Gothic 2001

Released: March 15, 2001
Anniversary: Turned 25 on March 15
Genres: Role-playing (RPG) · Adventure
Platform: PC
Developer: Piranha Bytes
More info: Wikipedia IGDB

Where to buy

Digital: GOG Steam Nintendo PlayStation Xbox
In a collection: Gothic: Universe Edition

Steam
Physical: Search on Amazon

Affiliate links: GOG, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, ININ Games and Amazon

Is it still worth playing?

Piranha Bytes' 2001 single player action role playing game for Windows, released in Germany in March and in North America in November, with a Switch port in 2023. The world is open to explore, with no quest markers, and the map shows only your position. It is set in a colony sealed by the Barrier, where convicts mine ore, and you can join one of three camps, the Old Camp, the New Camp or the Brotherhood. Skill points come from quests and kills and are spent with trainers. It took over four years of in house engine development, and it was among the first European role playing games with fully voiced dialogue. It went on to inspire CD Projekt's The Witcher. Exploring without markers, in a world of rival camps, is the reason to play it now.