Day and night cycle

One of the more interesting features of The Witcher is the day and night cycle. All the characters adjust their behaviour according to this cycle.

In the mornings and throughout the day, there is a lively bustle in the streets of towns and villages. The people go about their everyday jobs until their work is done.

At the town hall in Vizima for example, employees work until the late afternoon. After 17:00, all pens are put down. Merchants tend to work longer hours selling their goods longer. Most end their day are 18.30. Markets are empty and shops are closed by 19.00 at the lastest. By then, the majority of the citizenry is safely at home and appearing outside only at the dawn of the following day. Merchants typically open their shops and stalls for business around 8.30.

Only the inns and taverns offer their services all night. These services, however, change according to time of day and the type of patron. During the day bona fide citizens can be found in the drinking establishments, but after sunset rather the more daylight-shy guests, perhaps those who have something to hide, are more commonly found in the taverns.

At night, it is not uncommon for Geralt to encounter bandits on his nightly rounds in town.

The lively hustle and bustle of city life, and also the distractions of battle may distract Geralt (and the player!) from appreciating the great attention to detail shown in the day and night cycle. The images in the gallery below show an entire day in the Witcher world from earliest dawn to the deepest of night, to the following sunrise.

Weather conditions also affect the light of day and night cycle. The sky becomes densely overcast due to the rain clouds when it pours, so not all daytime hours are wrapped in beautiful sunshine.