The success of Witcher 3 is undeniable within the gaming space. Not only does the Witcher franchise have a successful Netflix adaptation but the game has also sold over 28 million copies. It's easy to say this game will kept being played by fans for a long time.
The franchise has been known for making cute nods and references in the form of easter eggs and Witcher 3 is no different in this regard. Some are buried so deep they aren't easy to find leaving only those truly in love with the game to be able to find them.
10 The Madonna Fan
Who doesn't love Madonna's music? She's such an iconic musician that she even has a fan in the game! Players that head to Crippled Kate's Brothel can hear a woman remark, "I'm a material girl in a material world" which references the artist's 1985 hit. Saying Madonna exists in the world of Witcher 3 is too wild a fan theory to believe but it's still a cute reference to catch nonetheless.
9 Skellige's Ghost Ship
This easter egg was so obscure that CD Projekt Red ended up having to tweet about it to help fans even know it existed! If players sail between the Islands of An Skellig and Hindarsfjall at one in the morning they may be able to spot a ghostly ship on the horizon. It's impossible to interact with the ship but it may be a reference to countless famous ghostly ships in video games.
8 The Witcher's Tattoo
In The Witcher 2: Assasins of Kings, players had the potential to get a special tattoo during the mission Hung Over. When Geralt wakes up in the morning, he finds himself surprised to have a tattoo on his neck. Geralt can choose to keep the tattoo or have it removed.
Players who chose to keep the tattoo can find a surprise in Witcher 3. Players that import a save from the previous title where they kept the tattoo into the new game will make Geralt still have the tattoo in the newer title as well.
7 Gwent Brought To Life
Fans of the franchise have absolutely latched onto the fictional card game Gwent that players can play within the game. Still, they might not have noticed how one of the cards in the game can come to life. In the game, there is a weak cow card that when destroyed summons a Chort onto the field. Players that attack cows in the White Orchard Village will find if they kill them three times in a row a level 27 Chort will also appear!
6 The Entire Staff In The Game
It's very easy to miss this easter egg as it was left in an out of bounds portion of the game. Still, a crafty player was able to find it buried in the Blood and Wine DLC. If players get the camera to the highest mountain in the area they can find a picture of the entire development team that worked on the game and the DLC.
5 An Arrow To The Knee
These days most gaming fans think the "arrow to the knee" in Skyrim references getting married it was literally just a line made up by Emil Pagliarulo for the game. Thanks to Witcher 3 we finally know which archer was firing all those shots!
The Black Infantry Archer card in Gwent comes with a special description which says, "I aim for the knee. Always." This cute nod to one of the other most popular open-world RPGs of all time is easy to overlook but hilarious once noticed.
4 Solaris Reference
Unfamiliar with 1960's science fiction? Players can easily miss this reference in Through Space and Time. Avallac'h explains that a deserted world used to be covered by an ocean and that "just a sea" was what drained the life from the area.
This is a reference to a book from a famous Polish author Stanislaw Lem. His book Solaris features a sentient ocean and it's no surprise a Polish game studio would reference an author from their homeland.
3 Cyberpunk Time-Traveling
Did Ciri time-travel to the word of Cyberpunk 2077? Players will know that she can travel through space and time and at one point mentions she traveled to where “everyone has their own flying vehicle”.
With four flying vehicles available in the later game fans are left to wonder if Ciri traveled into the futuristic world of the game. Ciri also is featured in an easter egg in Cyberpunk 2077 which means both games reference each other at some point.
2 War Never Changes...
Players exploring the villages of Valen might have caught a clever reference to another famous open-world RPG. One of the peasants can be heard saying, "War, war never changes" which references the iconic line the Fallout series is known for. It's an easy one off line to miss but true gaming fans didn't miss this gentle nod to the post-apocalyptic franchise.
1 The First Rule Of Fight Club
Players can take on a side quest in Novigrad called Fist of Fury. With a title like that, it makes sense there's not just one, but two references to the movie Fight Club! Players take on Georgius George which is quite an obvious nod to the movie character of the same name. The final opponent is called Durden the Tailor which references the character Tyler Durden from the film.