12 Best Games Like Red Dead Redemption 2

What Makes a Game Similar to Red Dead Redemption 2?

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an open-world action game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The story follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as federal agents, bounty hunters, internal conflict, and social change threaten the outlaw community.

A meaningful alternative should share several defining attributes:

• Living open world: settlements, wilderness, wildlife, travelers, factions, and ambient events make the world feel inhabited.
• Character-led narrative: personal relationships and internal conflicts shape the main journey.
• Group or community dynamics: companions, gangs, crews, factions, or settlements create obligations beyond the protagonist.
• Moral consequence: choices, reputation, loyalty, violence, or compassion affect outcomes and characterization.
• Historical or socially grounded setting: politics, technology, clothing, architecture, and daily life support a coherent place and period.
• Journey and traversal: horses, vehicles, ships, or walking make movement through the world part of the experience.
• Environmental simulation: weather, wildlife, routines, law enforcement, survival systems, or dynamic events create systemic context.
• Side activities: hunting, games, investigations, contracts, trading, exploration, or stranger encounters provide meaningful downtime.
• Third-person action: shooting, melee combat, stealth, or pursuit supports the adventure.
• Deliberate pacing: quiet travel and character moments balance major action scenes.
• Cinematic presentation: performances, dialogue, missions, music, and visual composition reinforce the drama.
• Player-directed exploration: the player can leave the main story and discover personal objectives.

No single game reproduces Arthur Morgan, the Van der Linde gang, the American frontier, camp life, honor, horses, hunting, and Rockstar’s world simulation exactly. The recommendations below are ranked by overlap with those narrative, environmental, historical, and systemic relationships.

Games Like Red Dead Redemption 2 at a Glance

1. Red Dead Redemption

Closest match for: the same Western world, John Marston, open-world travel, horses, gunfights, frontier settlements, moral consequence, and cinematic storytelling
Developers: Rockstar Games and Double Eleven
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release date: May 18, 2010
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and shooter

Red Dead Redemption is the closest overall alternative because it continues the history of the Van der Linde gang and follows John Marston after the events of Red Dead Redemption 2.

John Marston travels across a changing frontier while being forced to confront former gang members. Horses, settlements, wilderness, bounties, gunfights, strangers, and ambient activity preserve the Western identity.

The world is less granular and the story is more focused than Red Dead Redemption 2. That narrower structure gives John Marston’s journey a direct momentum while maintaining Rockstar’s combination of freedom and tragedy.

How Red Dead Redemption Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: same series, Western setting, Van der Linde history, horses, lawmen, outlaws, open-world exploration, gunplay, side activities, moral conflict, and cinematic story.
• Different: Red Dead Redemption takes place later, follows John Marston, and uses a leaner simulation and mission structure.
• Choose it if: you want the direct continuation of the characters and frontier history.

2. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition

Closest match for: grounded Rockstar storytelling, crime, loyalty, family pressure, a lived-in city, driving, third-person combat, and moral consequence
Developers: Rockstar North and Rockstar Toronto
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release date: April 29, 2008
Modes: Single-player and multiplayer
Genres: Action and adventure

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition follows Niko Bellic through Liberty City as immigration, family obligations, criminal work, revenge, and compromised ambition intersect.

The strongest Red Dead Redemption 2 relationship is tonal. Both stories examine people who seek freedom through violence but remain constrained by loyalty, history, and institutions.

Liberty City replaces wilderness with dense urban neighborhoods, traffic, businesses, and social spaces. Driving replaces horseback travel, but movement still creates time for observation and character conversation.

How Grand Theft Auto IV Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: Rockstar open world, grounded crime, character-led narrative, family and loyalty, third-person shooting, travel, side activities, moral consequence, and atmospheric locations.
• Different: Grand Theft Auto IV uses a modern city, automobiles, several criminal groups, and a faster urban rhythm.
• Choose it if: the human cost of crime matters more than the Western setting.

3. Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Closest match for: historical realism, ordinary routines, reputation, travel, survival needs, detailed settlements, slow progression, and a grounded protagonist
Developer: Warhorse Studios
Publishers: Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver
Release date: March 3, 2015
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action, adventure, and RPG

Kingdom Come: Deliverance places Henry, a blacksmith’s son, inside war-torn medieval Bohemia.

