We’re all waiting with bated breath for any news on Red Dead Redemption 3. Most of us have been returning to Red Dead Redemption 2 since its release in 2018 - over five years since Rockstar blessed us with this cowboy adventure and we just want more. There are only so many times we can hunt out secrets in the wild west.
So, while we’re desperately waiting to receive any news from Rockstar on Red Dead Redemption 3, it’s time to branch out into some other games. What we love about Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t just the setting, but also the hige open-world and the deep story with affecting characters, so we want more of that.
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
When discussing games set in the wild west, the Call of Juarez series is often overlooked. It’s a crime that more people haven’t played this brilliant shooter. Yes, the story of revenge is a little cliche at this point, but the voice acting was top notch, the action and gunplay were always satisfying and there seemed to be no end to blockbuster moments. You can expect more of an arcade feel here, but that’s no bad thing. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a short, enjoyable experience that all cowboy fans should play.
Evil West
What better combo is there than cowboys and vampires? Well, cowboys and werewolves might be a good shout. Evil West throws together these kinds of supernatural enemies making them the bane of your life, rather than someone cheating at cards in the saloon. You can play solo, or with a friend, wielding unique weapons in the fight against “bloodthirsty monstrosities.” Evil West is an action-packed romp through wild west tropes, where your only hope to survive is to blow everything to bits.
Ghost of Tsushima
Combining gorgeous open-world activities with a rich story of loyalty and revenge, Ghost of Tsushima might be a perfect follow up to Red Dead Redemption. There have always been a lot of parallels between samurai tales and cowboy stories, with both offering a look at lone heroes on quests to do the right thing. The Magnificent Seven was directly inspired by Akiro Kurasawa’s Seven Samurai for the story beats and the themes throughout. And once you’ve played both you’ll see why they make for interesting bedfellows. They both seem to capture that idea of simply roaming the wilds, just you and your horse, to perfection.
The Witcher 3
We heard you like vast open-worlds filled with secrets and brilliant quests, and, you know, gadding about on a horse. If you said ‘damn, that’s me’ well you should play The Witcher 3. Long before CD Projekt Red took a jaunt into the future, they brought us one of the best RPGs of all-time. Taking Geralt through the wilds, battling slavering monster, casting magic, helping out the villagers while ignoring the main quest, deciding who to take to bed, The Witcher 3 has everything you could want.
Hunt Showdown
PvPvE shooter, Hunt Showdown, does a great job of world-building in a game where your primary goal is to destroy either horrible monsters, or enemy players. While that’s what you’re here for, you can’t ignore the wonderful environments that house this world of bayou bounty-hunting. Either solo or in a group, you can use old time weaponry to take down gruesome monsters in this tense shooter that pits you against other plays on the map to see who can take down the bounty, and escape first. Engaging and endlessly replayable.
Weird West
Developers sure like combining cowboys with ‘otherworldly’ aspects, whether that’s monsters, demons or spirits. Weird West definitely embraces the odd with wolfmen, pigmen, and other fantastical creatures contained within this mysterious story of dark fantasy. As each playthrough is unique to the player, you can find many ways to play this RPG adventure. There’s a wealth of great characters awaiting you, as well as some awesome battles using a vast number of skills. You can choose the way of stealth or action, but either way, you’re going to have a blast.
Cyberpunk 2077
A second entry for CD Projekt Red with Cyberpunk 2077. Now, if you’d asked us to put this on a list 18 months ago, we’d have told you to sling your hook. However, since update 2.0 which ushered in the legendary DLC, Phantom Liberty, the game became not only more polished, but a blast to play. Players were returning to the game and starting fresh, praising every facet of the title and cheering it for the game it became - a rip-roaring RPG filled with secrets, great characters and all-out action. Cyberpunk 2077 finally deserves its place among the greats because it’s a genuinely joyful and gorgeous experience.
Shadow of the Colossus
Okay, this might not be the obvious choice, but go with us on this. The main similarities here are riding horseback through gorgeous scenery, and it kind of ends there. But as a companion, Shadow of the Colossus gives you a vast world in which to get lost. Of course, the goal is to find and kill the colossi, but you’d be forgiven if you just spent time exploring, looking for hidden vistas. There’s something to be said about the heartache you feel when you fell one of the huge beasts, few games give you this kind of emotional attachment.
Desperados 3
Another RPG in the wild west, Desperados 3 takes turn-based action and mixes it with an engaging story. Everything comes down to tactics, the world is your oyster. You can take your heroes around the outskirts of maps and slowly draw in towards your enemy; try some stealth and make sure nobody sees you coming; or go in all guns blazing. With so many options ahead of you the fights can sometimes feel like puzzles, ensuring each piece falls into place otherwise your cowboys will be dead without redemption.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
It wouldn’t be filled out list without one of the Assassin’s Creed RPG trilogy, and what better choice than Assassin’s Creed Valhalla? The last of Ubisoft’s recent pushes into RPGs gave us an enormous world with more quests than we could ever possibly want. For real, this game has so much to do it could keep you going for hundreds of hours with side quests and a deep story. Between the quests and the secrets to discover along the way, there’s basebuilding, huge numbers of enemies, a fully realised character to upgrade and grow with, plus there’s a recently released roguelike mode to dabble with.
Featured Image Credit: Sony, Rockstar GamesTopics: Assassins Creed Valhalla, CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077, Ghost Of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games, The Witcher 3