14 Games Like Red Dead Redemption 2 to Play in 2026

If you finished Red Dead Redemption 2 and want more of that feeling, the closest match is still Rockstar’s own Red Dead Redemption, which is now on modern consoles. After that, try Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut and Ghost of Yōtei: both are built around riding a horse across a huge, beautiful map, with a lone rider at the centre of a revenge story. If what you loved was the slow, grounded detail, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and The Witcher 3 are the deepest open worlds you can play right now.

Below are 14 games like Red Dead Redemption 2, grouped by what they share with Arthur Morgan’s story: the frontier setting, the horseback exploration, the character drama, or the outlaw life. Each entry lists platforms, genre and the specific reason it fits, followed by a comparison table, a note on Rockstar’s next releases and a short guide to RDR2’s PC settings file. Some links on this page are affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.

Quick Picks

• Closest overall: Red Dead Redemption (the 2010 original, now remastered for current hardware)
• Best horseback open world: Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
• Best new release in the same mould: Ghost of Yōtei
• Best for slow, realistic immersion: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Best story and side quests: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition
• Best crime drama: Mafia: The Old Country
• Best western you can finish in a weekend: Evil West
• Best western for online play: Hunt: Showdown 1896

Games Like Red Dead Redemption 2 Compared

1. Red Dead Redemption: Best for Finishing the Story

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Switch, PS4, PC | Genre: Open-world action | Original release: 2010

Red Dead Redemption - For Nintendo Switch

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RDR2 is a prequel, so the most natural next step is the game it leads into. Red Dead Redemption follows John Marston in 1911, years after the events of the second game, as government agents force him to hunt down the members of his old gang. Anyone who spent 60 hours with John at the camp will feel the weight of every reunion.

The original was locked to PS3 and Xbox 360 for more than a decade. That changed with a PS4 and Switch release in 2023, a PC version in 2024, and versions for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 in December 2025. The package includes the Undead Nightmare expansion, a zombie-filled side story that is worth playing on its own.

Why it fits: same world, same characters, same Rockstar western tone. Skip if: you want RDR2’s level of detail. The 2010 game is smaller and simpler, with fewer chores and a less busy world.

2. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut: Best Horseback Open World

Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC | Genre: Open-world action | Original release: 2020 (Director’s Cut 2021, PC 2024)

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut [PlayStation 5]

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Sucker Punch openly borrowed from samurai films the way Red Dead borrows from westerns, and the two genres have always been close. You play Jin Sakai during the 1274 Mongol invasion of Tsushima, choosing between the honourable code you were raised with and the ruthless tactics needed to win.

The feel is what makes it a Red Dead alternative. You spend much of the game on horseback, crossing fields of pampas grass and red forests, and the “guiding wind” replaces a cluttered minimap so you keep your eyes on the world. Standoffs, where you face a group of enemies and strike first, play like a quick-draw duel. The Director’s Cut adds the Iki Island expansion, and the Legends co-op mode is included.

Why it fits: a lone rider, a gorgeous map, a story about identity and loyalty. Skip if: you liked RDR2’s slow camp life and survival chores, which Tsushima mostly leaves out.

3. Ghost of Yōtei: Best New Game in the Same Mould

Platforms: PS5 | Genre: Open-world action | Release: October 2025

Ghost of Yōtei PS5

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Ghost of Yōtei moves the series to 1603 and the wild northern land of Ezo, now Hokkaido. You play Atsu, a mercenary hunting the gang that killed her family. That premise is almost pure western: a frontier on the edge of the known map, a list of outlaws to track down, and a hero who is not sure she will survive the journey.

Sucker Punch leaned into that tone with more freedom to wander, campfires where Atsu rests and plays music, and a wider set of weapons. A free co-op Legends update arrived in March 2026, and a Complete Edition with new story and survival content launched in October 2026. It remains a PS5-only game; Sony has not announced a PC version.

Why it fits: outlaw-hunting, horseback travel and frontier mood. Skip if: you do not own a PS5.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition: Best Story and Side Quests

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One | Genre: Open-world RPG | Original release: 2015 (current-gen update 2022)

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Geralt of Rivia is a monster hunter for hire, and the job gives the game a structure close to Red Dead’s bounty work. What really links them is writing. Like RDR2, The Witcher 3 treats side quests as short stories with their own endings, and many of them stick with players longer than the main plot.