Food, sleep, clothing, injuries, reputation, crime, training, equipment, and social status make daily behavior part of role-playing. Villages, forests, castles, and roads support a historically grounded sense of place.

The first-person combat and statistics create a stronger RPG structure than Red Dead Redemption 2. Both games reward patience and make travel, preparation, and ordinary routines part of immersion.

How Kingdom Come Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: historical setting, realistic world, character journey, reputation, moral choices, horses, travel, hunting, settlements, routines, crime, and deliberate pacing.
• Different: Kingdom Come is a first-person medieval RPG with skill-based swordplay, survival needs, dialogue checks, and no firearms.
• Choose it if: historical simulation and slow character growth are your priorities.

4. Days Gone

Closest match for: an emotionally driven drifter, group loyalty, motorcycle travel, dangerous wilderness, dynamic threats, survival, and cinematic open-world storytelling
Developer: Bend Studio
Release date: April 26, 2019
Mode: Single-player
Genre: Action

Days Gone follows Deacon St. John through a post-pandemic Pacific Northwest shaped by survivor camps, hostile groups, Freakers, loss, and the search for purpose.

The motorcycle functions as transport, equipment, vulnerability, and personal possession. Fuel, repairs, upgrades, route planning, and weather give journeys practical weight.

Red Dead Redemption 2 offers richer social simulation and historical detail. Days Gone provides a comparable road-story structure in which travel connects personal relationships, dangerous landscapes, and violent encounters.

How Days Gone Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: open world, character-led story, group loyalty, personal loss, third-person combat, wilderness travel, dynamic weather, hunting-like preparation, camps, and cinematic missions.
• Different: Days Gone uses a motorcycle, post-pandemic survival, crafting, stealth, and large Freaker hordes.
• Choose it if: traveling through a dangerous landscape is the experience you most want to preserve.

5. Mafia

Closest match for: historical crime, loyalty, betrayal, personal rise, cinematic missions, driving, third-person action, and tragic consequence
Developer: Illusion Softworks
Publisher: 2K
Release date: August 28, 2002
Mode: Single-player

Mafia follows taxi driver Tommy Angelo after an encounter draws Tommy Angelo into the Salieri crime family during the 1930s.

Its strongest relationship with Red Dead Redemption 2 is the conflict between criminal family and individual conscience. Loyalty creates belonging, but also traps the protagonist inside escalating violence.

The historical city, period vehicles, music, clothing, and social context support a coherent setting. The structure is more linear, with open streets connecting tightly directed missions.

How Mafia Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: historical setting, outlaw organization, loyalty, betrayal, crime, third-person gunplay, travel, cinematic story, atmosphere, and tragic consequence.
• Different: Mafia uses a 1930s city, automobiles, organized crime, and more linear campaign pacing.
• Choose it if: you want a focused period crime tragedy built around loyalty and betrayal.

6. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Closest match for: a vast historical world, travel, exploration, choices, combat, settlements, side stories, wildlife, and cinematic adventure
Developers: Ubisoft Quebec and partner Ubisoft studios
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: October 5, 2018
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and RPG

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey turns Ancient Greece into a large action-RPG world of islands, cities, battlefields, ruins, and sea routes.

The protagonist’s identity, dialogue choices, alliances, family conflict, and regional stories influence the journey. Horses and ships support travel across different scales.

Odyssey is faster, more ability-driven, and more mythological than Red Dead Redemption 2. Its historical landscapes and long-form exploration provide the strongest overlap.

How Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: historical open world, horses, travel, wilderness, settlements, side quests, choices, hunting, exploration, cinematic story, and player-directed pacing.
• Different: Odyssey uses Ancient Greece, naval exploration, RPG levels, loot, special abilities, mythology, and multiple endings.
• Choose it if: historical scale and exploration matter more than realism.

