The Witcher Start Here
Where Should You Start With The Witcher: Books, Games or Netflix?
Choose the original Witcher books, CD Projekt Red’s games or Netflix’s adaptation without combining them into one continuous canon.
The short answer
Start with The Last Wish if you want Andrzej Sapkowski’s original stories. Choose The Witcher 3 if you mainly want a playable entry point and accept that some relationships have earlier history. Choose Netflix’s first season if you want the television adaptation. The books, games and Netflix series are related versions of the setting, not three consecutive chapters of one canon.[1][2][3]
Entry-point guidance with premise-level context; avoids major story resolutions. Source pages may contain spoilers.
Should you start with the Witcher books?
Start with The Last Wish, then Sword of Destiny, before the novel saga beginning with Blood of Elves. This lets you meet the people and relationships before following the longer narrative. A package that calls Blood of Elves the first saga novel does not make the earlier short stories disposable.[1]
Read the books first if discovering the original versions matters most to you. The advantage is control over how you meet the characters, rather than trying to reconcile a television performance or a game’s assumptions with the text.
Can you start with The Witcher 3?
Yes, as a practical gameplay choice, with a trade-off: you will meet characters who already have shared history. If understanding every returning relationship from the beginning matters more than entering a newer game, start with the first Witcher game and continue through the second.[2]
CD Projekt Red’s games draw on Sapkowski’s characters and events and continue from the books in their own game continuity. That does not make game events additional Sapkowski novels. Starting with the games can also expose information about the books; choose books first if protecting those discoveries is your priority.[2]
Do not turn every unfamiliar name into a required research stop. Let the quest establish the immediate problem. If you still want background, use the game’s own journal before searching a character’s complete biography.
Is Netflix’s Witcher connected to the games?
Netflix’s series is an adaptation of the literary setting, not a sequel to The Witcher 3. Begin with the main show’s first season rather than using the game trilogy as television homework. Netflix’s own timeline includes its adaptation and related screen stories; that is a map for that version.[3]
A shared character name does not mean every event or relationship has the same presentation across versions. When something differs, first ask which continuity you are following. Trying to force the show into gaps between game quests creates confusion the stories do not require.
Which route should a complete newcomer use?
| Your goal | Start here | Accept this trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Original literary story | The Last Wish | A reading commitment before reaching the longer saga |
| Playing a large adventure now | The Witcher 3 | Some earlier relationships and possible book spoilers |
| Following the game story from its start | The Witcher | Older gameplay before later installments |
| Watching the adaptation | Netflix season one | Its own adaptation choices rather than a direct game continuation |
You can explore the other versions later. Keep your immediate route simple, then use the guide to compare placements while retaining the continuity labels.
Explore the Witcher chronology across books, games and screen adaptations
Inside the chronology
Go straight to the story
Sources & verification
Fact-checked on 28 September 2026 against the sources below. Starting recommendations and optional-context judgments are Story Order editorial guidance, not official mandatory orders.
- Orbit / Hachette: Read the Witcher
Publisher’s book sequence and distinction between introductory stories and the five-book saga.
Primary source · Checked - PC Gamer: Which Witcher game should you play first?
Game entry-point trade-offs and the games’ relationship to the books.
Secondary source · Checked - Netflix Tudum: The Witcher timeline
Netflix’s adaptation-specific timeline.
Primary source · Checked