyways, towering skyscrapers, and a bustling street life. In contrast, The Witcher 3 features a more geographically diverse world, encompassing sprawling forests, vast swamps, and picturesque villages. While Cyberpunk 2077 offers a meticulously detailed urban environment, The Witcher 3 has the “biggest open world map of all time”.
The Role of Player Choice and Replayability
Both games offer choices that impact the narrative and ending, leading to a degree of replayability. Cyberpunk 2077 has six different endings depending on player choices and actions. The Witcher 3 has multiple endings as well. The degree to which a player engages with these choices and explores different outcomes will influence their total playtime.
Genre Differences and Gameplay Styles
The Witcher 3 is a fantasy action RPG with a focus on monster hunting and sword-based combat, the Cyberpunk’s gameplay centers around a futuristic setting with shooting mechanics, hacking, and character customization. The difference in genre and gameplay impacts how players approach the games and how long they spend engaging with different aspects of the experience.
Conclusion
While Cyberpunk 2077 offers a compelling and immersive experience, The Witcher 3 generally provides a longer overall playtime due to its lengthier main story, extensive side content, and larger open world. The choice between the two ultimately depends on personal preferences. For players seeking a dense and focused cyberpunk experience with a shorter narrative, Cyberpunk 2077 may be preferable. For those seeking a vast and sprawling fantasy adventure with a richer story and more extensive world to explore, The Witcher 3 remains the longer and arguably more content-rich experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Cyberpunk 2077 bigger than The Witcher 3?
In terms of map size, The Witcher 3 offers a bigger map. However, Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City is considered denser, with more activities packed into a smaller area. The Witcher 3 focuses on outdoor exploration, while Cyberpunk 2077’s is an immersive urban environment.
2. Is the Cyberpunk 2077 story long?
The main story of Cyberpunk 2077 is relatively shorter than The Witcher 3, taking around 24 hours on average to beat, but it has six endings to discover. However, the six endings will take more time in game.
3. Is Cyberpunk 2077 smaller than The Witcher 3?
While Cyberpunk 2077’s main story is shorter, the overall game world is more dense than The Witcher 3’s, focusing on verticality and urban density instead of a bigger open world.
4. How many hours is Cyberpunk 2077 total?
If you only want to play the main story, Cyberpunk 2077 takes 24.5 hours. With main and side quests it takes around 45-50 hours, with 100% completion taking around 103 hours.
5. How many hours is The Witcher 3?
The Witcher 3 takes 51.5 hours to beat just the main story. To complete the main story, side quests, contracts and explore the open world it can take more than 100 hours. For 100% completion with expansions, it takes around 173 hours.
6. Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth it?
Cyberpunk 2077 is worth it to play in 2024, especially with the 2.0 patch and Phantom Liberty improving the game’s overall experience.
7. How many endings does Cyberpunk 2077 have?
Cyberpunk 2077 has five different endings based on player choices. Each requires specific dialogue options, main jobs, and major side jobs.
8. Is Ciri from The Witcher in Cyberpunk 2077?
Ciri is referenced in Cyberpunk 2077, specifically in a magazine cover.
9. Is Cyberpunk 2077 like The Witcher 3?
Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 are from different genres and have different gameplay and combat styles. Cyberpunk 2077 is sci-fi-based with shooting mechanics and customization, while The Witcher 3 is fantasy-based with sword combat and monster hunting.
10. Is Cyberpunk 2077 an open-world game?
Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world game set in the urban environment of Night City.
11. How does Cyberpunk 2077’s density compare to other open-world games?
Cyberpunk 2077 prioritizes the urban environment over a vast landscape. Instead of being the largest or widest open-world, it is the densest. Games Learning Society have studies on how density affects player engagement. Feel free to check out GamesLearningSociety.org for additional resources.
12. What are the key differences in gameplay between Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3?
Cyberpunk 2077 features first-person perspective, shooting mechanics, and character customization, while The Witcher 3 uses third-person perspective, sword combat, and monster hunting.
13. Is Cyberpunk 2077 a demanding game?
Cyberpunk 2077 is not demanding on PC due to optimizations and patches.
14. Is Cyberpunk 2077 heavier than The Witcher 3?
Cyberpunk 2077’s dense urban environment may require more processing power compared to The Witcher 3’s open world.
15. Is it possible to achieve 100% completion in Cyberpunk 2077 in a single playthrough?
Yes, it is possible to achieve 100% completion in Cyberpunk 2077 in one playthrough, which takes approximately 60 to 90 hours depending on individual gameplay.