Project Sirius is a game being developed by The Molasses Flood in collaboration with CD Projekt Red, set in The Witcher universe. Unlike their previous productions, this game aims to provide a multiplayer experience in addition to a single-player campaign with quests and a story.
However, in March, it was revealed that work on Project Sirius had come to a halt. CD Projekt Red re-evaluated the original concept, taking into account its scope and commercial potential. The company informed investors that they were in the process of devising a new framework for the game that would better align with their overall strategy.
This news led to concerns when CD Projekt Red filed an impairment charge.
Impairment charges are typically filed by companies to write off assets that have either lost value or have been completely lost. Despite this filing, CD Projekt Red clarified that Project Sirius was not being entirely canceled but was undergoing a re-evaluation process.
The company is focused on formulating a new approach that will be more in line with its strategic goals. While specific details about the revised concept are not provided, it is evident that CD Projekt Red is aiming to create a framework for the game that better suits their overarching strategy and takes into consideration the scope and commercial viability of the project.
Now confirmation has arrived, according to Eurogamer that the development of Project Sirius is back on track but restarted completely with much better-defined financial costs and assets that will go into development re-evaluated completely.
CD Projekt Red does have a tendency to scrap projects deemed unviable, as it has happened once before with Rise of the White Wolf, a Witcher Remake that fell through after millions of dollars were already invested into the project.
Valentina Kraljik is a writer and editor at Game Horizon with a deep love for everything related to video games. With a degree in Information Sciences, she brings a well-informed and unique perspective to her work. Valentina's writing is known for covering a wide range of video game genres, but she truly shines in her expertise in open-world RPGs. From offbeat euro-jank games like "Gothic" to critically acclaimed titles like "The Witcher," Valentina is well-versed in this exciting genre. Her passion for imaginative storytelling is reflected in the topics she writes about, with favorites like "Disco Elysium," "Elder Scrolls: Morrowind," "World of Warcraft," and "Mass Effect" influencing her tastes in games. Even though nothing beats a good high-fantasy setting, she often wanders into the realm of first-person shooters, occasionally even hitting the target. With a commitment to objectivity and insightful analysis, Valentina strives to bring a fresh perspective to the subjects she covers, even when exploring genres that may be unfamiliar to her. Her blend of academic rigor and creative flair sets her apart in the world of media writing.
There’s hardly a gamer out there who hasn’t heard of The Witcher series developed and published by CD Projekt Red. This franchise of extremely popular action-roleplaying games had humble beginnings and over time, it amassed a large following of fans and critics alike. The games themselves serve as sequels to the series of books written by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Even though most fans are familiar with The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, the game that was dubbed “one the greatest games of all time”, not all are familiar with two previous sequels and many spin-off games that were released in between. This is understandable since the third installment in the series was the most polished and received the most publicity. Having said all that, let’s revisit all games in the Witcher series and see in what order should they be played.
How many The Witcher games are there?
There are 3 games in the main The Witcher series, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt having 2 extra DLCs. All three games are directly connected and the story follows the same protagonist Geralt of Rivia and a straight chronological timeline.
The Witcher main series games in order at a glance
The main series started with the release of The Witcher in 2007 and so far, and the last installment in the series is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, released in 2015. Shortly after the release of Wild Hunt, two DLCs followed. Hearts of Stone in 2015 and Blood and Wine in 2016.
The Witcher (2007)
The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings (2011)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone (2015)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (2016)
Are Witcher games connected and do you need to play them in order?
Even though all games in the Witcher series are connected, It’s not necessary to play them in release date order. In fact, most fans started with The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt and then decided to play the first two installments. However, having said all that, by skipping Assassins of Kings you’re going to miss out on the backstory of numerous characters that re-appear in the Witcher 3. For the best experience, story-wise, I recommend you play them in release date order. Even though the later installments do a very good job of explaining characters, world, mechanics, and lore, it would probably be best to start with Witcher 1.
