Everyone knows that the Red Dead Redemption games are the best Old Western games, but there are a few more best western video games that are equally deserving of acclaim.
In both film and video games, the Western genre has a long history of popularity (despite some problematic aspects to these stories).
Everyone and their friends have heard of Red Dead Redemption and its sequel at this point. All subsequent games based in the Old West were eclipsed by these two games, representing the Western genre.
That may be a testament to the quality of the Red Dead Redemption games. But it’s also unjust to other excellent games in the genre.
There have been many beauties in this genre that deserve just as much acclaim. So, please read on as we discuss some of the best western video games.
Red Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is considered by some to be the best cinematic game ever developed. That statement is difficult to refute given the fantastic plot, wide-open environment, and occasionally distinctive but concealed cinematics.
This is one of the best western video games. Furthermore, in a predecessor to the first Red Dead Redemption game. Players take control of Arthur Morgan in one of the most extensive game settings ever built.
Also, players fell in love with RDR2 almost immediately, with foes on all sides, betrayals at every step, and plenty of outlaw fun.
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger appears to be the most linear shooter ever on the surface. On the other hand, this is one of the best western video games.
The developers went to great lengths to make each level challenging and entertaining to play, from the poster-like art aesthetic to the fluid gunplay to the dynamic ways to destroy adversaries for bonus points. There’s a lot to enjoy about this game.
Furthermore, as a first-person shooter and a Western, Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger hits all the right notes. And even Red Dead Redemption II’s Arthur Morgan was used for advertising the game’s re-release on the Switch.
Call Of Juarez: Bound in Blood
When it comes to legendary first-person shooters, fans of the Call Of Juarez series often talk about how underestimated the game is. While the series has had its ups and downs in terms of quality, Bound In Blood is a fan favorite.
Ray and Thomas McCall, two American Civil War army deserters, go on the run to pursue rumored treasure in the game. Again, one of the things that drew gamers worldwide was the game’s compelling storyline, which was aided by the game’s precise controls.
Red Dead Redemption
With their 2010 game Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar Games gave fans a figure they’ll likely never forget in John Marston.
Almost every gamer knows everything there is to know about the classic franchise at this point, and this is one of the best Western video games.
Furthermore, the player assumes control of John Marston as he pursues his former gang members to bring them to justice and protect his family.
Fans were drawn in by the expansive open world and the freedom to explore every nook of the untamed west. And they stayed for the great story.
Darkwatch
A rail robber summons the demon Lazarus, transforming him into a vampire. The robber is subsequently recruited into the Darkwatch, a monster-hunting organization.
The result is a linear but thrilling first-person shooter that constantly introduces new enemies, keeping players on their toes.
However, it has a gloomy and gothic feel, as if it came directly out of a Universal Monster film. Also, weapons and lore are precisely developed, action is nonstop, and horror themes are there.
Furthermore, Darkwatch is one of those games that should have spawned a franchise. But sadly, the sequel was shelved, despite the game having a cult following as a shooter worthy of a sequel or remake.
Red Dead Revolver
While the Red Dead Redemption series is already well-known, many fans of the genre were disappointed with its debut installment, Red Dead Revolver.
However, this video game is one of the best western video games. The game follows a man on a quest for retribution, and rather than a moving story about a family man attempting to do the right thing by his family.
Furthermore, red Harlow, a bounty hunter on the American frontier, is on a mission to uncover the persons responsible for his parents’ deaths. While lovers of the series will recognize the gameplay, the mechanics haven’t yet been mastered in this installment.
Fallout: New Vegas
Even though it, like all other Fallout games, is primarily influenced by science fiction, Fallout: New Vegas comes the closest to being a Western and making this video game one of the best western video games produced.
From the atmospheric soundtrack to the settlements, the towns feel straight out of an old-school Western like The Magnificent Seven. Also, the weaponry is based on western clichés but with a sci-fi twist.
Furthermore, new Vegas passionately embraces the Western genre, paying homage to numerous classic films and stories from the past. A victim is even left for dead in the desert, only to be rescued by a small-town doctor. Setting off a revenge story.
Wild Arms
Wild Arms and its many sequels take the Old West and mix it with Eastern fantasy themes in one of the most underappreciated JRPGs. Also, Wild Arms is not difficult to grasp if a player is familiar with Square Enix RPGs from the time, such as Final Fantasy.
