The Outlast Trials
The Outlast Trials
Game
Game2018
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Developer CD PROJEKT RED
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales (Polish: Wojna Krwi: Wiedźmińskie Opowieści, meaning "War of Blood: The Witcher Tales") is a role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red. It is a spin-off of The Witcher video game franchise, and acts as the standalone single-player component for Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. Thronebreaker was released in October 2018 for Windows, on 4 December 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
281 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
83
LovedLoved
172 positive · 34 negative
95% range 78–88%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 172 | 34 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 28 | 1 | 31 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 1 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
4,457 of 5,104 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
84% recommend · 162 yes, 31 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 193 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (15,636 of 17,416 positive).
Players widely praise the story, writing, voice acting, art, and music as top-notch. [1][2][3][4] Some reviewers note the card combat is fun but can feel repetitive or puzzle-heavy. [5][6][7][8] A few players dislike the lack of deckbuilding and the forced puzzle battles. [9][10][11][12]
Liked
Representative posts
- [9]
I just wanted to build decks and play Gwent with a cool story. There are far too many Gwent puzzles to actual matches. It's not for me. Every time I'm given a "Gwent Puzzle", I felt annoyed. Instead of just making a Gwent Battler with a story, they drop feed you cards at specific times to make you play their way until they say otherwise. I played a Skellige deck in the stand-alone Gwent game when that was still …
- [1]
Shame we did not get more games like this. Phenomenal story, heavy decisions with equally heavy consequences, great characters, great art. And to top it banger soundtracks!
- [13]
Thronebreaker is CD Projekt Red's card-based RPG spin-off from the Gwent universe, but story comes first here — and it delivers. This isn't just a card game with a plot slapped on; it's a genuinely engaging RPG wrapped around solid card combat. You play as Queen Meve of Lyria, who takes the throne after her son proves unfit to rule. When Nilfgaard invades and internal rebellions break out, Meve is dethroned and sets …
- [16]
It's crazy how good this game is. And I'm not even a fan of Gwent or even CCGs / TCGs in general. Amazing story (not your typical good-vs-evil fantasy setting), amazing writing, amazing voice acting (Polish at least), amazing art style and card animations. Outside of battles, gameplay is simple and satisfying. Standard battles are a bit stressful for me due to their semi-random nature, so I really appreciate that …
- [2]
Top notch art direction and voice acting supplementing a really well-crafted epic tale that elevates a competent card battler, built on top of solid Gwent minigame mechanics with added puzzle elements, into a first-class RPG. A great story driven companion piece to the Witcher III.
Summarised from 34 of the 268 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
84% of the 193 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. The complaint that keeps coming up: too many puzzle battles. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game did not meet the sales expectations of CD Projekt Red because of GOG.com's small audience at the time.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 281 · most liked firstHappy 7th anniversary to my favorite game of all time, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales 💖
positive · AI labelView post →You know what game was really good and that people don't talk about enough? Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
positive · AI labelView post →I just wanted to build decks and play Gwent with a cool story. There are far too many Gwent puzzles to actual matches. It's not for me. Every time I'm given a "Gwent Puzzle", I felt annoyed. Instead of just making a Gwent Battler with a story, they drop feed you cards at specific times to make you play their way until they say otherwise. I played a Skellige deck in the stand-alone Gwent game when that was still active. Most people who come here already know Gwent. I don't know, it's just a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wish I could just play the game instead of special rules every single battle
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you see this, quote with 10 games to get to know you by: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales Red Dead Redemption 2 Baldur's Gate 3 The Curse of Monkey Island Dishonored Pokemon Silver Witcher 3 Stardew Valley Gwent: The Witcher Card Game Timberborne
neutral · AI labelView post →[Prime/GOG] Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. Card-based RPG for Windows, free on GOG for Amazon Prime subscribers until 23rd October >Thronebreaker is a single player role-playing game set in the world of The Witcher that combines narrative-driven exploration with unique puzzles and card battle mechanics. >Crafted by the developers responsible for some of the most iconic moments in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the game spins a truly regal tale of Meve, a war veteran and queen of two Northern…
neutral · AI labelView post →They also created a standalone, story based Gwent card game that is pretty good, just in case you didn't know: [Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales](https://www.gog.com/en/game/thronebreaker_the_witcher_tales)
neutral · AI labelView post →Shame we did not get more games like this. Phenomenal story, heavy decisions with equally heavy consequences, great characters, great art. And to top it banger soundtracks!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vampire RPG From Ex-Witcher Devs Gets Grim And Blood Trailer. What if the next Witcher game starred a vampire instead of Geralt? That’s one of the selling points behind The Blood of Dawnwalker, a new RPG from some of the masterminds behind The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Rebel Wolves, formed in 2022 by a bunch of ex-CD Projekt Red developers, revealed the game this week in a new teasertrailer. It looks pretty legit. >The first game in what the studio hopes will be an entire new RPG saga, The…
neutral · AI labelView post →If there's anything I'm excited when it comes to Witcher 4 its P.T. Adamczyk making more music for cdpr games. His tracks for Gwent and Thronebreaker are top tier game soundtrack. Music is going to be killer www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRGz...