The Witcher games in release date order
The Witcher (2007)
The Witcher released in 2007 had the worst combat, but the best atmosphere overall. What makes this game also different from the rest of the series is the fact that the game was developed in Aurora Engine. In the first Witcher, you will be taking control of Geralt for the first time and you will get to know the world of Witcher. If you by any chance read the books you should be aware that the first entry in the game series is a direct sequel to the book series, more specifically The Lady of the Lake.
Geralt wakes up in Kaer Morhen with amnesia. He is unable to recall who he is and what his purpose is. While Geralt is recovering and Triss Merigold searches for a way to restore his memory, Kaer Morhen is attacked and the mutagens needed to convert other humans into Witchers are stolen, this will mark the beginning of the end for The School of the Wolf.
Geralt tries to find out who is behind the attack and he decides to make his way to Vizima. Vizima is in the meantime torn in a conflict between two extremist factions with a scandalous and unstable King Foltest at the helm. An enhanced edition of the game was released in 2008. The edition brought numerous visual and immersion improvements to the game.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was marked by several things. For starters, it was the first game in the series developed on a custom-made in-house engine called REDengine. The combat was much more improved as well as the overall visuals of the game. The Witcher 2 continue where the first installment left off. An attempt was made on King Foltest’s life, Geralt managed to fend off the assailants, but the second attack happened and this time the assassin managed to slay the king. This leads to Geralt being imprisoned for the murder of the king and his story is checked out by Vernon Roche, the head of the Temerian special forces.
Vernon is a good man and decides that Geralt is innocent. Geralt now has a completely new mission on his hands, he needs to clear his name and discover the perpetrator of the Foltest murder. He will be assisted by Roche and Triss. Throughout the game, Geralt is slowly regaining his memories and learning who he is (he still has amnesia remember!) this sets the stage for the next installment as he recalls more and more about Ciri, The Wild Hunt, and Yennefer of Vengerberg.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
So far (last) and the best entry in the series. The game begins with Geralt receiving a letter from Yennefer, it would seem that Ciri is in danger from the Wild Hunt and Geralt needs to save her. Geralt’s journey starts in the White Orchard, he is accompanied by Vesemir his father and mentor in all but blood. With the help of his loyal companions, Geralt will leave no stone unturned and his search will lead him all over the Continent from the haunted marshes of Velen to the northern shores of Skellige.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone (2015)
This is one of the best DLCs ever made hands down. Hearts of Stone begins when Geralt receives a contract from Olgierd von Everec. He is to hunt a toad monster in the Oxenfurt sewers. On his way to slay the toad, he encounters Shani (medic from Witcher 1). Geralt slays the toad monster and in a surprising twist of events, he discovers the toad is actually a cursed Ofieri prince.
Geralt is now accused of murdering a member of Ofieri royalty and is on his way to be tried and executed when he is suddenly approached and saved by Gaunter O’Dimm. Gaunter O’Dimm is a mysterious figure that appears in the base game, in fact, he is one of the first NPCs you will talk to when you arrive at White Orchard. Over the course of events, you will find out all about Olgierd von Everec’s tragic past and his dealing with malicious Gaunter O’Dimm.
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine (2016)
If Hearts of Stone has the best story, the winner of the most beautiful setting has to be Blood and Wine. This DLC is set after the events of the main story and it takes us to Toussaint, a vassal duchy under the Nilfgaardian Empire. Toussaint is seemingly a fairy-tale kingdom, but even in fairy tales there are horrific nightmarish creatures lurking after dark and Geralt is tasked with slaying one. There has been a string of murders all over Toussaint and everything suggests that a powerful vampire is behind them. With the help of Toussaint’s Duchess Anna Henrietta and an old acquaintance Regis, Geralt will try to put an end to the deadly danger lurking on Toussaint’s idyllic streets.
Will there be more Witcher games?