7. Fallout: New Vegas

Closest match for: factions, reputation, companions, open-world exploration, morally gray choices, settlements, firearms, and branching consequences
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: October 19, 2010
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action, shooter, and RPG

Fallout: New Vegas places the Courier inside the Mojave, where competing factions seek control of Hoover Dam and the surrounding region.

Reputation, skills, dialogue, companions, disguises, and choices determine access and outcomes. Small communities and side quests reveal conflicting ideas about order, freedom, survival, and power.

The presentation is less cinematic and the world is post-apocalyptic rather than historical. New Vegas offers stronger branching role-playing and faction consequence.

How Fallout: New Vegas Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: open world, frontier atmosphere, guns, settlements, factions, companions, moral ambiguity, exploration, side stories, reputation, and player choice.
• Different: New Vegas is a first-person post-apocalyptic RPG with statistics, dialogue checks, branching factions, and extensive mod support.
• Choose it if: reactive choices and faction politics matter more than cinematic presentation.

8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

Closest match for: self-directed exploration, wilderness travel, settlements, hunting, side stories, atmospheric landscapes, and long-term role-playing
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: October 27, 2016
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and RPG

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition gives the player broad freedom to explore mountains, forests, villages, cities, ruins, and dungeons while developing a custom character.

Travel produces its own stories through wildlife, patrols, caves, strangers, attacks, and faction discoveries. Main quests can be delayed while the player builds a personal route through the world.

Skyrim is fantasy and less focused on one authored protagonist. Its relevance comes from the freedom to wander through a world that continually presents new objectives.

How Skyrim Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: open world, wilderness, horses, hunting, settlements, random encounters, side quests, factions, exploration, atmospheric travel, and player-directed goals.
• Different: Skyrim is a fantasy RPG with character creation, magic, dragons, dungeons, skill trees, and extensive modding.
• Choose it if: unrestricted exploration and personal role-playing are your priorities.

9. METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN

Closest match for: open-world missions, third-person action, horse travel, companions, camp development, weather, enemy routines, and emergent systems
Developer and publisher: KONAMI
Release date: September 1, 2015
Modes: Single-player and multiplayer
Genres: Action and shooter

METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN places military missions inside open regions where routes, time, weather, equipment, companions, and enemy routines support multiple approaches.

D-Horse provides rapid travel, while other companions alter reconnaissance or combat. Recruited personnel and captured resources develop Mother Base between operations.

The world is structured around missions rather than ordinary civilian life. Its Red Dead Redemption 2 relationship is the combination of third-person control, horses, camp progression, cinematic themes, and emergent action.

How The Phantom Pain Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: open world, third-person shooting, horses, companions, base development, weather, wildlife, cinematic story, emergent encounters, and player freedom.
• Different: The Phantom Pain centers on military stealth, repeatable missions, gadgets, extraction, and equipment research.
• Choose it if: systemic mission freedom matters more than social world simulation.

10. L.A. Noire

Closest match for: Rockstar historical worldbuilding, a detailed period city, cinematic performances, investigation, driving, crime, and moral complexity
Developers: Team Bondi and Rockstar Leeds
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release date: May 17, 2011
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and adventure

L.A. Noire follows detective Cole Phelps through 1940s Los Angeles while cases expose crimes, conspiracies, personal histories, and institutional corruption.

Evidence collection and interviews replace hunting and camp routines. Period vehicles, architecture, clothing, radio, music, and urban geography establish a strong historical identity.

The city is less sandbox-driven than Red Dead Redemption 2, but the attention to place, performance, and morally complicated institutions provides a meaningful Rockstar connection.

How L.A. Noire Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: Rockstar-published historical setting, detailed world, cinematic story, third-person action, driving, crime, investigation, atmosphere, and moral conflict.
• Different: L.A. Noire is structured around detective cases, evidence, interviews, police work, and a 1940s city.
• Choose it if: historical immersion and investigation matter more than wilderness freedom.

11. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

Closest match for: a living open world, loyalty conflict, crime, cinematic storytelling, third-person combat, driving, side activities, and personal consequence
Developers: United Front Games and Feral Interactive
Publishers: Square Enix and Feral Interactive
Release date: October 8, 2014
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and adventure

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition follows an undercover officer embedded inside Hong Kong’s Triads.

