Current Events > Do you have to play Witcher 1 and 2 before #3?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I watched the show, was pretty good, and I was thinking about getting the Witcher 3 for the Switch, need a new game. Will I be totally lost since I havent played the others?

---

Always order of release

I have only tried witcher 1 and did not get very far. but I do know this. even starting at 1 is still not the beginning of the story. the games are all technically sequels to a series of novels but I have not read them. if you REALLY want to start at the begging you need to track down the books

I loved 1 and 2, and they introduce key characters, factions, develop the world, etc. but 3 is written in a way that you can just hop in without playing 1 and 2 and still understand more or less what's going on. In fact, the story doesn't really carry over from 1/2 to begin with.

---

Nah. Would maybe read the plot summaries on Wikipedia, at least.

2 is worth a play through, but I never could get into 1

---

The games are sequential, but you don't need to play them to know what's going on.

---

I enjoyed 2 immensely. Could not make it far in the first one at all.

---

Does the show provide good background? Or will this spoil like all the future seasons?

---

I heard the show is based on the books I think. so they are prequels to the games

Zikten posted...

I heard the show is based on the books I think. so they are prequels to the games

More like the games are fanfic sequels to the books, and I only say that because the books are the original source material.

AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

Does the show provide good background? Or will this spoil like all the future seasons?

The show/books will help explain characters that the first two games don't. Nothing will be spoiled by playing the games, they're separate stories.

---

AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

Does the show provide good background? Or will this spoil like all the future seasons?

The show provides the backbone for the games, as the games are functional sequels for the novels. The stories of the games are built from events in the books, but they aren't central to the game's immediate plot. They're more character fleshing than plot points.

---