Best Games Like Red Dead Redemption 2

From story-driven journeys to vast, reactive sandboxes, here are 10 games that capture different pieces of what makes Red Dead Redemption 2 unforgettable.

Platform(s) : PC, PS4, Xbox One
Developer : Rockstar Games
Publisher : Rockstar Games
Release Date : October 26, 2018
Genre : RPG
Where to play : Steam

A couple of weeks of my life were devoured by Red Dead Redemption 2 around Xmas 2018. Rockstar Games set a new benchmark for storytelling and immersion in open-world gaming. Its vast, meticulously crafted world captures both the grandeur and decay of the American frontier, blending cinematic realism with player freedom in a way few titles can match. Every encounter, conversation, and quiet moment feels purposeful, building a narrative that lingers long after the credits roll.

At its heart, Red Dead Redemption 2 is about humanity, morality, and the passage of time. It invites players to slow down, to live within its world rather than rush through it, rewarding curiosity and reflection as much as skill.

If you are looking for games like Red Dead Redemption 2, whether you are chasing a similar sense of immersion, narrative depth, or open-world adventure, there are several outstanding titles that share its spirit.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Platform(s) : PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Developer : CD Projekt Red
Publisher : CD Projekt
Release Date : 19 May 2015
Genre : RPG
Where to play : Steam

✅ Deep narrative and character writing: Like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3 excels at blending cinematic storytelling with player agency. Geralt’s world is full of nuanced moral choices, gray characters, and emotional consequences that stay with you long after each quest ends.

✅ Immersive open world: Both games feature richly detailed worlds that feel alive, from the bustling towns of Novigrad to the desolate plains of Velen. The Witcher 3 rewards curiosity with hidden stories, much like RDR2’s random encounters and environmental storytelling.

✅ Attention to realism and atmosphere: While fantasy replaces the American frontier, The Witcher 3 shares RDR2’s commitment to authenticity through small environmental details, believable NPC routines, and weather systems that shape the mood of your journey.

✅ Slow, rewarding pacing: Neither game rushes the player. Both are built around savoring the journey, exploring at your own rhythm, and investing emotionally in a living, breathing world.

Similarity score : 9/10

Ghost of Tsushima

Platform(s) : PC, PS4, PS5
Developer : Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher : Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date : July 17, 2020
Genre : Action adventure
Where to play : Steam

✅ Cinematic storytelling: Ghost of Tsushima and Red Dead Redemption 2 share a cinematic presentation that feels handcrafted rather than system-driven. Both games explore honor, loyalty, and identity in beautifully realised historical settings.

✅ Immersive open world: Tsushima’s island is as visually captivating as the American frontier. Like RDR2, it is filled with moments of quiet reflection between bursts of action, riding through golden fields or stopping to compose a haiku instead of a campfire tune.

✅ Refined combat and progression: Where RDR2 focuses on realistic gunplay, Ghost of Tsushima offers elegant sword combat built on timing, patience, and precision. Both systems reflect the games’ broader themes of discipline and mastery.

✅ Emotional resonance: The story of Jin Sakai mirrors Arthur Morgan’s in many ways. A man torn between tradition and change, loyalty and freedom. Both deliver deeply human stories wrapped in stunning world design.

Similarity score : 8.5/10

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Platform(s) : PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer : Warhorse Studios
Publisher : Deep Silver
Release Date : 13 February 2018
Genre : RPG
Where to play : Steam

Grounded realism: Kingdom Come: Deliverance trades RDR2’s Wild West for medieval Bohemia, but the design philosophy is remarkably similar. Every system, from combat to survival, is grounded in realism and consequence.

Immersive world simulation: Like RDR2, it is a world that exists beyond the player. NPCs follow schedules, the economy shifts, and even your reputation influences how others react to you. This commitment to immersion makes every decision feel significant.