neutral · AI labelView post →[Humble / Steam] Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales ($3.99 / 80% off). Single-player Gwent
neutral · AI labelView post →Breaking my nine-month social media hiatus to urge everyone with access to a phone to play Thronebreaker ASAP. I adore this game and, if you have any interest in Witcher whatsoever, you will too. One of my absolute favourite video game stories
positive · AI labelView post →I just wanted to fool around with the silly card game I quite enjoyed in the Witcher 3, but 9/10 card events in this game are set up as puzzles, with fixed enemies, fixed card selections, and anal special rules that give you one singular solution for getting through any of it. Zero replay value, absolutely not what I wanted or expected.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Game Bundle] Happy Holidays with GOG RPGs. *This bundle requires linking your GOG.com and Humble Bundle accounts in order to redeem the games. $8: * Kingdom Come: Deliverance * Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales * Elex * Vampyr $12: All above, plus: * Wasteland 3: Colorado Collection * Greedfall Gold Edition * Darksiders III: Deluxe Edition
neutral · AI labelView post →Never played Gwent in Witcher 3, don't really care for card games either. So when I say that this game is S-tier in terms of gameplay, story, and music, keep that in mind. It doesn't matter if you don't like card games either, because this one is actually fun, trust me. You like the world of Witcher? Buy this game and play it. You won't regret it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Top notch art direction and voice acting supplementing a really well-crafted epic tale that elevates a competent card battler, built on top of solid Gwent minigame mechanics with added puzzle elements, into a first-class RPG. A great story driven companion piece to the Witcher III.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have mixed, but generally positive feelings about the game. The narrative, art, worldbuilding, soundtrack, voice acting and moral dilemmas were all amazing and led the game to have a very polished feel. Would easily recommend the game for anyone wanting that experience. However the strategy elements of the Gwent card game and resource management felt underdeveloped. I've never played the multiplayer Gwent, but have a lot of experience with other collectable card games, so played on the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cyberpunk 2077 is already a FPS with ninja-esque features (melee, dash, double jump, ...), and driving. That's already pretty different from a third person medieval fantasy sword and magic gameplay. Unless they want to really change and do RTS or turn-based combat. PS : Gwent/Thronebreaker was already quite different too
neutral · AI labelView post →I bought this thinking it was a Gwent deck building game but that's not really what this game is about. The story is great, almost entirely voice acted and its very entertaining. The majority of the game is spent scouring the map for resources and doing Gwent puzzles I did honestly enjoy the puzzles, but there's no deckbuilding, the cards in your hand are preset. You just have to deduce the solution. There are very few regular battles that actually use your deck. You can play though the whole…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A visual novel with elements of card play. I like Gwent and enjoyed the differently themed puzzles. But the main strength of the game is definitely the AMAZING story, and not a short one, with various lesser evil type choices to make. If not another Gwent, I hope CD Projekt Red will look into creating some game with a similar art style and story flow as here.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you're into the witcher series I recommend this game, it's very well done. even if you're hesitant about the gameplay like I was, give it a try. It pulled me in and I'm glad played it through.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't believe I didn't know this game existed. Completely flew under the radar. It's truly amazing. The art, voice acting, story, characters, fun gwent-like combat...just wow. Highly, highly recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The core of this game is not its card mechanics, but the choices players are forced to make under moral dilemmas.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I often find myself thinking about Thronebreaker, such an incredible game that truly deserved more recognition! The animated cards, the characters and the music still live rent-free in my mind.
positive · AI labelView post →I’ve been playing Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. Both the isometric RPG part and the Gwent card game part are substandard to what you could play elsewhere but I love Gwent so much that I’m still enjoying it, plus the writing and voice acting is compelling.
neutral · AI labelView post →𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕣 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝔾𝕎𝔼ℕ𝕋 (𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕘𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕣), 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕠𝕟𝕖. Thronebreaker is a single-player Card-Battler adventure that takes place in the Witcher universe. It's so RPG-like because it takes place in an open world where you move your character, and the card part only comes up once you initiate a battle. I'll not review much because this is a Card game, so your experience will be…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thronebreaker is CD Projekt Red's card-based RPG spin-off from the Gwent universe, but story comes first here — and it delivers. This isn't just a card game with a plot slapped on; it's a genuinely engaging RPG wrapped around solid card combat. You play as Queen Meve of Lyria, who takes the throne after her son proves unfit to rule. When Nilfgaard invades and internal rebellions break out, Meve is dethroned and sets out with loyal soldiers — including memorable characters like Reynard, Odo,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thronebreaker is the best CDPR game for this very reason--a proud Nilfgaardian murder simulator.