The Complete Edition bundles both expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, with the base game. The free current-gen update added better visuals, faster loading and quality-of-life fixes on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Geralt’s horse, Roach, will be a familiar companion for anyone who bonded with their own horse in RDR2.

Why it fits: mature writing, grey morality and a world that rewards wandering. Skip if: you dislike RPG menus and inventory management.

5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: Best for Slow, Realistic Immersion

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | Genre: Open-world RPG | Release: February 2025

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - PlayStation 5

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Players who loved RDR2 because it asked them to eat, sleep, clean their gear and ride slowly between towns should start here. Warhorse Studios’ sequel follows Henry of Skalitz through 15th-century Bohemia, a world with no magic and no dragons, only politics, hunger, mud and swords.

Everything is physical and slow by design. Your clothes get dirty, your reputation changes how people treat you, and combat depends on stamina and timing. The game also includes early firearms, which suits Red Dead fans who miss the weight of a revolver. It is one of the most detailed open worlds released in recent years.

Why it fits: realism, a grounded hero and a world that ignores you if you do not engage with it. Skip if: you want quick action; the learning curve is steep.

6. Mafia: The Old Country: Best Crime Family Drama

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | Genre: Story-driven action | Release: August 2025

Mafia: The Old Country - PlayStation 5

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RDR2 is, at heart, a story about a criminal family and a father figure leading it to ruin. Mafia: The Old Country tells the same kind of story in early-1900s Sicily, as Enzo Favara rises inside a crime family. You ride horses as well as early cars, and the period detail is a big part of the appeal.

It is a focused, linear game rather than a sandbox, which some players will see as a strength after a 60-hour open world. Hangar 13 released it at a lower price tier than most new big-budget games, which makes it an easy pick-up.

Why it fits: loyalty, betrayal and a period setting. Skip if: you only want open-world freedom.

7. Grand Theft Auto V: Best Rockstar Sandbox While You Wait

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Genre: Open-world action | Original release: 2013 (current-gen 2022)

Grand Theft Auto V - PlayStation 5

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GTA V shares RDR2’s DNA: the same studio, the same attention to small details, and the same habit of filling a map with random events. Its three playable leads, Michael, Franklin and Trevor, swap the western’s quiet tone for loud satire, but the mission design and heists will feel familiar.

It is also the best way to get ready for Grand Theft Auto VI, which Rockstar has scheduled for November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. No PC date has been announced for GTA VI yet.

Why it fits: Rockstar’s world-building and mission craft. Skip if: you want a serious tone; GTA V is a comedy at heart.

8. Days Gone: Best Modern Frontier

Platforms: PS5 (Remastered), PS4, PC | Genre: Open-world survival action | Original release: 2019 (Remastered 2025)

Days Gone gets compared to RDR2 more often than you might expect. Deacon St. John is a drifter in post-collapse Oregon, his motorcycle replaces the horse (it needs fuel and repairs, much like a horse needs care), and you move between survivor camps that each have their own politics and trust levels.

The world is wild and quiet between fights, with weather and a day-night cycle that change how dangerous the roads are. The Remastered version on PS5 added visual upgrades and new modes.

Why it fits: a loner in a lawless land and a vehicle you have to look after. Skip if: zombie hordes are not your thing.

9. Desperados III: Best Outlaw Gang Strategy

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One | Genre: Real-time stealth tactics | Release: 2020

Desperados 3 - PlayStation 4

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Desperados III is the only game on this list that puts you in charge of a whole gang. You control gunslinger John Cooper and his crew from a top-down view, planning ambushes, distracting guards and timing shots across towns, ranches and riverboats.

It looks nothing like RDR2 in play, but the fantasy of an outlaw crew pulling off a job together is spot on, and the western setting is rendered with care.

Why it fits: a western gang where every member matters. Skip if: you dislike puzzle-like planning and save-scumming.