Slow, methodical pacing: Kingdom Come asks the same patience and attention to detail as RDR2. Both games reward careful observation and punish recklessness, whether in sword fights or shootouts. Combat in KC:D.

Historical and thematic depth: While RDR2 examines the death of the American frontier, Kingdom Come reflects on faith, identity, and survival in a collapsing medieval order. The tone may differ, but the emotional weight and authenticity are very much alike.

Similarity score : 8.5/10

Cyberpunk 2077

Platform(s) : PC, macOS, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2
Developer : CD Projekt Red
Publisher : CD Projekt
Release Date : 10 December 2020
Genre : Action RPG
Where to play : Steam

✅ Immersive open world: While Night City replaces the frontier, both worlds share the same density and atmosphere. Like RDR2’s towns and wilderness, Cyberpunk’s streets pulse with life, detail, and personality. Every alley tells a story, every encounter feels handcrafted.

✅ Narrative-driven experience: Both games put storytelling first. Cyberpunk’s main and side quests are full of emotion, moral tension, and human drama, often matching the intimacy and complexity of RDR2’s best moments.

✅ Themes of decline and humanity: Cyberpunk 2077 and RDR2 explore similar ideas through different lenses: technology versus nature, progress versus loss, and the individual’s struggle against a changing world.

✅ Cinematic presentation: From lifelike motion capture to nuanced performances, both titles blur the line between video game and film. The result is a deeply emotional experience that keeps players immersed for hours.

Similarity score : 8/10

Grand Theft Auto V

Platform(s) : PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Developer : Rockstar North
Publisher : Rockstar Games
Release Date : 17 September 2013
Genre : Action adventure
Where to play : Steam

✅ Open world realism and reactivity: Sharing its DNA with RDR2, GTA V set the foundation for Rockstar’s world design philosophy. Both feature living, reactive environments that feel unpredictable and full of personality.

✅ Attention to cinematic storytelling: While GTA V leans into satire and chaos, it shares RDR2’s focus on tightly scripted missions, strong dialogue, and memorable character arcs. Each mission feels like a small narrative in itself.

✅ Freedom of approach: Like RDR2, GTA V lets players choose how they experience its world, whether following the main story or simply existing within it. From robberies to random encounters, both games thrive on emergent moments.

✅ Contrasting tone, shared craftsmanship: GTA V trades RDR2’s tragic introspection for social commentary and humor, but both represent Rockstar’s mastery of immersion, pacing, and cinematic design.

Similarity score : 8/10

Horizon Zero Dawn

Platform(s) : PC, PS4, PS5
Developer : Guerrilla Games
Publisher : Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date : 28 February 2017
Genre : Action RPG
Where to play : Steam

✅ Expansive and beautiful world: Horizon’s post-apocalyptic wilderness mirrors RDR2’s love for nature and exploration. Both games immerse players in landscapes where every vista tells a story, from decaying ruins to vibrant wildlife.

✅ Emotional storytelling: Aloy’s journey of self-discovery parallels Arthur Morgan’s in tone and purpose. Both protagonists grapple with identity, legacy, and survival in changing worlds.

✅ Strong environmental storytelling: Horizon, like RDR2, rewards observation. Notes, ruins, and small environmental details fill in layers of backstory and worldbuilding, making exploration deeply rewarding.

✅ Blending technology and humanity: While RDR2 examines the industrial age’s encroachment on the frontier, Horizon looks further ahead to humanity’s rebirth amid the ruins of its own machines. Both tell stories about our relationship with progress.

Similarity score : 7/10

Fallout: New Vegas

Platform(s) : PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Developer : Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher : Bethesda Softworks
Release Date : October 19, 2010
Genre : Action RPG
Where to play : Steam

✅ Freedom and role-playing depth: Like RDR2, New Vegas gives players a sense of agency within a decaying world. Choices carry weight, shaping the story and relationships, though New Vegas leans harder into RPG systems than realism.

