Red Dead Redemption 2 is undoubtedly a masterpiece, and it has become a focal point in the conversation surrounding video games and their narratives. While the open-world gameplay and attention to detail in Red Dead Redemption 2 are truly breathtaking, it’s the story of Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang that captures everyone’s attention. Arthur’s fight to survive in 1899’s tamed America as an outlaw on the run is as memorable as it is tear-jerking, but Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t the only open-world game with a fantastic story. Below, we’ve outlined some of the best open-world games that have a story worthy of, or even surpassing, Red Dead Redemption 2.
Grand Theft Auto 4
A Miserable City, Where the American Dream Seems Like a Scam
- Released
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April 29, 2008
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Rockstar Games are exceptional when it comes to creating open-world games and memorable stories, and since we can’t include Red Dead Redemption 2 on this list, we can include other Rockstar titles. So, what feels more deserving than the game that reinvented the formula of open-worlds and stories for Rockstar than GTA 4? Grand Theft Auto 4 has a much darker tone than other games from Rockstar, and is seemingly more political. The story itself centers around Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Europe who tries so desperately to escape the horrors of his past by finding fortune in Liberty City, a city that disguises itself in commercialism to hide the fact that the American dream is dead.
Niko and his cousin, Roman, find themselves slipping deeper into debt, smothered by the city, until Niko himself is dragged back into a criminal underworld that he swore to escape. While the American dream might be dead, the American nightmare is very much alive for Grand Theft Auto 4, and navigating through the depressing and dreary Liberty City and interacting with its field of shysters shows the separation of wolves and sheep. It’s far darker than Red Dead Redemption 2, and a great title to experience for fans of RDR 2 for not only because it’s a game from Rockstar, but for being so tonally mature.
Fallout: New Vegas
Left for Dead, Ain’t That a Kick in the Head?
- Released
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October 19, 2010
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Engine
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Gamebryo
A nuclear fallout is a far cry from Red Dead Redemption, but the western vibes are still there, simply irradiated. Fallout: New Vegas has held strong as the best Fallout game for many players, and for good reason. The immense freedom of its open world, allowing you to practically go anywhere as you start your journey in the Mojave Wasteland, paired with the choices and consequences that shape your story, all aid in the creation of an epic journey, where your narrative is dictated by you, the player, instead of by the law and tuberculosis. The lack of linearity in the narrative means this story is unique to you, and that freedom can be so refreshing in an open-world game, especially when the story can be as good as this.
Fallout: New Vegas is set in the year 2281, 204 years after bombs from the Great War destroyed the civilized world. Waking up after being shot in the head, you take the role of a Courier, tasked with finding and recovering the Platinum Chip to deliver it to the elusive Mr. House. Whoever controls the Platinum Chip controls New Vegas, and whoever controls New Vegas controls the Mojave, and who isn’t seeking power in a powerless world? Danger lurks at every corner, alliances don’t come cheap, and the abundance of different endings can be argued for decades (and they have) about what’s canon and the right thing to do.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A Sprawling Fantasy of Monsters, Man, and Consequences
- Released
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May 19, 2015
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
Whereas Red Dead Redemption 2 takes the crown for being the best western, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt clashes with the competition to be the best fantasy open-world game. The Witcher 3 rivals other open-world games with its sheer scale, depth, and morality choices that further shape Geralt’s character and the world around him, but that’s not all. It’s a deeply woven story about fatherhood, guidance, and love where war and mistrust ravage through lands like a plague. Monsters and men seem just as bad as each other, and Geralt’s on a quest to find his daughter, Ciri, before the Wild Hunt reshapes the world.
This is Geralt’s deadliest journey yet, and a thrilling conclusion to his trilogy. Clashing swords with man and elf is as thrilling as casting new magic, drinking new potions, and finding new ways to best the monsters that lurk in these strange lands. The Witcher 3 is a phenomenal experience for those who love open worlds and deepened stories, and this is a game that has Gwent, whereas Red Dead Redemption 2 does not, so who’s the real winner?
Ghost of Tsushima
The Story of Honor, Loyalty, and What it Means to be a Hero
- Released
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July 17, 2020
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity
In the late 13th century, Tsushima stood as a proud island of Japan, filled with courageous and honorable samurai who would defend their home from an impending invasion from the Mongol empire. Equally as courageous was the youthful samurai warrior, Jin Sakai, who quickly becomes one of the last surviving samurai after witnessing the cruelty and dishonor in the Mongol empire’s fighting tactics. Forced to adapt to save his home and its people, Jin Sakai becomes the first shinobi, sacrificing honor and loyalty to the samurai way in order to use stealth to become a Ghost, betray his traditions, and liberate Tsushima. All in all, it resulted in an epic and tragic tale of trust, loyalty, and honor.
Ghost of Tsushima‘s stunning visuals and vibrancy for the island of Tsushima are worthy of all kinds of love, as is the combat that might break from what players are used to with Red Dead Redemption 2‘s gunslinging, but it’s equally worth a chance to experience. The open world captivates with its freedom and directionless paths, but it’s the story that keeps this game as sharp and strong as Jin’s blade.
Cyberpunk 2077
A Desperate Attempt to Survive the Incurable Among a Soul-Sucking City
- Released
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December 10, 2020
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Few games are as depressing, captivating, and beautiful explorations of the human condition as Cyberpunk 2077. The narrative itself follows V, a mercenary who dreams of the big leagues in Night City, a dystopian city set in the distant future where corporations hold all the power, and body modifications are the new norm. Everyone’s identity seems warped in personal gain and what’s trendy, and V’s role within Night City seems to be one of forgotten dreams, where they’re chewed up and spat out by everyone whom they dare to trust. The themes of loneliness and terminal mortality are reminiscent of Arthur Morgan’s own existence, yet they are present from the get-go, as V is unable to accept this condition.
Cyberpunk 2077‘s story is one of survival, where V’s life becomes a ticking clock and a race against time to try and live for a second chance. There’s so much depth to the story of Cyberpunk 2077, as there is so much sadness and fleeting joy in the characters you meet. The open world is filled with beauty that you won’t want to leave, yet isolation and danger that make Night City a dystopia. If this breathtaking game hasn’t sold you yet, then just wait until you meet Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, an integral piece of the puzzle who becomes integrated with V in strange ways to make their co-existence of clashing personalities a make-or-break in V’s fight for life.
- Released
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October 26, 2018
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