Markets, traffic, side activities, races, investigations, favors, and criminal missions give the city several layers of interaction. Loyalty to people inside the organization complicates the official assignment.

Martial arts and modern urban movement create a faster style than Red Dead Redemption 2. The shared strength is a character-led crime story inside an atmospheric open world.

How Sleeping Dogs Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: open world, crime, loyalty, betrayal, third-person action, driving, side activities, cinematic story, atmospheric setting, and moral tension.
• Different: Sleeping Dogs uses modern Hong Kong, martial arts, undercover police work, street races, and a denser urban map.
• Choose it if: a living city and conflicted criminal relationships are your preferred attributes.

12. Mad Max

Closest match for: an atmospheric frontier, long-distance travel, a bond with a vehicle, scavenging, settlements, third-person combat, and environmental storytelling
Developer: Avalanche Studios
Publishers: Warner Bros. Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Release date: September 1, 2015
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and adventure

Mad Max turns a post-apocalyptic wasteland into a harsh frontier of roads, storms, ruins, strongholds, gangs, and scarce resources.

The Magnum Opus gives travel a practical identity. Fuel, armor, weapons, upgrades, repairs, and route choice make the vehicle comparable to a persistent companion.

The story and world simulation are less socially detailed than Red Dead Redemption 2. Mad Max captures solitude, landscape, survival, and the feeling of crossing dangerous territory.

How Mad Max Compares with Red Dead Redemption 2

• Shared: open world, atmospheric frontier, long journeys, personal vehicle or mount, scavenging, settlements, third-person combat, exploration, and environmental storytelling.
• Different: Mad Max uses a post-apocalyptic desert, vehicular combat, fortress upgrades, resource scarcity, and a lone-wanderer structure.
• Choose it if: landscape, travel, and frontier isolation matter more than complex social simulation.

Which Red Dead Redemption 2 Alternative Should You Play First?

Choose according to the Red Dead Redemption 2 attribute you most want to preserve:

• Direct continuation of the Western story: Red Dead Redemption
• Grounded Rockstar crime drama: Grand Theft Auto IV
• Historically realistic daily life and progression: Kingdom Come: Deliverance
• Personal road story across dangerous wilderness: Days Gone
• Focused historical outlaw tragedy: Mafia
• Large historical world and player choices: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Factions, companions, and reactive outcomes: Fallout: New Vegas
• Self-directed wilderness exploration: Skyrim Special Edition
• Open-world tactical freedom and horses: The Phantom Pain
• Historical investigation and cinematic cases: L.A. Noire
• Urban loyalty conflict and third-person action: Sleeping Dogs
• Atmospheric wasteland travel: Mad Max

Other Relevant Red Dead Redemption 2 Alternatives

Several other games match narrower parts of Red Dead Redemption 2’s profile:

• Far Cry 5 connects rural open-world exploration, wildlife, followers, vehicles, shooting, dynamic encounters, story missions, and two-player co-op.
• Watch_Dogs 2 offers a living modern city, third-person action, stealth, driving, hacking, side activities, multiplayer, and flexible mission approaches.
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands provides a large varied landscape, third-person shooting, vehicles, tactical missions, stealth, and cooperative exploration.
• Cyberpunk 2077 combines an open world, cinematic character stories, moral ambiguity, side quests, vehicles, customization, and multiple mission approaches.
• HITMAN World of Assassination trades one continuous frontier for detailed social sandboxes with observation, routines, emergent systems, and freedom of approach.
• Just Cause 3 and Saints Row IV: Re-Elected preserve open-world freedom and experimentation but prioritize spectacle, rapid traversal, and exaggerated action.
• Flashing Lights - Police, Firefighting, Emergency Services (EMS) Simulator provides open-world routines, vehicles, role-play, simulation, and cooperative public-service activities rather than a cinematic outlaw story.

How we chose these games

The picks come from two places: PC games we price that already cover this topic, and games whose Steam user tags, read on 7 October 2026, match at least four of Red Dead Redemption 2’s most characteristic ones. From that pool we kept the games with the clearest overlap in systems and pace.