The Witcher books, games, and show order can be confusing for newcomers, so much so that many fans require a beginner’s guide to best identify where to start in which medium – and how they interact with each other across different platforms. Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy narrative began in the 1980s as a short story and has since evolved into a series of novels, a trilogy of video games developed by CD Projekt Red, and Netflix’s The Witcher, the latter of which has launched the property into a new level of popularity and ubiquity.

Unfortunately for those looking to dive straight in, the chronology of The Witcher is a little complex, to say the least. Part of that is because of the way the series has evolved over the years, as Sapkowski began with short stories that didn’t stick to a specific order or timeline before creating a series of novels that focused on a tighter narrative. In order to give characters their proper back story while also exploring their relationships as they unfold, Netflix’s The Witcher has to jump timelines frequently as its three leads each begin their journey towards each other. Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri are all arguably the heroes of Netflix’s The Witcher, and that created the need to juxtapose multiple timelines. The games, unlike the books and the Netflix series, are actually fairly straightforward, each taking place in a specific time that follows its predecessor in a tight chronological progression.

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Either way, The Witcher books, games, and show order are all a point of confusion, and a beginner’s guide is a must for those who want to experience the series in its proper order. Beyond just becoming a configuration of the most desirable timeline and consistency, consuming The Witcher in the right order also dodges the most spoilers possible. With that in mind, here’s our look at The Witcher books, games, and show order in the form of a helpful beginner’s guide.

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The Witcher Books Reading Order

Chronologically, the short story collections of The Witcher books are the place to start for newcomers. The Last Wish is the first short story collection and establishes the setting of The Witcher universe, who Geralt is, how witchers operate, and introduce both Yennefer and Dandelion (or Jaskier, in Netflix’s The Witcher) as main characters. After that, Sword of Destiny, the second Witcher short story collection, is necessary because it introduces Ciri and her story as well, taking place before any of the main novels actually begin.

From there, fans can more or less tackle The Witcher books in order of their release, with one key exception: Season of Storms, which actually takes place in between the short stories and the novels despite being a more recent offering from Sapkowski. The Witcher‘s short story collections comprise the bulk of what fans experienced in Netflix’s The Witcher, while the novels will likely be the focal point of upcoming seasons. Here’s the official order for interested fans:

  1. The Last Wish
  2. Sword of Destiny
  3. Season of Storms
  4. Blood of Elves
  5. Time of Contempt
  6. Baptism of Fire
  7. The Tower of the Swallow
  8. The Lady of the Lake

The Witcher Games

The Witcher games from CD Projekt Red take place pretty far in advance after the novels. They follow Geralt of Rivia’s adventures after he has interacted with the mythological Wild Hunt, a group of phantom riders who are said to usher in the end of the world. Geralt also links up with several characters from the books during his journey, and the games actually wrap up many plotlines that Sapkowski himself has yet to pick back up – if he has any interest in doing so at all. Ultimately, The Witcher games take place several years after both the books and Netflix’s The Witcher.

However, The Witcher games are also incredibly faithful to the books in the way they represent Geralt’s world overall. Everything regarding witcher lore, monsters, and the general political landscape that takes place over the games is true, more or less, to the way Sapkowski has designed it. Even still, The Witcher 1 takes place after the novels wrap up, and thus don’t contain a heavy amount of spoilers for those looking to read The Witcher books. The recommended order of consumption between those two mediums would be the books and then the games, but they’re independent of each other enough that fans can go in the other order and still get a lot out of The Witcher books.

The Witcher TV Show

Netflix’s The Witcher season 1 takes place roughly at the same time as the short stories from The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, but certainly before the novels themselves. The chronology of Netflix’s The Witcher can make things a bit messy in terms of understanding exactly what is happening and when, but it’s generally understood that the adventures Geralt is on are taking place roughly 100 years after he became a witcher. Ciri’s age is still quite young as well, which precedes the novels, when she begins to train her powers and understand her place within the world. Netflix’s The Witcher definitively takes place at the beginning of the chronology of the property as a whole and is definitely not a prequel or anything of the sort – it’s the beginning of the three characters’ journeys.

Moving forward, fans looking to get ahead of the show should look towards Season of Storms or Blood of Elves. Season of Storms is unlikely to be the basis of a second season of Netflix’s The Witcher because it operates pretty far away from the main point of the novels, which is what season one set up. That makes Blood of Elves the most likely candidate for the basis of a second season provided Netflix’s The Witcher remains as true to Andrzej Sapkowski’s vision as it did in the first, so viewers who want to know in advance what Yennefer, Ciri, and Geralt get up to when they’re together more often in season two can get a sneak peek by beginning The Witcher books.

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About The Author


Cody Gravelle
(1587 Articles Published)

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Cody is Screen Rant’s Game Reviews Editor. He joined the team in 2018 and has been reporting on games pretty well every day since – except on weekends, where he’s typically playing them instead. Despite being in a field ostensibly about critiquing and enjoying quality games, his most played game of 2019 was Fate/Grand Order – something unlikely to change in 2020 and beyond.

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