Skip to main content
Tech Radar Tech Radar TechRadar The source for Tech Buying Advice
Subscribe
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
Technology Magazines
Technology Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12.99
View
  • News
  • Best
  • Reviews
  • Opinion
  • How To
  • Deals
  • More
    • Versus
    • Appliances
    • Audiovisual
    • Cameras
    • Car Tech
    • Computing
    • Coupons
    • Downloads
    • Entertainment
    • Fitness
    • Laptops
    • Phones
    • Smart Home
    • Tablets
    • TVs
    • Wearables
    • About Us
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Memorial Day sales
  • iPhone 15
  • Google Pixel Fold
  • ChatGPT
  • Wordle hints
  • Best VPN

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Computing

CD Projekt Red’s favorite PC games of all time

By Matt Hanson
published 24 April 2017

Witcher games did they choose?

Introduction

Introduction

As TechRadar’s PC Gaming Week is all about celebrating the wonderful world of playing games on our computers, we thought "what would be better than asking the staff of one of the most respected games developers in the world what their favorite PC games are?"

That’s exactly what we did, with CD Projekt Red, the team behind the acclaimed Witcher III, taking time out of developing its eagerly awaited follow up CyberPunk 2077 to tell us about the PC games that helped inspire its staff.

CD Projekt Red is a Polish video game developer (as well as publisher and distributor), based in Warsaw, and was founded in 1994. While it began life translating major English-language video games into Polish, it made a name for itself with the highly acclaimed Witcher series of games, which were based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski.

It is currently working on the open world role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077, which is based on the Cyberpink 2020 table top game.

Welcome to TechRadar's 3rd annual PC Gaming Week, celebrating the almighty gaming PC with in-depth interviews, previews, reviews and features all about one of the TechRadar team’s favorite pastimes. Missed a day? Check out our constantly updated hub article for all of the coverage in one place.

  • We’ve also been in the sharing mood, so check out our list of TechRadar’s favorite PC games of all time as well!
Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Mateusz Piaskiewicz - Lead Level Designer

Mateusz Piaskiewicz - Lead Level Designer

Quake

I’d say Quake, since it’s a game that — in a way — landed me my job in game development. I started experimenting with my own levels for Quake in the late nineties.

Simple rooms at first, they later evolved into complex buildings full of meticulously placed enemies. Back then, the geometry/enemy combinations Quake allowed offered level designers an unlimited array of possibilities to challenge gamers. 

Plus, the level of detail of the graphics made everything simpler — you didn’t have to focus on the artistic aspect of level design, it was pure gameplay. This is what made me want to make games professionally, and it’s what powers me as a designer today.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Kacper Niepokólczycki - Senior Environment Artist

Kacper Niepokólczycki - Senior Environment Artist

Metal Gear Solid

Wow, to pick one title as the best game – for me, that’s an impossible task. I can try, though. 

When I’m thinking about the most definitive gaming experiences throughout my life, in most cases, the first game that comes to my mind is Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation – that was also released later on PC, so that counts right?

When I played it for the first time, I was around 14, but I still think about this game to this day. I watch walkthroughs of it even today. 

I can easily say that this game has aged exceptionally well. Great music, phenomenal story with really unexpected twists, and visual art value — it’s all still there. The amount of details packed there is also crazy. The fight with Psycho Mantis, and his trick of "reading your mind" – that is crazy even after almost 19 years. 

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz - Principal Narrative Designer

Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz - Principal Narrative Designer

Gothic II

I would say that Gothic II is one of my all-time-favorites on PC — it's one of my first RPG games, and one of most the immersive RPGs I played. 

I remember that I was very surprised how every NPC had their own place in the world; how they reacted to various player actions like entering their houses, taking their things, or even just unsheathing your weapon in front of them. 

This, plus the right combination of immersive gameplay systems, made the world feel alive and believable — you wouldn’t just enter a UI-based crafting panel and craft a sword like you do nowadays, you would heat up the metal first, then form it on an anvil, then heat it in bucket of water, and later sharpen it on a grindstone. 

