If you’re choosing between Bayonetta 3 and Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, pick Bayonetta 3 first for the series’ combat-heavy action and release order. Pick Origins first if you’re more drawn to young Cereza’s story, exploration and puzzles. They play very differently, so your preferred style matters more than chronology alone.
How the games differ
Bayonetta 3: combat and spectacle
Nintendo describes Bayonetta 3 as an action game built around Bayonetta’s guns, her time-slowing Witch Time ability and the Demon Masquerade ability. The story pits her against Homunculi in settings including Tokyo and China. Nintendo lists its Nintendo Switch release date as October 28, 2022. Nintendo’s Bayonetta 3 listing
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (European Version) | $39.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon | $59.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Bayonetta 3 - Nintendo Switch | $54.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Bayonetta Origins | $69.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Bayonetta Origins Cereza and the Lost Demon (Español) | Buy on Amazon |
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Bayonetta Origins: exploration and paired control
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon follows a younger Cereza, before she is known as Bayonetta, and Cheshire, a demon inhabiting her stuffed toy. Nintendo describes simultaneous control of the pair as they explore Avalon Forest and solve puzzles using their different abilities. Its Nintendo Switch release date is March 17, 2023. Nintendo’s Bayonetta Origins listing
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PlatinumGames Chief Game Designer and Supervising Director Hideki Kamiya called Origins “a brand-new gameplay experience, different from anything in the Bayonetta games so far.” He said it was made with both series fans and people unfamiliar with the series or uncomfortable with action games in mind. Kamiya on Bayonetta Origins
#1 Best Overall
- Once upon a time, there was a young witch named Cereza
- Long before this trainee of the dark arts would come to be called Bayonetta, she took a fateful journey into the forbidden Avalon Forest. Alongside her was Cheshire, her very first demon, possessing Cereza’s stuffed toy. Play as both Cereza and Cheshire and search through the treacherous forest to look for the power to save Cereza’s mother
- Any good story has a lesson about teamwork, no, In this tale, Cereza and Cheshire coordinate their efforts to fight faeries and solve puzzles. Use the Left Joy-Con controller to move Cereza and bind enemies with her magic. With the Right Joy-Con controller, move Cheshire to slash and chomp foes
- Turn the pages of Cereza’s story as you explore the enchanting, storybook-inspired Avalon Forest. Avalon Forest is just as beautiful as it is beastly. Each new area looks like it has been painted carefully by hand. Fully-narrated story scenes are told through the vibrantly-illustrated pages of a storybook. Be sure to stop and smell the roses in this whimsical world, but don’t tarry too long – the forest has a taste for lost witches
Which one should you play first?
Start with Bayonetta 3 if…
- You want combat-forward action, weapons, Witch Time and large-scale demon abilities.
- You prefer to follow the release order of these two games: Bayonetta 3 came out first, on October 28, 2022.
Start with Origins if…
- You’re more interested in the story of young Cereza and her partnership with Cheshire.
- You’d rather explore, solve puzzles and control two characters together than focus on action combat.
Origins’ premise takes place when Cereza is young, before she is known as Bayonetta; that establishes an earlier point in her life, not a definitive spoiler-safe order for the full series. The official descriptions cited here do not settle which game is best for continuity or whether playing Origins first avoids all spoilers. If spoiler-safe ordering across the series is your priority, consult a spoiler-aware series guide rather than treating these two dates as a chronology recommendation. Nintendo’s description of Origins
Try Origins before deciding
Nintendo offers a free demo of Bayonetta Origins and says demo progress carries over to the full game. That gives you a direct way to see whether its exploration, puzzles and paired-character controls appeal to you before committing. Nintendo’s Bayonetta Origins listing
Rank #2
- Journey into the Avalon Forest as Cereza—a young Bayonetta—and her very first demon, Cheshire, to gain the power to save her mother
- Control both Cereza and Cheshire simultaneously and coordinate to solve puzzles and beat faeries
- Colorful environments look as if they were painted by hand, and fully narrated story scenes are told through the vibrantly illustrated pages of a storybook
Platform and editions
Nintendo lists both games for Nintendo Switch. Its listings include a physical game-card edition of Bayonetta 3 and a physical edition of Bayonetta Origins. Prices and retailer stock vary, so check the listing or retailer for current details.
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Best Value
- Unofficial title page
- Release date is subject to change
- Players take control of Cereza, a young witch apprentice who embarks on a fateful journey into a forbidden forest, gaining the power to save her mother.
- This game is a distinctive fairytale art style and offers gameplay aspects never seen before in the Bayonetta saga.
- Both Cherry and her hellish demon companion Cheshire are controlled, with much of exploring, battling and solving puzzles helping Cherry to penetrate even deeper into the forest.
Rank #4
- 216950
Rank #3
- Play as the bewitching Bayonetta in the third installment of her climax action game series
- Shoot, stomp, and slam your way through multiple locations and meet other Bayonettas
- Channel the power of demons using the new ability, Demon Masquerade
- Unleash Bayonetta’s Infernal Demons in larger-than-life battles
- Slash and slay as witch-in-training Viola and harness the power of her feline demon, Cheshire
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