The future is looking good for the Witcher series as the series will be expanded by both new entries and remasters of the former games. In March of this year, the new entry into the series has been announced. Geralt’s story was officially wrapped up with Blood and Wine and the new entry will serve as a beginning of a completely new trilogy. The new installment of the Witcher series will be built on Unreal Engine 5, leaving behind REDengine 3 on which Wild Hunt was built upon.
We’ll have to wait a while until the new installment is finished, luckily for us, a remake of The Witcher was also announced. The first game in the series will receive Unreal Engine 5 treatment as well. A next-gen update for Witcher 3 has been released back in December of 2022. The update brought many graphics, quality of life, and overall improvements to the game.
Valentina Kraljik is a writer and editor at Game Horizon with a deep love for everything related to video games. With a degree in Information Sciences, she brings a well-informed and unique perspective to her work. Valentina's writing is known for covering a wide range of video game genres, but she truly shines in her expertise in open-world RPGs. From offbeat euro-jank games like "Gothic" to critically acclaimed titles like "The Witcher," Valentina is well-versed in this exciting genre. Her passion for imaginative storytelling is reflected in the topics she writes about, with favorites like "Disco Elysium," "Elder Scrolls: Morrowind," "World of Warcraft," and "Mass Effect" influencing her tastes in games. Even though nothing beats a good high-fantasy setting, she often wanders into the realm of first-person shooters, occasionally even hitting the target. With a commitment to objectivity and insightful analysis, Valentina strives to bring a fresh perspective to the subjects she covers, even when exploring genres that may be unfamiliar to her. Her blend of academic rigor and creative flair sets her apart in the world of media writing.
How Many People Play The Witcher 3 in 2023? (User & Growth Stats)
The Witcher 3 was an extremely popular game on release. This action RPG was dubbed “one of the greatest games of all time” so it’s not a surprise that its player counts reflected that. Now in January 2023, over 7 years after the release of the game we’ve decided to revisit the Witcher 3 and its player count and stats to see how the player base is faring all these years after the initial release date.
Currently The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is played by 44,993players according to Steam Charts, with an average of 46,775.4 players in the last 30 days. This a far cry from the game’s peak which was recorded in January 2020 when 103,329 were playing the game in that month alone. It’s natural to expect that such an older game will somewhat decline in popularity. However, with the new planned releases in the Witcher series, the popularity will surely bounce back.
Now that you know the short answer and how many players currently play the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it’s time to analyze other numbers and stats related to the game. If you’re interested, stay with us and keep reading!
Why was Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt so popular?
In 2015, CD Project published Witcher 3. The game followed the successful release of the second installment in the series. Witcher 3 was praised for its storytelling, depth of characters, narrative and immersion, and overall world-building. By the time all expansions and downloadable content were released and included in the Game of the Year edition, the game sold over 40 million copies which instantly launched it into the sphere of bestselling games of all time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt interest over the years
What players praised the most were Geralt’s backstory of a lone-wolf type of monster hunter and the fact that the game’s open world offered much the explore. Side-quests weren’t just a nuisance to complete but engaging stories of lore that serve to compliment the world of the Witcher. Having said that, it was obvious that the game would be an instant success.
How many people play the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2023?
At the moment of writing this post, 44,993 people play the game. This number is nowhere near all-time high that was recorded in January 2020 when the number reached 103,329 during the whole month. This of course relates only to players on Steam as numbers for other platforms that Witcher 3 is played on are not available. Considering the many consoles and platforms that Witcher 3 is available on the number is likely significantly higher. Still, when it comes to the gain/loss of player trend, we have a decent picture of the player numbers and interest over the last 6 months. This can be seen in the table below with data provided by Steam Charts.
As you can see from the provided table, there is a mixed trend of declining and rising interest in Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. The game recorded losses in player numbers in the months of October and September only to regain them in the last 30 days. The popularity and player base of the game skyrocketed in the month of December due to the release of the Witcher 3: Nex Gen update that brought many improvements to the game.
At the moment of writing this post, 7,615 people watch The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Twitch according to the data provided by Twitch Tracker. The numbers paint a picture of lessened interest and the current number is far cry from the peak that happened on August 17th, 2020 when 90,314 viewers were streaming Witcher 3-related content on Twitch.