10. Evil West: Best Western You Can Finish Quickly

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Genre: Third-person action | Release: 2022

Evil West - PlayStation 5

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Flying Wild Hog’s Evil West is a linear action game about a secret agency hunting vampires across the frontier. Combat mixes revolvers, a rifle and an electrified gauntlet, and it is closer to God of War than to Red Dead.

It is short compared with RDR2 and there is no open world, but it is a fun change of pace, and you can play the campaign in two-player co-op.

Why it fits: six-shooters, dusty towns and a strong western look. Skip if: you want exploration and side content.

11. Hunt: Showdown 1896: Best Western for Online Play

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Genre: PvPvE extraction shooter | Release: 2024 (as 1896 update)

If your favourite part of Red Dead was the gunplay, Crytek’s Hunt: Showdown 1896 turns it into a tense online game. Teams of bounty hunters enter a large map, track down a monster, kill it, and try to escape with the bounty while other teams try to take it. The 1896 relaunch moved the game to a new engine and added a Colorado mountain map.

Guns are slow to reload, sound gives away your position and death is costly, so every shot feels important.

Why it fits: lever-action rifles and frontier atmosphere. Skip if: you play solo and want a story; it is multiplayer only.

12. Weird West: Best Western With Real Choices

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One | Genre: Isometric immersive sim RPG | Release: 2022

Weird West comes from WolfEye Studios, co-founded by a former Arkane leader, and it plays like Dishonored seen from above in a frontier full of witches and werewolves. You live through five linked stories as different characters, and the world remembers what you do: kill a sheriff and his family may come for you later.

It is smaller in scale than RDR2, but the way it handles honour and consequence will appeal to anyone who cared about Arthur’s honour meter.

Why it fits: frontier setting and choices that stick. Skip if: you want a realistic western without the supernatural.

13. Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition: Best Dense Open World Outside the West

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2 | Genre: Open-world RPG | Original release: 2020 (Ultimate Edition 2023)

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Night City has nothing to do with the frontier, but Cyberpunk 2077 shares RDR2’s best quality: characters you care about and a world packed with stories. You play V, a mercenary with a fatal problem and limited time, which gives the story a similar sense of a life running out to Arthur’s illness.

The Ultimate Edition includes the Phantom Liberty expansion and the large 2.0 overhaul that reworked skills, police and combat. A Switch 2 version arrived in 2025.

Why it fits: heavy themes, memorable companions and a living world. Skip if: you find neon cities tiring.

14. The Last of Us Part II Remastered: Best Morally Heavy Story

Platforms: PS5, PC | Genre: Story-driven action | Release: 2020 (Remastered 2024, PC 2025)

The ending of RDR2 hits hard because the game makes you live with Arthur’s choices. The Last of Us Part II does the same with revenge, following Ellie and Abby through a cycle of violence that leaves no one clean. Both games ask whether a violent person can ever make up for what they have done.

The Remastered edition adds a roguelike survival mode called No Return and a guitar free-play mode.

Why it fits: writing and acting at Rockstar’s level. Skip if: you need breaks from bleak stories.

Also Worth a Look

• Call of Juarez: Gunslinger: a short, arcade-style western shooter told by an unreliable narrator.
• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag: a pirate open world with the same outlaw spirit and plenty of sailing.
• Horizon Forbidden West: a huge frontier-like map, a lone hunter and great traversal.
• The Outer Worlds: a sci-fi RPG that borrows the look and pacing of a western.

Coming Next From Rockstar

Two Rockstar releases matter to Red Dead fans. The first is Grand Theft Auto VI, set for November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The second is a rumoured current-gen version of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2. Several industry insiders have said it exists, but Rockstar has not announced it, and some reports suggest it may wait until after GTA VI launches. Until then, RDR2 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S runs through backward compatibility at 30fps, while the PC version supports higher frame rates.

Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Settings: Where the File Lives

Many PC players search for the RDR2 settings folder when the game crashes, will not launch, or forgets their graphics choices. Here is what you need to know.

