7 best games to play like Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2024
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Last updated
1st Apr 2024 16:00
When Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in 2018, it brought wide-open vistas, visceral gunfights, plenty of secrets, and an online mode to living rooms around the world - but if you've already had your fill, there are some games out there that offer a similar style of play.
Rockstar had an enormous job to improve upon the already brilliant original Red Dead Redemption. Still, they did so in almost every regard, and the game's scope makes it difficult for other developers to replicate its achievements.
That being said, there are some incredibly expansive titles out there that should be on everyone's radar to check out, especially if you love Red Dead Redemption as much as I do.
How I decided on the best games like Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of my favourite games of all time. In my opinion, if you want a game like Red Dead 2, you should play it again and again, and then maybe one more time. But once you've done that, you'll need something to fill that hole in your heart.
The list below features games that can deliver on some of what Red Dead 2 does best, whether that's an open world that feels lived in, a cast of compelling characters, or a story that will break your heart.
Best games like Red Dead Redemption 2
#7 - Mafia 3
Click to enlarge- Developer: Hangar 13
- Release date: October 7, 2016
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
- Key features:
- 1960s setting
- Amazing soundtrack
- Compelling story
Mafia 3 is the third game in the series, and realistically, any of the series could make this list as they have plenty of similarities with Red Dead Redemption 2.
The reason I've opted for Mafia 3 is because of how atmospheric the game feels, with a soundtrack that perfectly captures the era of the game. Another easy comparison will be the focus on storytelling, but pulling it off to this standard is a lot easier said than done.
#6 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Click to enlarge- Developer: CD Projekt Red
- Release date: May 18, 2015
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Key features:
- A morally ambiguous world filled with danger
- Gwent, a card game that can be played within The Witcher 3
- Unlock-by-level progression system
- Varied combat with dangerous creatures
The first two Witcher titles were solid - if deeply flawed - games set in the world created by author Andrzej Sapkowski. By the time CD Projekt Red completed the trilogy, they had perfected the formula.
Players take control of Geralt of Rivia as he chops his way through monsters and men in a world where he’s criminally underappreciated. The game’s open world is bursting with life and the towns have a very similar vibe to those in Red Dead, with grizzled and hardy folk the norm. Though the fantasy setting may not appeal to everyone, it remains a spectacular, story-focused RPG.
#5 - Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Click to enlarge- Developer: Ubisoft Québec
- Release date: October 2, 2018
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Key features:
- A huge, expansive open world filled with secrets to discover
- Horseback riding, ranged, and melee combat
- RPG progression features and levelling system
- Vast oceans and naval battles
The arrival of Origins, an entry in the already extensive catalogue of Assassin's Creed games, marked the beginning of a startling new direction for Ubsioft’s flagship series. Though that game was brilliant in its own right, it’s the sequel that more closely replicates the Red Dead Redemption experience.
In Assassin's Creed Odyssey, players take control of Kassandra or Alexios, siblings blessed with powers given to them by their direct bloodline to the precursor race known as the Isu. Odyssey has a sprawling open world filled with secrets and settlements to explore, horseback riding complete with ranged combat and a spectacular, branching narrative.
#4 - Grand Theft Auto: V
Click to enlarge- Developer: Rockstar Games/Rockstar North
- Release date: September 17, 2013
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
- Key features:
- Brilliant vehicle mechanics from cars to boats to planes
- Extensive narrative featuring three protagonists
- Vast, interactive open world
Though it doesn’t need to be introduced to anyone who has ever heard of a video game, there’s a reason that Grand Theft Auto titles are so renowned. None more so Grand Theft Auto: V, which encapsulates everything the series is about and dials it up to 11, making this entry a no-brainer when looking for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2.
Developer Rockstar’s fingerprints are everywhere, with similarities to Red Dead in both gun-based and melee combat evident to anyone who has played both. The interactions between the game’s many characters, cutscenes, and random encounters all add to the rich tapestry of an open world that offers its intended audience hundreds of hours of chaotic fun.
#3 - Dragon's Dogma 2
Click to enlarge- Developer: Capcom
- Release date: March 22, 2024
- Platforms: PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X, PC
- Key features:
- Epic scraps with giant monsters
- Lets you really explore
- Outstanding open world
- Varied combat
Dragon's Dogma 2 doesn't have rich characters and it doesn't showcase the complexity of humanity in the same way that Red Dead Redemption 2 does. However, it does elicit that same feeling of scale, scope, and exploration that very few games do. On paper, these two games don't appear to share much, but the feeling you get whilst playing them is so similar - these two open worlds feel genuinely alive in a way most games only aspire to.
Although Dragon's Dogma 2 takes a moment to get going (a lot like Red Dead 2), once you're in, it's all-encompassing. The scale of the fights with monsters are some of the best around and being able to switch up your combat when you like keeps the game fresh.
#2 - God of War Ragnarok
Click to enlarge- Developer: Sony Santa Monica Studio
- Release date: November 9, 2022
- Platforms: PlayStation 5
- Key features:
- Amazing look at a father and son relationship
- Fantastic feeling, bone-crunching combat
- Fully realised characters and world
Few games have nailed storytelling quite like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War Ragnarok is one of them that's comparable. In the same way that RDR2 makes you fall in love with Arthur Morgan, Ragnarok will have you yearning to spend more time with Kratos by its end.
What's more, there's extra God of War goodness to enjoy too with the recently released DLC, Valhalla, which is completely free.
Despite God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 having very different settings and approaches to gameplay, they both feature some of the best characters I have ever seen in gaming and a story that will have you hooked throughout.
What is the best game like Red Dead Redemption 2?
#1 - Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
Click to enlarge- Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
- Release date: July 17, 2020
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Key features:
- Combat-based progression system
- Dynamic open world
- Spectacular visuals
- Vengeance story rooted in a historical setting
Though it might seem like a relatively unrelated choice at first glance, Sucker Punch Productions’ PlayStation-exclusive Ghost of Tsushima bears many striking similarities in how it feels to play - and is my pick for the best game like Red Dead Redemption 2 that you need to check out.
The player takes control of a samurai named Jin Sakan, seeking to defend his homeland from the Mongols. The sword combat is unique to this game, but the expansive open world it contains is a beautiful and striking landscape that can be explored on horseback. Tsushima also heavily leans into its cinematic credentials, including a Kurosawa mode that renders the entire game in the monochrome for which the director was famous.
For players willing to abandon the Old West for 13th-century Japan, Ghost of Tsushima has more than enough for Red Dead fans to sink their teeth into.
That's all for our rundown of the best games like Red Dead Redemption 2 that you need to have on your radar. Check out our lists homepage for even more game recommendations on dragon games, cosy games, and the best games like Baldur's Gate 3.