The number of channels that stream The Witcher 3 content ranks well with 151 currently live channels and 241 channels over a period of the last 7 days. The peak related to channels happened on January 4th, 2020 when 701 channels streamed Witcher 3. Currently, The Witcher is #49 when it comes to the ranking of the most popular games with 1,059,932 hours of content watched in the last 7 days. In-depth statistics related to the viewers and channels can be seen in the table below for the last 6 months.
As you can see the number from Twitch reflect the rising trend of popularity and interest since the release of the Next Gen update the number of interest and viewers on Twitch has risen by +1.1K%. The trend of popularity will likely continue but will slowly decrease over time.
Will The Witcher 3 be popular again?
There’s no doubt that the Witcher 3 will be popular again. Several announcements have been made in the last few months regarding the continuation of the franchise. For starters, in the March of this year, it has been revealed that a new trilogy in the franchise, focusing on a different character is starting. Nothing is known regarding the gameplay and the protagonist as of now but what we do know is that the game will be made in Unreal Engine 5.
Unreal Engine 5 will also be used for Witcher 1 remake was also announced. Considering everything, it’s just a matter of time before the numbers skyrocket again.
Valentina Kraljik is a writer and editor at Game Horizon with a deep love for everything related to video games. With a degree in Information Sciences, she brings a well-informed and unique perspective to her work. Valentina's writing is known for covering a wide range of video game genres, but she truly shines in her expertise in open-world RPGs. From offbeat euro-jank games like "Gothic" to critically acclaimed titles like "The Witcher," Valentina is well-versed in this exciting genre. Her passion for imaginative storytelling is reflected in the topics she writes about, with favorites like "Disco Elysium," "Elder Scrolls: Morrowind," "World of Warcraft," and "Mass Effect" influencing her tastes in games. Even though nothing beats a good high-fantasy setting, she often wanders into the realm of first-person shooters, occasionally even hitting the target. With a commitment to objectivity and insightful analysis, Valentina strives to bring a fresh perspective to the subjects she covers, even when exploring genres that may be unfamiliar to her. Her blend of academic rigor and creative flair sets her apart in the world of media writing.
What Do Witcher 3 Potions Do? Every Effect Explained
Crafting is an important part of every Witcher 3 playthrough. Depending on your chosen difficulty, you will have to rely on numerous potions that you can craft as a part of alchemy mechanics. Potions affect numerous attributes and some special mechanics. Some potions are implemented to give you that extra few health points you need to survive, and some are implemented as a quality of life improvements that allow you to further customize your character without making any drastic changes.
In today’s post, we’re going to cover everything there is to know regarding Witcher 3 potions and how to use them, as well as explain their effects.
Where do I get potions in Witcher 3?
You need to craft your own potions in Witcher 3, and you can do that by learning their recipes. Recipes for potions or decoctions are found while you are exploring the world or can simply be bought while you’re visiting alchemy shops or herbalists around the shops.
Once you’ve acquired the recipe, you will need to have corresponding ingredients to craft a certain potion.
Alchemy menu can be used to craft bombs, dyes and other alchemical substances as well
Some potions are created with ingredients and other substances that you can run into while you’re exploring the Continent. Some potions, however, called decoctions, require the usage of special monster mutagens. You get mutagens when you slay specific monsters.
Ingredients are only used the first time you craft a potion and when you’re upgrading a certain potion. Even though you’re drinking potions regularly, you can replenish them via meditation. Keep in mind that alcohol will be used to replenish potions in your inventory. Alchohest is used by default, but in the absence of Alcohest, any type of alcohol can be used.
What is the difference between potions and decoctions in Witcher 3: Wild Hunt?
Decoctions are a type of potion introduced in Witcher 3. They are very similar to potions, with some major differences when it comes to effects, the consequence of using them, and when it comes to crafting. First, to craft a decoction, you will need a specific monster mutagen. For example, crafting Basilisk decoction requires Basilisk mutagen. It’s recommended that you do as many contracts as possible to gain access to special types of monsters that drop unique mutagens.
