The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt recently got a second life with Remastered, reminding players that the game is still the king of open-world RPGs more than a decade on. While it remains unbeaten in areas like its central narrative, atmosphere, characters, side stories, and multi-regional world, other aspects aren’t as flawless, prompting CD Projekt Red to tweak its combat and progression.

Still, some RPGs, even smaller ones, have managed to achieve what The Witcher 3 couldn’t, even in its Remastered version. For this list, I’ve tried to find underrated or lesser-known games that go further in specific but important areas and could even serve as inspiration for the upcoming Witcher 4. The focus is on mechanics and elements already in Wild Hunt, executed better or in greater depth elsewhere, so we won’t call something “better” if The Witcher 3 doesn’t even touch it, like stealth or a party system.

Just for clarity, the games below aren’t necessarily better than The Witcher 3 overall; they arguably achieve more in one particular area.

Outward: Definitive Edition is as far from The Witcher 3’s focus as it gets, with its unrestricted nature, lighter emphasis on a central narrative, and survival elements defining the experience. Still, it delivers a world that feels dangerous through mechanics like weather, disease, sleep, hydration, and supplies. Many RPGs do that, and The Witcher 3 sort of taps into it with dynamic weather, food and drink for HP recovery, and meditation to pass the time. It’s hard to shake the feeling that Wild Hunt could be even more interesting if these elements mattered more for survival, extending your preparation beyond picking the right tools for a particular monster.

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