positive · AI labelView post →Game is great if you like Gwent, or are willing to learn how to love it. The puzzles and scenarios need you to play tactically differently from the regular battles, and it keeps the pacing from becoming too stale. The only drawback is that many of them have only one way of arriving at a solution, which requires save-scumming to finally solve them. A major quibble I have, that doesn't detract from the gameplay itself is how the game incorporates Geralt. Geralt's knighting is hyped up as a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm super torn on this review. It'd be a thumb sideways if I could. On the one hand, the story is really good, contains lots of info that's not covered elsewhere in the series but is in line with the rest of the games and books, and obviously Gwent is fun. On the other... this isn't actually Gwent. I ended up getting pretty bored with the gameplay, and actually had a really hard time following the story because of it. I think by the end I was just playing because I like finding upgrades, but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm so patient I haven't played The Witcher 1 or 2 either. Should I get W3 Complete + W1 + W2 for `9.99 + 1.49 + 2.99 = 14.47`, or get the trilogy bundle with only the W3 base game for `1.49 + 2.99 + 3.99) * 0.9 = 7.62` and wait for the W3 expansions to be more than 70% at some future date? (In other words, are W1 and W2 likely to keep me busy for a long time, and does a playthrough of W3 need the expansions installed at the start or is it more of a 'complete the base game and then to the…
neutral · AI labelView post →"PLEASE MY DAUGHTER WAS KIDNAPPED WEEKS AGO HELP ME!!" - "How about a round of Gwent?""
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →“Gwent with a story”. Some of the reviews I read online were essentially saying this. I was never a fan of Gwent and that’s why I wasn’t eager to try this game. Glad it got recommended to me by a friend and played through the first few hours when I was learning how to play Gwent. The game is so much more than just a card game with a story - there is so much lore, so many decisions to be made, so many adventures to do… The Witcher's atmosphere seeps through every word and every scene, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game but the save system is awful, accidently miss click and choose a wrong dialogue option to recruit a character? Well sucks for you, because you're locked out of getting that character unless you do another playthrough because you cannot reload saves. If it was a shorter 5-10 hour campaign it wouldn't be an issue, but this game takes 40+ hours to beat.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →8/10 Really surprised with the quality and heart they put into that game which started as a DLC for Gwent. It has all the quality as the main Witcher games - great voice acting, great soundtrack, grim morally grey world, phenomenal writing and a lot of tough decisions to make that have a real impact on the game. The only difference is the combat (you fight all battles in Gwent) and the isometric view. Exploration is fun, you can interact a lot with the world around you and the the card combat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the writing and voice acting are great, everything else... not so much overworld exploration is painfully monotonous, with janky controls to make it worse. the card battling is too simplistic for my taste, and it takes way too long to unlock some of the archetypes. as for the story choices... they're cool at first, but felt too repetitive as the game went on. there are basically 3 types of situations you have to deal with, and the options are also very similar between them, if you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Would I say this is a must play for Witcher fans? Maybe not, but it's certainly interesting and fleshes out more of the world. Lore nerds will like this. Story is fun to follow and mold, with political intrigue, fighting, and adventure. Gives some spotlight to side characters from the lore and insight into what other groups are going through during the Northern Wars. Combat is a more complex version of gwent from Witcher 3 but still feels "figured out" by the end. I only bothered with the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The story is great and I like the characters, but Gwent as the main driving form of gameplay sucks the joy out of everything in this game. The AI is incredibly stupid and has no chance in "standard" battles, instead requiring insane handicaps and prebuilt decks to face a challenge in fights important to the plot. By the time you turn down the difficulty after banging your head against the wall for a while, whatever hype or energy you might've had for the otherwise great story moment has been…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →QTP with a game you would love to replay this year! Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. It's been since it came out that I've done a full playthrough of it. And I have nothing but love for it, of course. I plan to replay it some time in between the new releases I'm looking forward to this year.
positive · AI labelView post →It's crazy how good this game is. And I'm not even a fan of Gwent or even CCGs / TCGs in general. Amazing story (not your typical good-vs-evil fantasy setting), amazing writing, amazing voice acting (Polish at least), amazing art style and card animations. Outside of battles, gameplay is simple and satisfying. Standard battles are a bit stressful for me due to their semi-random nature, so I really appreciate that half of the fights are puzzles. The only downside is the save system.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll go with something that needs way more love and attention - Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. I played it on release, and I dare to say it might be CD Projekt’s best‑written game; an excellent, character‑driven narrative all around, remarkably well integrated with Gwent.
