Calculate how long it takes to read all Witcher books and complete all Witcher games. Plan your complete Witcher saga journey with custom reading and play speeds.
The Witcher Calculator helps you plan your complete journey through Andrzej Sapkowski's beloved Witcher universe — both the original book series and the critically acclaimed video game trilogy by CD Projekt Red. Whether you're diving in for the first time or planning a full marathon before the next installment, this tool calculates exactly how much time you'll need based on your personal reading speed and gaming style.
The Witcher saga spans eight books (two short story collections and five novels plus a standalone prequel), three main video games with multiple expansions, and a Netflix adaptation. The total content represents hundreds of hours of entertainment, and planning a complete playthrough requires understanding the time commitment for each entry. Reading speeds vary dramatically between people, and game completion times depend heavily on whether you rush the main story, complete side quests, or go for 100% achievement hunting.
This calculator lets you customize reading speed (words per minute), gaming completion style (main story, main + extras, completionist), and daily time budget to generate a personalized schedule. It accounts for all DLC expansions, recommends the chronological experience order, and shows progress breakdowns with milestone markers so you can track your journey through the Continent.
Planning a complete Witcher marathon means juggling books, games, expansions, and optional series content with very different time commitments. This calculator turns that into a schedule you can realistically follow.
It is useful because it shows how reading speed and game-completion style change the total commitment, which helps you decide whether the saga is a weeks-long project or a months-long one.
Book Reading Time (hours) = Word Count / (WPM × 60). Game Time = Base Hours × Style Multiplier (Main: 1.0, Main+Extra: 1.5, Completionist: 2.0). Total Days = Total Hours / Daily Hours. Netflix Time = Episodes × Average Episode Length.
Result: ~450 hours total (~150 days at 3 hrs/day)
At 250 WPM reading speed with main story plus side content gaming, the 8 books take approximately 85 hours and the 3 games with DLC take approximately 310 hours, totaling around 395 hours of core content plus Netflix viewing time.
Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher saga began as short stories published in Polish fantasy magazines in the 1980s before expanding into a full novel series. The two short story collections — The Last Wish (1993) and Sword of Destiny (1992) — introduce Geralt of Rivia, his relationships with Yennefer and Dandelion, and the world's political landscape. The five-novel saga (Blood of Elves through The Lady of the Lake) follows the overarching story of Ciri and the prophecy of the Elder Blood.
Season of Storms (2013) is a standalone novel set between stories in The Last Wish. While not essential to the main saga, it provides additional context about Geralt's early career and the political machinations of the sorcerer's guild. Total word count across all eight books exceeds 1.1 million words, making it comparable in length to Robert Jordan's first four Wheel of Time novels.
CD Projekt Red's game trilogy picks up where the books leave off, creating a seamless continuation of Geralt's story. The Witcher (2007) is a PC-exclusive RPG with roughly 36 hours of main content. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (2011) refined the formula with a branching narrative — two completely different Act 2 paths mean the full experience requires two playthroughs. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) is widely considered one of the greatest RPGs ever made, with its two expansions adding another 30+ hours of AAA-quality content.
Combined, the three games offer 150-400+ hours of gameplay depending on completion style, making the video game portion significantly longer than the books for most players.
The optimal approach for a first-time Witcher marathon spans 4-6 months at a moderate pace of 2-3 hours daily. This avoids burnout while maintaining narrative momentum. Many fans recommend alternating between books and games — reading the books first provides crucial context, but some prefer experiencing the games alongside the novels for variety. Whichever order you choose, the Witcher universe rewards patient engagement with one of fantasy's richest interconnected narratives.
Recommended order: Books first (The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, The Lady of the Lake, Season of Storms), then games (Witcher 1, 2, 3 with DLC). The Netflix series roughly follows the books.
The complete Witcher book series totals approximately 1.1 million words across 8 books. At an average reading speed of 250 words per minute, this takes roughly 73 hours of pure reading time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt main story takes about 50 hours. With side quests and both expansions (Hearts of Stone ~10 hours, Blood and Wine ~15 hours), expect 100-150 hours. Completionists report 200+ hours.
While Witcher 3 can be enjoyed standalone, playing the earlier games enriches the experience significantly. Witcher 1 is dated but establishes important characters. Witcher 2 is more accessible and directly sets up Witcher 3's political landscape.
The average adult reads at 200-300 WPM for fiction. Speed readers can reach 400-700 WPM. The Witcher books are moderately complex fantasy fiction — most readers find their natural pace is 200-250 WPM for comfortable comprehension.
The Netflix series provides a different adaptation of the same source material. It's not necessary for understanding the games, but it offers another perspective on the characters and world. Seasons 1-3 cover the main book saga with significant creative changes.