Furthermore, it has heroes employing technology and magic to battle villains, demons, aliens, and other opponents. Also, a basic but powerful story that spawned a slew of sequels that are more or less on par with the original in terms of quality.
Sunset Riders
Sunset Riders were one of many superb shoot-’em-ups western video games available for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. But few were as good as it. Some players have stated that the home console version is preferable to the arcade version.
Furthermore, players can choose from one of four characters and traverse through brief stages, blasting away at an opponent.
Also, as the game develops, the player will face off against enemies, ride horses. And rescue damsels in distress while searching for the most infamous bounties in the west.
Gun
There was another open-world Western game with survival elements called Gun before Red Dead Redemption. Some gamers have speculated that Rockstar drew inspiration from Gun when creating their game, as the two games have a lot of similar concepts.
Furthermore, it is an open world, including animal hunting and bounty hunting. And the ability to use a variety of weaponry. Thomas Jane, Brad Dourif, Ron Perlman, Tom Skerrit, and even the fabulous Lance Henriksen star in Gun, elevating the traditional revenge plot.
Hunt: Showdown
This is an example of a challenging game to categorize due to its numerous components. Hunt: Showdown features an open environment, PvP, PvE gameplay, a first-person shooter, a horror game, etc. It’s so unusual that it’s understandable why some gamers struggled to get into it.
The difficulty in these video games makes the video game one of the best western video games produced.
On the other hand, Hunt: Showdown deserves more lavish praise because it offers a thrilling experience that can be intimidating at first. But after the player gets beyond the steep learning curve, it transforms into an ambitious gem.
Also, monster hunting, player hunting, and survival action avoid the conventional multiplayer clichés and instead produce something fresh.
Wild Gun
Wild Guns is the best game in the genre for fans of old-school shooting gallery games. The game combines fantastic west motifs with more sci-fi ideas to give players unique foes to shoot down.
The player can play as one of two characters and progress through six exciting levels. Furthermore, the clear difference is that instead of a basic reticle on the screen, players must concentrate on battling foes while avoiding harm to their player character. It may appear simple, but mastering it can be difficult.
West of Loathing
West Of Loathing is the name of one of the craziest western games ever released. Many players may be turned off by the game’s basic art design before even trying, but they’d be losing out on a unique experience. This is one of the best western video games.
Furthermore, the game is a turn-based RPG with plenty of charm and depth, rather than the kind of point-and-click game that the art style may suggest. Also, west Of Loathing is an excellent game to play if you appreciate a lot of comedy in your games.
Desperados III
Another tactical game set in the Old West follows real-time tactics games like Commandos and Shadow Tactics. Like those RTS games, Desperados emphasizes ambushes and traps to gain an advantage.
Desperados, like Hard West, can be harsh, yet completing successful stealth sequences is a rewarding experience. Also, despite any inconveniences, Desperados III has a well-written story campaign that will keep the player involved.
Outlaws
In the 1990s, a slew of Doom clones attempted to cash in on Id Software’s success. Outlaws, from LucasArts, the studio behind Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, and a slew of Star Wars games, was one of them.
Furthermore, Outlaw combines Doom’s fast-paced gameplay with Monkey Island’s humorous art style to create an enjoyable experience. It may not provide anything new, but it captures the essence of what made Doom so thrilling and replicates it just enough to avoid seeming like a clone.
Hard West
This game has been described as “XCOM with cowboys” by several gamers, and that description isn’t far off the mark. While the game does not attempt to recreate a hyper-realistic portrayal of the Wild West, it does play in the same vein as the XCOM games. This is one of the best western video games.
While gamers who prefer a more tactical approach to their games will enjoy the gameplay, they should be prepared for a bizarre cowboy experience filled with demonic creatures. Furthermore, Fans of the genre may wish to look for some of the game’s distinctive mechanics.
Oregon Trail
Few games have had such an impact that they have been re-released. Not only is the Oregon Trail is a popular game, but it has also produced a slew of memes that have made their way into popular culture.
Furthermore, the Oregon Trail games usually have you controlling a party or family as they travel down the Oregon Trail.