The second major difference is the fact that decoctions are generally more powerful and have longer-lasting effects when compared to normal potions. However, this fact is balanced out by the rather high toxicity that follows if you ingest too many decoctions in a short amount of time. Decoctions are powerful and more beneficial than most regular potions; however, they have a detrimental effect on Geralt’s health due to containing various monster mutagens.
Meditation is not required to consume potions but it is required to replenish them
Decoctions also cannot be upgraded further in a way that normal potions can. Normal potions in Witcher 3 come in three levels, so to speak, normal, enhanced, and superior. This is not the case with decoctions as they come in only the “normal” version.
You can use decoctions only twice before they have to be replenished via meditation.
How do you use potions in Witcher 3?
You can use potions and decoctions in Witcher 3 by activating them in your inventory or by assigning certain potions to hotkeys. Pressing a certain hotkey during combat to which the potion has been assigned will allow you to consume a potion without going to your inventory. It’s an overall useful system but nothing complicated and revolutionary. Potions are an important part of gameplay and a crucial part if you’re playing on the hardest difficulties.
Assigning certain potions to hotkeys will allow you to consume them during combat quickly
Witcher 3 is not a difficult game by itself, but playing on Blood & Broken Bones difficulty or Death March difficulty will require you to actively craft potions and use them since your default stats will not be enough in some situations, especially when it comes to boss fights.
Potions provide you with numerous beneficial effects, and in the rest of this post, we’re going to explain them in a bit more depth.
Generally, Witcher 3 potions and decoctions can be sorted into several groups. Some potions affect your vitality, some affect your damage and signs, and some provide you with completely unique effects.
Many potions, especially enhanced and superior versions, have several effects, but since we’re only going to explain base versions of every potion, we’re going to sort potions according to their primary effect.
Potions that affect adrenaline
Adrenaline is one of the mechanics that can be converted into points that, in turn, allows you to perform extremely powerful attacks. Battle Trance is the core ability that generates adrenaline points. Some potions can affect your adrenaline points as well.
The primary potions that affect adrenaline are Alghoul decoction and Maribor Forest.
Potions that affect signs
Sings are forms of simple magic that Witchers can cast as a part of their combat tactics. Sings usually have offensive effects against monsters but can be utilized in a defensive manner as well. Most signs can be improved via leveling, but some potions affect them as well.
Potions like Ancient leshen decoction, Basilisk decoction, Foglet decoction, Forktail decoction, Petri’s Philter, and Reinald’s Philter can be used to improve signs or allow you to cast more of them in a short amount of time which would otherwise be impossible.
Potions that affect damage
The main goal of any fight is to deal as much damage as you can while, in turn, receiving less damage. Alchemical potions can provide you with effects that can increase your damage by increasing your attack damage or providing you with an additional chance to critically strike an enemy.
Such potions are Archgriffin decoction, Doppler decoction, Katakan decoction, Leshen decoction, Succubus decoction, Thunderbolt, Water hag decoction, and Wyvern decoction.
You can utilize potions to decrease any damage sent your way. The only potion, however that reduces damage based on your armor weight is Arachas decoction, crafted with Arachas mutagen.
Potions that affect wildlife and aggressive mobs
Potions that affect wildlife or aggressive mobs are often part of certain quests. For example, you need Drowner pheromones to temporarily stop them from attacking you so you can complete a quest. This doesn’t mean, however, that the potion doesn’t have its uses outside of that certain quest. Potions that affect wildlife and aggressive mobs are as follows: Bear pheromones, Black Blood, Drowner pheromones, and Nekker pheromones.
Resistance potions
Some potions provide you with beneficial resistance effects, be it some forms of magic, damage, or effects that some monsters can have on your various attributes. For example, Chort decoction provides you with a single resistance effect. It gives you complete resistance to the Stagger effect. Earth elemental decoction provides you with resistance to vitality-depleting critical effects applied during combat. There are many uses for resistance effects, but they are mostly utilized during combat.