✅ Themes of civilization and decline: Both games explore the twilight of eras, RDR2 through the dying Old West, New Vegas through the remnants of post-apocalyptic America. Each world captures humanity rebuilding, surviving, and scheming for power.

✅ Rich world-building: While RDR2 achieves immersion through cinematic realism, New Vegas excels through dialogue, lore, and player-driven discovery. Every faction, settlement, and moral choice deepens the sense of place.

✅ Different approaches to immersion: RDR2 prioritizes cinematic storytelling and visual authenticity, while New Vegas focuses on systems and consequence. Both, however, leave lasting impressions through their writing and atmosphere.

Similarity score : 7/10

Days Gone

Platform(s) : PC, PS4, PS5
Developer : Bend Studio
Publisher : Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date : April 26, 2019
Genre : Action adventure
Where to play : Steam

✅ Open-world storytelling: Like RDR2, Days Gone blends exploration with a deeply personal narrative. Deacon St. John’s story of loss and survival mirrors Arthur Morgan’s emotional arc, both are tales of flawed men trying to find purpose in collapsing worlds.

✅ Living world systems: Both games emphasize realism and immersion. RDR2’s dynamic world is filled with random encounters and wildlife, while Days Gone’s weather, day-night cycle, and hordes create a sense of constant tension and unpredictability.

✅ Tone and atmosphere: Each world is harsh, lonely, and beautifully melancholic. While RDR2 captures the end of the frontier, Days Gone portrays the aftermath of humanity’s fall, both suffused with nostalgia and decay.

✅ Different strengths: RDR2’s story and performances reach cinematic heights, while Days Gone shines in moment-to-moment gameplay and survival mechanics. Both reward patience and immersion over fast pacing.

Similarity score : 6/10

Far Cry 5

Platform(s) : PC, PS4, Xbox One
Developer : Ubisoft
Publisher : Ubisoft
Release Date : March 27, 2018
Genre : First-person shooter
Where to play : Steam

✅ Open-world freedom: Like RDR2, Far Cry 5 invites players into a vast and reactive landscape. Both reward curiosity, whether you’re exploring a Montana valley or the American frontier, the world feels alive and unpredictable.

✅ Strong sense of place: Each game captures a specific vision of America, RDR2’s fading West and Far Cry 5’s rural modernity. Both use their settings to explore freedom, faith, and rebellion against control.

✅ Emergent gameplay: While RDR2 leans on slow-burn storytelling, Far Cry 5 thrives on chaotic freedom. Random events, wildlife attacks, and explosive encounters give both worlds their sense of spontaneity.

✅ Different philosophies: RDR2 emphasizes grounded realism and emotional storytelling ; Far Cry 5 favors high-energy action and absurdity. They share spirit, not tone, both romanticise the untamed and unpredictable.

Similarity score : 6/10

Red Dead Redemption (2010)

Platform(s) : PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
Developer : Rockstar San Diego
Publisher : Rockstar Games
Release Date : May 18, 2010
Genre : RPG
Where to play : Steam

Once again, leaving out the prequel wouldn’t be acceptable. Together, these two form one of the greatest duologies in gaming history.

✅ Direct lineage and shared soul: The original Red Dead Redemption laid the foundation for everything its sequel perfected. Both tell stories of loyalty, regret, and redemption, but RDR2 deepens every aspect, from mechanics to emotional complexity.

✅ Narrative connection: RDR2 serves as a prequel, enriching the tragedy of John Marston’s journey. Playing both reveals a full circle of storytelling rarely matched in gaming, from Arthur’s fall to John’s doomed redemption.

✅ Evolution of world design: The original captured the spirit of the West; RDR2 turned it into a living, breathing ecosystem. Both worlds are desolate yet alive, filled with quiet moments that define the genre.

✅ Legacy and impact: Red Dead Redemption remains one of gaming’s most important Westerns, while RDR2 stands as its natural evolution, slower, grander, more introspective.