Players can manage supplies, relationships, carts, and animals in the games while attempting to survive in the dangerous open world. Even 1971 original is worth trying, even though there are many distinct variants.
The Gunstringer
Despite a failed effort with motion controls, Microsoft’s Kinect had several well-received games. One of them is The Gunstringer, an on-rail shooter that parodies the Western genre’s various tropes while presenting itself in the guise of a marionette play.
However, not only are the sights and humor entertaining to watch, but The Gunstringer also employs basic yet excellent motion controls that make it addicting. It’s far ahead of most attempts to put a shooter on the Kinect.
Far Cry 5
A deputy is dispatched to Hope County in the hopes of apprehending Joseph Seed, a corrupt evangelical religious leader who governs the town with the support of his deranged followers.
A religious group called Eden’s Gate meets in Hope, Montana. Still, this group is not harmless, and neither is its leader, Joseph Seed, who employs his violent Seed family, which includes John Seed, to torture people who refuse to join Eden’s Gate.
Also, faith Seed uses Bliss’s hazardous mind-altering drug to put its victims into a trance-like state, and Jacob Seed utilizes brainwashing techniques to force people to join Eden’s Gate against their choice. Is there anyone who can stop Eden’s Gate from taking over Hope?
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Red Dead Redemption is one of the western video games released in 2010. The game storyline follows when a highly contagious undead illness sweeps the frontier. However, John Marston attempts everything in his power to discover a cure.
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider wanders the earth on the orders of the demon ruler Mephisto, fighting demons and monsters that have fled the underworld and returning them to the domain they came from.
From carnivals to military facilities, he travels the globe fighting evil forces to avenge the innocent, save his girlfriend Roxanne, and learn about Mephisto’s plot for the world’s fate.
The Town With No Name
A stranger who sounds like John Wayne arrives in a small western town to see someone but clashes with local gang members on this west face. Explore the city, play cards, or sleep with the bar girl between bouts. Furthermore, this is one of the best western video games
12 is better than 6
This oddly-named top-down shooter may remind you of Hotline Miami, but it places a greater emphasis on ammo conservation, precision shooting, and stealth. This is one of the best western video games.
Furthermore, it would be best to lift your gun with the right mouse button, fire with the left, and then reload with the right mouse button.
If you’re out of bullets, you can try your luck by emerging from the cover with a knife. The combat has the air of a Wild West duel gone wrong, where everyone is shooting at each other at the same time in a tavern or a barn.
Also, its lovely black, white, and red color scheme makes it appear as if someone painstakingly drew its universe on a biro notepad.
Oddworld: Stranger Wrath
Stranger’s Wrath is one of the underestimated best western video games that mixes the genre with Oddworld’s hilarious brand of bizarre, just as Gore Verbinski’s animated Rango is one of the most undervalued western movies of the last decade.
Dusty shantytowns and anthropomorphized redneck hens dot the outlying scene. The stranger is a terrific stand-in for Clint Eastwood as a fierce bounty hunter (capturing enemies alive or dead is a great western touch).
Furthermore, stranger’s living ammo is highly innovative, unlike other western games, which seek to imitate 19th century weaponry slavishly.
Stuntz makes your opponents puke, Stinbees track down your targets, and Chippunks keep them distracted by constantly mouthing off. It’s not your usual western, but it’s still fantastic.
A fistful of Gun
A co-op story and arcade vs. twin-stick shooter that’s best played with pals. You fight bandits in moderate bullet hell (bullet heck?) arenas in A Fistful of Gun.
Its 11 characters, each with weaponry and control systems, make it unique (some of which are improved by a controller). Tao lays down fused rockets that go off on a timer and can be relit if he runs back over them. But it can be destroyed by other projectiles, one of our faves.
Because the fuses take a long time to burn, Tao usually begins a game by circling the area and laying chains of tiny and large rocket launchers pointed at the center.
Westerado: Double Barrel
Don’t be fooled by the adorable pixel graphics: Westerado is an enormous open-world Western with plenty of gunfighting. Exploration, side objectives, and a dark revenge story at its core.
You draw together a portrait of the man who murdered your family through conversations and interrogations as you try to find him.
Furthermore, you can pull out your gun and accuse someone of murder. You’re free to shoot anyone at any time (though there will be consequences), and the man you pursue is randomized each time you play.
