The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Next Gen

This game is absolutely incredible but it does have quite a bit of gore in it. It’s in third person so it’s not as severe as a game like Doom but it’s still fairly gory. I personally don’t think much about sex, but I know most parents do so I’m including this here. Any mature teenager can probably handle this game. It’s not like they don’t know that these things exist or haven’t seen them. And let’s be real, if you’ve been on the internet you’ve almost definitely seen pornography. This game does have some good role models and is one of the best games my daughter and I have ever played. If your child or in this case teen is mature, then they can almost definitely handle this game.

16+ unsupervised, reasonable for any teen to play supervised (not that any of them would willingly trigger one of the sex scenes with the parent supervising) Game contains a lot of gore and mature moral/ethical themes (but generally encourages the player to do the right thing). There is a fair bit of completely optional simulated sex in the game as well (nothing aside from breasts visible, no unusual sexual content either, just consenting adults). The Netflix series is more gorier and has a lot more explicit (but still simulated) sex and has generally garnered a 15/16+ rating as well, so I view this as largely consistent.

Good game… not too bad for kids

Good game My kids love it and I think everyone should be able to experience this fantastic game! It has gore filters in case you are offended by those types of things

One of the greatest games of all time, not particularly violent or vulgar and has violence can be avoided with filters and dialogue options

Does not deserve 18+ rating. The game is not particularly violent as the player can't see much of the onscreen violence due to the 3rd person perspective. Swearing is there but nothing that kids haven't already heard. Bought for my 12 year old son and he loved it! Couldn't recommend more!

I think that it is good for kids 10+ because sex is optional and violence is to monsters mostly

First off, I would like to say that this game is not nearly as bad as the Common Sense Media review would have you believe. Early teenagers can definitely handle this game, and despite what parents would like to believe, they’ve probably seen worse. First off, violence. I find in most reviews, gore is often greatly exaggerated. In truth, even in the bloodiest games (which this does not even fall under) the “gore” is some red splashes, and little more. The Witcher is comparable to Skyrim in this sense, and unless your child was extremely sheltered from violence for all their life or feel sick at the sight of blood, they will be fine! In fact, you’re probably more scared or uncomfortable at the sight of blood than they are. Most teens are not fragile, and you treating them as such will only irritate and insult them. Secondly, sex and nudity. Again, many parents might underestimate their child’s ability to handle this. But let’s be honest - if they really want to see nudity and sex, they will, and no parental restrictions or stern lectures will stop them. With the internet and the increasing virtual connectivity in our society, they will find it, and you will likely never know. Hell, if they’re above the age of 15 or 16, they’re statistically probably not even a virgin. So trust your kids. If you tell them they’re not allowed to play the game because of this or if you try and disable cutscenes, it’ll only make them more determined and curious, and I can guarantee, you won’t win that battle. Besides, the nudity and suggestiveness in the Witcher is fairly light anyway, with the extent of it being the occasional breast or butt, along with a bit of suggestive moaning. Thirdly, language and drinking. As far as language goes, the Witcher doesn’t have anything a kid might not hear at school, using a fair bit of f**k, s**t, and the rare (though more offensive) c**t. While it’s hardly tame, again, they have probably heard it all before (maybe even from you!) so it shouldn’t be too bad. Where drinking is concerned, the Witcher is quite heavy on it in some parts, but that should only be a problem for you if alcohol is treated as a “forbidden fruit” at your table. If kids are curious, let them have a little to taste. Chances are, they’ll hate it, and probably won’t even consider drinking for quite a while. Luckily drugs are virtually non-existent, unless you count magical potions as drugs, which I think is ridiculous. And finally, although the tone of the story may be dark, there are countless small messages and characters throughout the game who are positive role models and send positive messages. It is up to the player how to act, and they can be a gruff disillusioned realist to a kind, caring protector. So to conclude, I would recommend the game for ages 14+, for teens can most definitely handle its content.

First off, I just want to say that this game is not as inappropriate for teens as some of the other reviews make it seem. There’s no visible sex or full scale nudity in the games - the worst it gets is partially visible breasts and implied intercourse (the screen goes dark and you hear a bit of moaning, but that’s the extent of it). The cursing is nothing a teen wouldn’t be familiar with, with words like f**k, b**ch, and on a rare use of c**t. Even the cursing is occasional though, and doesn’t happen often. The violence is comparable to games like Skyrim, and although some of the cutscenes are a tad bit darker, they can still be handled by mature teams. In terms of positive role models, Geralt (the main character), may not be a shining white knight who is perfect by every standard, but that’s part of what makes him compelling. He’s grim, and occasionally does dubious things like bedding prostitutes, but overall he always does the right thing, whether it be saving innocent lives even when it’s in his best interest to walk away, or spending his life fighting evil so that others don’t have to. To summarize, 14-15 yr olds can most definitely play this, and perhaps even very mature 13 yr olds. Honestly, your biggest concern might be that they don’t understand all of subtleties in terms of plot and politics. But if they enjoyed reading A Game of Thrones or other complex books - and could grasp the intricacies and twists of it with enjoyment, they’re definitely ready for this, although I would argue Game of Thrones is much, much more political.

I’ve had four children, and as a fellow parent let me tell you that these reviews are often exaggerated from what the game actually is. Although the game does have both partial nudity and some gory violence, it’s nothing most teens haven’t seen before, and parents tend to grossly underestimate how much their child can handle. Of course, it’s up to you on whether you think your child can handle it, but I would advise you give them a chance, and it will make them feel as if you trust them. Ultimately though, it depends on the child. My firstborn was incredibly sensitive to blood and gore, so they didn’t play this until they were 15. Another one of my children is incredibly mature however, and is able to easily play extraordinarily violent and frightening games, because he is easily able to separate them from reality. So I let him play it at 14. To conclude, it really depends on your child. But I would suggest that you give them chance to enjoy this amazing game, and trust them to know their own limits. Your relationship with them will be all the better because of it, for you will both feel respected and trusted.