positive · AI labelView post →this game is SO long, I’ve played these 30 hours in a span of half a year and honestly at the beginning I didn’t think I’d ever finish it since I’m not the biggest fan of both card games and visual novels. But I did finish it and damn it’s so good. The story is engaging and has excellent writing and voice acting (at least the polish one) and I consider it one of the greatest pros of thronebreaker. The other half of it takes place on a gwent board and it’s cool too but… first of all, the most…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I only played W2 and W3. W2 was not necessary to play the third one, but it's certainly not a bad game (I personally didn't like it as much due to the fairly linear story telling). W1 I am told is not that great. Both are much shorter than the complete edition of Witcher 3 I'd argue. The DLC should be fine if added afterwards, I can wholeheartedly recommend both. Blood & Wine especially has received wide praise back then as "being a whole game in the shape of a DLC" . Thronebreaker is a…
neutral · AI labelView post →Slowly finishing Thronebreaker, fantastic way to play Gwent without the worry of playing online against optimised paid-for decks
positive · AI labelView post →Maybe a little late, but here are some of the games I've found in my quest for good singleplayer card games. Note that I play on ios or steam mostly, so when I say mobile I know it's on ios but can't confirm android for sure. Also most of these games are a single purchase, no microtransactions aside from expansions maybe. Arcanium (steam, mobile via netflix sub) - In this game you travel around a hex-based map fighting battles and collecting stuff. You have a party of three different…
neutral · AI labelView post →Fantastic game with rich story expected from Witcher universe combined with fun gameplay. One big problem that I have with the game is that choices you make trough out the game don't feel that meaningful. They could have been done better for far more engaging player experience. 8.8/10 P.S. I wish that they give us WSAD support.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do NOT get this game if you like Gwent, there's no Gwent in it. Maybe it gets better if you push through the puzzle battles, each of which changes the rules for both playing and winning - and you don't use your deck - and get to the story, which is supposed to be very good. Only bought to get more stuff for Gwent, sorely regretting it. It is NOT GWENT.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Completely diferent from the TW3 Gwent, I never know what the cards do, and every puzzle win costs 1k losses.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let's be real, it's another way/reason to play Gwent, I'm in.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →is this game perfect? hell yeah
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a great use of 'Gwent' to tell an interesting story set in the Witcher universe - I particularly enjoyed getting to explore parts of the world map that have not been shown in previous CDPR Witcher games. The art direction, soundtrack and story are on point.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's a lot in Gwent that highlights how it's a minigame in a larger game, where you collect cards and get stronger and not some balanced deckbuilder. Sure stand alone Gwent/Thronebreaker version addresses these sorta things. But I think I'm gonna be Gwented out by the time I finish The Witcher 3
neutral · AI labelView post →I 110% this game, yet I find hard to recommend it. It has awesome illustrations, with great voice acting & characters, good story, mediocre choices, disappointing mechanics and boring gameplay. The positives of this game are immediately evident and undeniable, with memorable characters, so I'll get right into the nasty side which will get people upset. The Card-game itself is not as satisfying as Gwent from Witcher 3, nor in-depth as Gwent Online; It's in that rough middle ground which makes…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The visuals, art style, voice acting, and music are all top-tier. If you’re into that medieval power fantasy where you play as a monarch making tough, meaningful decisions and actually feel like one because people address you with respect and reverence, this game absolutely delivers. The combat system is also really fun and engaging, though the original Gwent from The Witcher 3 is much better and easier to understand. Still, Thronebreaker's card game is enjoyable in its own way and fits…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An unexpected masterpiece. I thought it was just a solo game published as an "ad" for Gwent Online. But Thronebreaker is way more than that, with a great story, great gameplay (battles and puzzles), and great characters.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thronebreaker is a good game, provided you enjoy story-driven titles. I described it to a friend as having 5/10 gameplay and a 9/10 story. The plot is frankly brilliant. It is consistently well written, with believable dialogue, and it always feels like you are progressing towards something meaningful. Relationships with characters develop naturally throughout the game, and having them gain upgrades based on your relationship status is a nice touch. Reynard is easily the best sidekick. Queen…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game was better than what I expected, the campaign is really good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →short review 8.5 i really liked it even tho i thought it got a little repetitive near the end like last 5ish hours Pros: voice acting characters art music choices vibes Cons: dragged near the end no multiple saves wish there was a little bit more movement in the big cutscenes wish there was more to do near the end
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like this, but it's just a very hard to get stuck into. If Gwent in Witcher 3 is as deep and fun as a puddle, the Gwent in this is about as deep and fun as a pothole. Gwent is the combat system, which should be engaging and exciting, but it's really just boring. If you're someone who is able to stomach bad gameplay for the sake of enjoying narrative and characters you might like it. You can choose different dialogue options to change what kind of ruler Meve is and it does affect…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beatiful artstyle and a story that hooks you. There is many characters throughout the game that join you in your quest and can be played as cards in gwent. With them you can make completly different builds which also force you to adjust builds to specific bosses.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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