Resistance potions in Witcher 3 are as follows: Chort decoction, Earth elemental decoction, Golden Oriole, Noonwraith decoction, and Reliever’s decoction.
Potions with unique effects
Many potions that you can craft during Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can provide you with some unique and special effects. Since it’s difficult, to sum up all unique effects in a single sentence that best describes them all, we’re going to be a convenient list that sums up the effects of each unique potion the best. Unique potions in Witcher 3 are as follows:
Blizzard – improves reflexes and reaction time by slowing time. Best used before you engage a foe that can move really fast, jump around, or teleport.
Cat- provides you with a night-vision effect perfect for exploring crypts, caves, and other poor-lit areas.
Cockatrice decoction- provides you with one additional usage of all alchemical creations. Useful when you’re running out of important decoctions and potions in combat and meditation is not available.
Fiend decoction – increases your maximum carry weight for a limited time.
Nekker warrior decoction – makes Roach never panic. Increases mounted combat damage.
Pops’ mold antidote – gives you temporary immunity to pops’ mold that can be found underneath the bathhouse in Novigrad. This is a quest item and has little use outside of the specific quest.
Potion of Clearance- allows you to redistribute their ability points and spend them elsewhere without needing to restart your character. This potion allows you to the mistakes you made while leveling your character. At first, the potion could only be bought from certain merchants. With the introduction of New Game+, the potion can rarely be found in chests as a part of regular loot.
White Honey – This potion allows you to clear the toxicity that you have accumulated over a period of time, but it also cancels other beneficial effects.
Wolven Hour- temporarily lowers all level requirements for equipping items by 2. This potion was added to fix a change made to the game that rendered many players locked out of the items that they previously used due to changes in leveling. Wolven Hour cannot be replenished and may only be consumed once
Potion of Restoration – this potion was added with Blood & Wine expansion, and it allowed the players to redistribute their ability points that were used for mutations without returning the mutagens used. It works similarly to Potion of Clearance, and likewise, it can only be acquired from merchants.
Vitality is the bar that tracks the overall health points you have at your disposal before you die. It’s one of the most important attributes in the game, and several potions affect it. Some potions grant you increased vitality over a certain period of time, and some work by restoring health for a certain amount of points.
The potions that affect vitality are Ekhidna decoction, Ekimmara decoction, Full Moon, Griffin decoction, Nightwraith decoction, Swallow, Troll decoction, White Raffard’s Decoction, and Wraith decoction.
Potions that affect stamina
Stamina affects your physical performance and many other resistance-based effects. It also affects how well you can regenerate vitality. Two potions in the game mainly affect stamina, and those are: Tawny Owl and Werewolf decoction.
As you can see, there are plenty of potions in the game, and the system might seem complicated at first. As long as you read the description of every potion and you’re being careful with what you’re drinking and when you’re going to get the hang of the system in no time.
Valentina Kraljik is a writer and editor at Game Horizon with a deep love for everything related to video games. With a degree in Information Sciences, she brings a well-informed and unique perspective to her work. Valentina's writing is known for covering a wide range of video game genres, but she truly shines in her expertise in open-world RPGs. From offbeat euro-jank games like "Gothic" to critically acclaimed titles like "The Witcher," Valentina is well-versed in this exciting genre. Her passion for imaginative storytelling is reflected in the topics she writes about, with favorites like "Disco Elysium," "Elder Scrolls: Morrowind," "World of Warcraft," and "Mass Effect" influencing her tastes in games. Even though nothing beats a good high-fantasy setting, she often wanders into the realm of first-person shooters, occasionally even hitting the target. With a commitment to objectivity and insightful analysis, Valentina strives to bring a fresh perspective to the subjects she covers, even when exploring genres that may be unfamiliar to her. Her blend of academic rigor and creative flair sets her apart in the world of media writing.