1. Location: on Windows, the file is in Documents\Rockstar Games\Red Dead Redemption 2\Settings and is called system.xml.
2. Reset graphics: close the game, rename system.xml (for example to system-old.xml) or delete it. The game creates a fresh file with default settings on the next launch.
3. Launch problems with Vulkan: open system.xml in Notepad, find the line containing kSettingAPI_Vulkan and change it to kSettingAPI_DX12 to start the game in DirectX 12.
4. Settings not saving: right-click the file, open Properties and make sure Read-only is not ticked.
5. Shader cache issues: in the same Settings folder, players often delete files starting with sga_ to clear the Vulkan cache.

Do not delete the whole Red Dead Redemption 2 folder inside Documents. Your save files live in the same parent folder, and removing it can wipe your progress. On Steam Deck the same folder sits inside the game’s Proton prefix.

How We Chose These Games

This list is based on research, not playtime logged for this article. We started with the games that appear most often across major “games like Red Dead Redemption 2” lists from gaming publications, then checked each one against four things that define RDR2: a western or frontier tone, horseback or vehicle-based exploration, mature character-driven writing, and outlaw or crime themes. Every pick needed at least two of the four.

We then confirmed release dates and current platforms through publisher announcements and platform store pages, dropped games that are hard to buy today, and made sure the list covers different budgets and play styles, from 100-hour RPGs to games you can finish in a weekend.

How to Pick Your Next Game

Decide what you loved most

If it was the western setting, go for Red Dead Redemption, Desperados III, Evil West, Weird West or Hunt: Showdown 1896. If it was the world, choose Kingdom Come: Deliverance II or The Witcher 3. If it was Arthur’s story, start with The Last of Us Part II or Mafia: The Old Country.

Check your platform

Ghost of Yōtei is PS5 only. Desperados III and Weird West launched on PS4 and Xbox One, and those versions also run on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility. Switch 2 owners can play Red Dead Redemption, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3.

Think about time

The Witcher 3 Complete Edition and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II can each take well over 100 hours. Evil West and Mafia: The Old Country are much shorter, which makes them good palate cleansers after RDR2.

Choose the right edition

Complete, Ultimate and Director’s Cut editions usually cost only a little more than the base game later in a game’s life and include all major expansions. For older titles, these bundles are almost always the better buy.

FAQ

What is the closest game to Red Dead Redemption 2?

Red Dead Redemption, the 2010 original, is the closest because it continues RDR2’s story with John Marston in the same world. Outside the series, Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei come nearest in feel, thanks to their horseback exploration, lone heroes and cinematic open worlds.

Is there a game like RDR2 on Switch 2?

Yes. Red Dead Redemption has a Switch 2 version released in December 2025, and Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 are also playable. RDR2 itself is not on any Nintendo console; a Switch 2 version has been rumoured but not announced.

Will Red Dead Redemption 2 get a PS5 version?

Rockstar has not announced one. Insiders say a current-gen version for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 is in development, but its timing is unclear and may follow GTA VI’s launch. For now, the PS4 version runs on PS5 through backward compatibility.

Are there any open-world western games besides Red Dead?

True open-world westerns are rare. Weird West offers a connected frontier with free choices, and Hunt: Showdown 1896 has large western maps for online play. Most other westerns, such as Evil West and Desperados III, are linear or mission-based.

Where is the Red Dead Redemption 2 settings file on PC?

It is in Documents\Rockstar Games\Red Dead Redemption 2\Settings, in a file named system.xml. Deleting or renaming that file resets your graphics settings to default the next time you start the game. Avoid deleting the parent folder, because your saves are stored nearby.

Is GTA 6 like Red Dead Redemption 2?

GTA VI comes from the same studio and is expected to share RDR2’s detailed world-building, but it is a modern crime game set in a Vice City-inspired state. It is scheduled for November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Which Game Should You Play Next?

If you want more of the same world and characters, play Red Dead Redemption. If you want the same feeling of riding through a beautiful land as an outsider, pick Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, or Ghost of Yōtei if you already have a PS5. For deep, slow immersion choose Kingdom Come: Deliverance II; for great side stories, The Witcher 3. If you just want to fire a six-shooter again for a few evenings, Evil West or Desperados III will scratch that itch, and Hunt: Showdown 1896 is the pick if you have friends to play with.

Last updated: October 2026