head to head
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Super Mario Run demands more execution; The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt demands more optimization.

Execution · Practiced Mastery
One-thumb tap-timing precision over fixed courses with solvable coin routes.

Optimization · Practiced Mastery
A narrative action RPG where build planning matters more than reflex execution.
Super Mario Run leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Super Mario Run leans clearly harder on execution.
Super Mario Run
One-handed tap timing for coin lines demands precision
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Combat timing matters but generous dodges forgive sloppy play.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Super Mario Run
Auto-runner with no adaptive opponent; Toad Rally is asynchronous
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Enemies use fixed AI behaviours; no adaptation.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Super Mario Run
Courses are fixed and fully learnable
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Loot rolls and minor combat variance only.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt leans clearly harder on optimization.
Super Mario Run
Routing perfect coin runs is a solvable layout puzzle
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Builds, alchemy, and quest routing reward planning.
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.