Gothic vs Gothic 3
Gothic is an action-RPG RPG game from Piranha Bytes (2001) while Gothic 3 is an action-RPG open-world game from Piranha Bytes (2009).
Quick answer: Gothic has the higher Metacritic, 81 to 63.
What each one is
Gothic is filed under Action-RPG and RPG. In contrast, Gothic 3 under Action-RPG and Open-World.
Gothic is a 2001 action role-playing game developed by Piranha Bytes for Windows and the first game of the Gothic game franchise. A port, titled Gothic Classic, was released in 2023 and in 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and iOS.
A nameless hero becomes a legend! Myrtana, a world in upheaval: overrun by orcs from the dark lands in the north, King Rhobar is defending Vengard, the former stronghold of the humans, with his last troop of followers.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting Gothic takes place in an open world medieval fantasy realm in which humans are fighting a losing war against the Orcs , a humanoid race. In order to fight back, the king needs to extract magical ore from mines, which can be used to forge more powerful weapons and armor. Therefore he decides to send every man who has committed a crime to the ore mines. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . IGN concluded that " Gothic is a solid role-playing experience" and Eurogamer said that it is a game that "developers should look to as an example of how a role-playing adventure should be done". GameSpot gave the game a slightly less positive review saying that despite Gothic s achievements in terms of story and dialogue, players might… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Prologue The first part of Gothic tells the story of The Nameless Hero, a man thrust into the events of a penal colony. The colony takes the form of a natural landscape encased in a large magical shield known as The Barrier, much like an impenetrable dome. Over the course of the story, The Nameless Hero becomes acquainted with several characters, the most notable of which are Diego, Lee, Cor Angar, Lester, Gorn, Lares, Milten, and Xardas. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Gothic 3 was a commercial success, with global sales over 500,000 copies by March 2007. It sold 100,000 units in its opening two days. The game received "mixed" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic . (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Gothic | Gothic 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 6.9/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Very Positive (82%, 12,375) |
| Critic aggregate | 81/100 | 63/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | 5 GB |
| Steam Deck | Untested | playable |
| Released | 2001 | 2009 |
| Developer | Piranha Bytes | Piranha Bytes |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Gothic vs Gothic 3, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
GothicAction-RPG RPG gameGothic 3Action-RPG open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
GothicNo descriptive tagsGothic 3RPG, Open World, FantasyThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Gothic ✓Metacritic 81Gothic 3Metacritic 63Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Gothic—Gothic 312,375 reviews · 5 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
GothicUnknownGothic 3$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Gothic takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Gothic (Metacritic 81)
Where they differ
RPGOpen WorldFantasyActionSingleplayerThird Person
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Gothic is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Gothic 3 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Gothic and 0 for Gothic 3. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Gothic and Gothic 3 in scope?
Gothic lists little scope data. Gothic 3 has drawn 12,375 Steam reviews and installs in 5 GB.
Is Gothic or Gothic 3 better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Gothic or Gothic 3?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Gothic or Gothic 3?
Gothic has the higher Metacritic, 81 to 63. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.