Gothic® 3

When Gothic 3 launched in 2006, it felt like stepping into a myth only half-remembered. The world was vast — the largest open-world medieval RPG of its time — and uncompromising. No markers, no hand-holding. Just snowy peaks, scorched deserts, and occupied cities humming with quiet dread. And then that soundtrack — Rosenkranz’s score didn’t accompany the world; it was the world.
The game was thick with tension: rebels hiding in forests, mercenaries switching sides for a sack of gold, and a nameless protagonist dropped into chaos without explanation. Later you’d learn this wasn’t deliberate mystery — just content that had been cut. What felt like cryptic storytelling and brutal difficulty was, in truth, the result of rushed deadlines and a barely coherent build.
Like Cyberpunk 2077, it was a dream too big — and it was the players, not the developers, who stayed behind to pick up the pieces.
And yet, somehow, it worked. The soul remained intact: fragile, haunting, unforgettable. You didn’t just play Gothic 3 — you remembered it like a place you once lived, full of broken things that still managed to feel alive.
And now? It's still great RPG set in a world entirely its own — frustrating, awkward, occasionally infuriating, but pulsing with ambition you can still feel under the cracks.

For the best base game experience install:
1.Community Patch 1.75.14
2.Update Pack 1.04.11
3.Update Pack 1.05.10 PublicBeta
4.Parallel Universe Patch 1.0.5

With now all the patches and bugfixes a very good game, but it still could've been much greater, it has alot of unused potential. I think a proper remake would make this surely one of the greatest games of alltime.

Wasted potential
- It's regularly in sale and then you can get Gothic 1, 2 and 3 for 4€. Great deal.
- Don't buy the bundle including "Arcania". Just Gothic. Trust me
State
Gothic 3 had an unfortunate development process. The game came out unfinished. Even though the community fixed the most issues, the game has a lot of content holes. So, lower your expectations.
Story
When you come from Gothic 1 & 2, expect a completely different experience. Story is peripheral in Gothic 3. It's more like a Singleplayer MMO. A RPG Sandbox. If you let yourself in to this, you can have a lot of fun with this game.
Gameplay
The game has an overall more modern touch to it (compared to Gothic 1 & 2).
Mods
Over the years the community released dozend Mods. Including necessary fixes. Check out common mods, even in your first playthrough.

One of my favorite games. Sometimes i just want to hop in, level mage and clean the map like im playing some MMO.
It's unplayable without mods (fan patch + parallel universe + ini tweaks to increase distance view), but they are fairly easy to install (or just get a torrent/gog version and put it into game folder).

Not the worst continuation of the previous parts
Gothic 3 is a continuation of the story from the previous parts of Gothic. Nameless, along with a group of his companions, ends up in Myrtana, which is taken over by orcs. The main goal of the hero is to find Xardas. As the main character we have many options for development. We can support the rebels in the fight against the orcs, cooperate with the orcs and even collect reputation with the assassins. Overall, the game is very open-ended, we are not forced to do all the missions one by one.
The world map in Gothic is large and divided into three continents: Myrtana occupied by orcs, frigid Nordmar, where mainly representatives of various clans live, and desert Varant governed by assassins. In fact, from the beginning we can go wherever we want, we are not limited in any way. On top of that, the game doesn't attack us with constant loading screens, so we'll go in and out everywhere without any problems with loading a new area. On the plus side, the density of the terrain, where we don't go on the map there is something going on (maybe except for some moments in the desert, where there is only desert), there is always some building in which there might be some NPC, maybe some bonfire, ruins, traces of blood that will lead us to the monster. You can't complain about a lack of boredom in this area.
The reputation system is an element that is new in Gothic, it was not present in previous parts. Reputation is earned simply for completing missions for a given faction or in a given city. Reputation is divided into reputation of individual cities and reputation among factions, such as rebels, orcs, nomads. As a rule, if we want to gain reputation with one faction then simply the other faction will suffer.
The combat system is worse than in previous parts. Sword-bashing is a torture, and the fights are simply boring. Better is the archery, which is definitely better in this part than in the previous ones mainly due to the fact that the arrows drop, so you can really feel the satisfaction of hitting someone from a long distance. Magic is strong and this is true regardless of which god magic we choose. Of course, we will perpetually run out of mana, unless we manage to unlock mana autoregeneration later in the game.
The graphics deserve a big plus. As I mentioned earlier the game's map is very well laid out, and on top of that the views are really impressive for a game from 2006. You certainly can't accuse this game of lacking atmosphere. Sound-wise it is also very good, the soundtrack depending on the continent is different and also adds something to the aforementioned atmosphere.
It should also be noted that the optimization of the game is not at a very high level even this year. On top of that, bugs where a character can disappear from our field of vision or mobs going under stones can be annoying.
Summary
Is Gothic 3 a good sequel to Gothic 2? I would say no, but as a game in itself it is not that tragic. Of course, it's a lot short of the ideal and level of Gothic or Gothic 2, but it's still a reasonably good game. However, the successive bouncing of cities can get boring and introduce monotony, especially since this is a large part of the gameplay.
✔️An open and lively world
✔️The graphics as well as the soundtrack are really good
✔️Ability to do tasks in any order, the game is non-linear
✔️❌Reputation system is ok, but it gets boring quickly over time
✔️❌Shooting with a bow - better, fighting with swords, staffs - worse, magic - neutral
❌The plot is not as interesting as in previous parts
❌Optimization and annoying bugs
Time of completion: 40-50 hours (The main plot and some of the side quests)
Rating: 6.5/10
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ATTENTION!
Please note that this is only my evaluation and opinion of the game. If you do not agree with it or think that the game deserves a higher or lower rating, please leave a comment and I will be happy to respond.

The locations in this game feel as vivid and familiar as the town where I grew up — like they're part of my own memories. The music and atmosphere are simply beyond words.