Best Games Set in the Wild West (That's Not Part of the Red Dead Franchise)

The Red Dead Redemption The franchise is phenomenal, gaining worldwide fame for its stunning open world and mature stories. First too Red Dead RedemptionWhich many argue pales in comparison to its award-smother successor, still holds up extremely well as a piece of interactive storytelling. In any case, this and Red Dead 2 Effectively set the standard for the Western genre in the medium.

That said, it has come to my attention that not everyone is having fun Red Dead Redemption series. I've heard them called many negative adjectives, perhaps the most prominent being “boring”. While I absolutely love both Red Dead Redemption Games, I have to admit I see where some of these critics are coming from. red dead Certainly slower-paced than many other franchises, and as the true face of the wild-west in gaming, they can feel a little simplistic or restrained in some ways. Again, I don't necessarily agree with this, but I can see how such an idea manifests itself, especially when accounting for taste. Thankfully, there are plenty of other great wild-west games that are worth checking out, as they offer their own distinct portrayals of the legendary setting.

related to

The 12 greatest open-world adventure games of all time, ranked

There are many ways to do adventure in the open-world genre, and these titles do it differently, but equally brilliantly.

Wicked West

A game that feels pulled straight from the Xbox 360 era of beat-em-ups, Wicked West It has a special place in my heart. It's not high art – don't expect it Red Dead Redemption 2 A level of immersive, nuanced storytelling – but it's also very enjoyable in a certain, campy way. It's more or less a bog-standard vampire hunter tale, but its wild west trappings set it miles away from the likes. Van Helsing. You certainly don't lose that coolness factor, though. In fact, it shines through stronger than ever, when you cross the hard-hitting prowess of a professional vampire slayer with the gruff elegance of a cowboy, and that's a mix that gets along rather well.

Choose the cover art to complete the equations.

Easy (15 seconds) Medium (10 seconds) Hard (5 seconds)

issued: November 22, 2022
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ // Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language
publisher(s): Focus entertainment

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger

After that big mess The Call of Juarez: The CartelTechland decided to bring its Wild West franchise back to basics with 2013. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. It's a rather streamlined and lighthearted experience by Western standards, with plenty of baked-in fourth-wall breaks, crass jokes, and gratuitous cartoon violence, which work to its advantage. in fact, gunman is a wickedly fast, stylish, and satisfying first-person shooter with a playful framing device that revolves around a protagonist who tells stories of his rise to fame to drunken saloon patrons. It's linear and doesn't have a whole lot of gameplay variety, even relative to its predecessors, but it never ceases to impress with its frantic pace and mechanics.

Techland will proceed with the well-received development dying light games, through which it developed its distinctive approach to first-person action design.

issued: May 22, 2013
ESRB: m
Engine: Chrome engine

the gun

This 2005 third-person action-adventure game feels a bit odd to play Red Dead Redemption Games. First released five years ago Red Dead Redemption (But a year later Red Dead Revolver), the gun Feels like a necessary precursor to Rockstar's legendary Wild-West duology. Players assume the role of Colton White, a fearsome but tragic hero, making his way through the morally ambiguous world of 19th century North America. It's also open-world and features a time-slowing shooting mechanic called Quickdraw. I'll stop saying it's directly inspired red deadBut it definitely feels cut from the same cloth, in a good way.

issued: November 8, 2005
ESRB: M for Mature 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, sexual content, strong language, use of alcohol
Multiplayer: Online multiplayer

Desperados 3

From the creators of high value Shadow tactics The series comes Desperados trilogy, which are all great real-time stealth strategy games. While the first two Desperados Still, it's generally agreed that the third game, released in 2020, is the series' climax. It's a modern version of the original's tough and unforgiving stealth gameplay, but with much more attention to detail in terms of its visuals, sound design and immersive sim elements. Its methodical puzzle-like mechanics are certainly more niche and “gamer-coded” than straight gunslinging. red dead or Call of JuarezBut if you take the time to learn them, they are incredibly rewarding. Better yet, they bolster clever, captivating storytelling that punches well above its weight.

issued: June 16, 2020
ESRB: M for Mature 17+ due to blood, strong language, suggestive themes, violence
developer(s): Mimimi Games

Samurai Western

Samurai Western is the kind of game we rarely get these days: a funny, absurd premise that works against all odds. It's not hard to guess what it is Samurai Western is about – its title is extremely literal – but the game itself is not predictable. It's more or less a character-action game a la cried the devil and BayonettaBut otherwise set in an authentic western world. Let's say, the star of Samurai Western Its combat is balletic, smooth and satisfying. If you are looking for an unusual wild west video game, Samurai Western That old PlayStation 2 (or emulator) is worth dusting off.

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issued: June 7, 2005
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ // Blood and gore, intense violence, partial nudity
developer(s): get

West of Hate

If Samurai Western Too straight-laced for you, then consider West of Hate. Easily overlooked due to its deliberately primitive visuals, this game succeeds only for its comedic chops – it's definitely one of the funniest games I've ever seen. But beyond its comic density, West of Hate is a surprisingly rewarding and complex adventure game with turn-based RPG elements. It is similar to something South Park: The Stick of TruthWhere the game's absurd overtones actually help facilitate unexpected or unusual game mechanics. West of Hate If you also like wild west references, this is a real treat, as it is more or less a satire of the entire western genre.