When joining a faction or a guild, the world around you would also react to you in different ways. For example, if you get arrested, you could expected a guard to let you go since you’ve become a revered Fire Mage. Those are just a few examples of how Gothic handled things differently, which always inspired me to strive for crafting most immersive experiences possible.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Konrad Tomaszkiewicz - Game Director

Konrad Tomaszkiewicz - Game Director

Ultima VII: The Black Gate

First of all, it’s very hard to pick one favorite game. There’s so many kinds of awesome games — I mean, can you seriously compare Diablo with Dune 2 or The Secret of Monkey Island? 

That’s why I decided to pick one of the first games that made me want to work in the industry and develop RPGs — Ultima VII: The Black Gate. 

A fully-fledged RPG, with a really good plot (for the time), a good character development system, and a gigantic open world that you could traverse on horseback (or magic carpet, if you’re a magic carpet person).

Other RPGs that come to mind are Eye of the Beholder and Might and Magic VII, but Ultima VII’s  "Avatar! Know that Britannia has entered into a new age of enlightenment!" is something that has been etched in my memory in a unique way.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Jakub Szamałek - Principal Writer

Jakub Szamałek - Principal Writer

Jagged Alliance 2

Picking a favorite game is like being asked which of your kids you love most – it’s a hard one to answer! 

But, if I’d really have to choose, I’d go with Jagged Alliance 2. Huge open world to explore, deep tactical combat with RPG elements, a well-told story – and, best of all, amazing character interactions!

I remember in particular how in one run I accidentally hired two recently divorced mercenaries who hated the guts out of each other and bickered the whole time, ruining the whole team’s morale – and eventually undermining the whole mission. 

Even though the graphics have aged a tad, the game is still heaps of fun and I boot it up at least once a year. If you haven’t given it a try yet, I suggest you rectify your mistake right away!

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Matt Hanson
Matt Hanson
Social Links Navigation
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.

See more PC news
More about computing
HyperX Cloud III on a white table

HyperX Cloud III review: best mic on a gaming headset

Inside Facebook data center

Asus is going to sell Nvidia AI servers for your business to rent

Latest
A video conference screenshot showing the Microsoft Teams avatars, now in public preview.

Possibly the worst Microsoft Teams update is rolling out now

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Alan Wake 2 might get a physical release after all

By Rhys WoodMay 30, 2023

Quordle today - hints and answers for Tuesday, May 30 (game #491)

By Marc McLarenMay 30, 2023

MSI partners with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport for a 'luxury' laptop experience

By John LoefflerMay 30, 2023

Bryan Fury has been announced for Tekken 8, unannounced and then announced again

By Kara PhillipsMay 29, 2023

Nintendo explains the decision behind blocking release of Dolphin emulator

By Kara PhillipsMay 29, 2023

Microsoft reveals Azure Linux is available now

By Craig HaleMay 29, 2023

Nvidia reveals a whole new kind of Ethernet for generative AI

By Craig HaleMay 29, 2023

A gaming Chromebook with an Nvidia RTX graphics card? Sign me up

By Christian GuytonMay 29, 2023

Windows 11 cloud backup is getting a whole lot better at last

By Craig HaleMay 29, 2023

HP printers could soon lose their official environmental certification following user fury

By Craig HaleMay 29, 2023

Watch out - that Amazon or Microsoft ad could just be malware

By Sead FadilpašićMay 29, 2023

  1. A man sitting in front of his laptop with his hands outstretched and a big smile on his face.
    1
    Microsoft is finally introducing the feature that’ll make me upgrade to Windows 11
  2. 2
    Windows 11 Moment 3 update is packed with cool features – here are 5
  3. 3
    I tried smart AR running sunglasses that show me a heads-up-display like Iron Man
  4. 4
    Don’t panic: there’s a reason your iPhone’s battery is draining faster than usual
  5. 5
    Many remote workers are unhappy with their company culture
  1. A young AI-created humanoid touches a robot in The Creator
    1
    The Creator looks like The Last of Us, Terminator, and Star Wars rolled into one
  2. 2
    Don’t panic: there’s a reason your iPhone’s battery is draining faster than usual
  3. 3
    New iPhone 15 Pro Max specs leak hints at what's not changing this year
  4. 4
    I tried smart AR running sunglasses that show me a heads-up-display like Iron Man
  5. 5
    How to use Google My Maps to plan your trip
Technology Magazines
  • ●
Technology Magazines
  • The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews
From$12.99
View

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.