Red Dead Redemption was the first Western video game to become a major hit back in 2010. Not only did it help emulate the great spaghetti westerns of the 1960s, but it was also set in an open world. In 2018, Rockstar managed to outdo itself with Red Dead Redemption 2, easily one of the best games of the past decade, which is a 10/10 experience on every level.
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Since then, there haven’t been any big Western games to rival it, which is odd. After all, many games tried to emulate what The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did in 2017. With that in mind, let’s imagine a world where some sci-fi experiences, past and present, might have equaled Red Dead Redemption 2 if they were more like Westerns in one way or another.
Fallout: New Vegas
Halfway There
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Fallout: New Vegas takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of the Nevada desert, which is already close enough to a Western setting. The story is also akin to many Westerns, as players are double-crossed, shot, and left for dead in the desert, and now they have to seek revenge on the man who did it.
Along the way, they'll meet various Factions to align with, including Elvis impersonators and those who want to bring back the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, there’s not much in terms of Western themes beyond the setting and plot, and Obsidian Entertainment could have gone a lot further. A post-apocalyptic Western would have been unique if players could ride a horse or perhaps some use more classic weapons and have a showdown against raiders and mutants.
Horizon Forbidden West
Should Have Been The Wild West
Horizon Forbidden West
- Released
- February 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
Horizon Forbidden West continues the journey of Aloy, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world that was destroyed by robots ages ago. Because it was a long time ago, the Earth has replenished itself and is now rich in greenery despite all the crumbling buildings laying around. The first game took place in Colorado, but this sequel takes Aloy across the western plains into Utah, Nevada, and California.
While it was a good idea to focus on Aloy again from a story perspective, Guerrilla Games could have leaned more into Western vibes, especially given the name they chose. They could have picked a different tribe to focus on, perhaps one that had figured out how to use guns instead of bows. Players could have patrolled these states to help and protect their colony instead of it being another personal journey for Aloy, who still uses primitive weaponry. A robotic horse could have also been cool, although some of the game's mounts do a decent impression of the same.
Death Stranding
The Future Pony Express
Death Stranding
- Released
- November 8, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Genre(s)
- Action
Death Stranding is yet another post-apocalyptic game set in the United States, but this one has an even more expansive setting. Players start on the East Coast and have to make their way across the entire country, albeit an abridged version, to the West Coast. Players are a courier, Sam Bridges, and by delivering packages mostly on foot, they can connect underground bunkers to the new Chiral Network and thus connect people again.
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Even though this is a post-apocalyptic game, the Earth is even more lively, with plenty more vegetation and color than Horizon Forbidden West. The development team could have made the U.S. A complete desert, which would have made it more like a Western. Also, the story could have focused on players reestablishing the Pony Express, an old delivery system, as it would have still featured a package-based gameplay system. It could have even been just about the Pony Express in the 1860s and could have included some sci-fi vibes to give it a different tone than most Westerns.
Cyberpunk 2077
The Nomad’s Life
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
Cyberpunk 2077 lets players customize their character, including how they look and their starting location. Players can choose to live in Night City as a Corpo or Street Kid, both of which seem more fitting for what the game’s central narrative is about. The third option is a Nomad, where players start in the surrounding desert area.
Imagine if every player had to start in the desert, born in an old-school Western society where the law is whatever people make of it. Players could spend a good portion of the first act exploring the wastes and then getting enough money to travel to Night City, where they take their gunslinger skills to the next level. Blending a cyberpunk game with a Western sounds like a cool juxtaposition that could have worked if players were patient enough.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Borrow From Trigun
Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Released
- December 4, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Monolith Soft, Nintendo SPD
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
Xenoblade Chronicles X is the second game in the series, and instead of focusing on a big narrative with a central named character, players can instead create their own, but they do not speak. The premise finds a portion of humanity landing on a planet to start anew, naming the colony New L.A., and except for a monster problem, the planet has everything a human civilization needs. There’s water, rich vegetation, and breathable air.
Instead of setting the game on a planet full of vegetation, the developer could have made the planet a desert. In the anime Trigun, a ship of humans from Earth lands on a desert planet, and as they spread out, they rebuild society, starting as a Western-style frontier. That could have worked just as well with Xenoblade Chronicles X, and players could have had missions to build towns or to grow crops, instead of just fighting monsters.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
From Jedi To Smuggler
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Released
- July 15, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic starts with an amnesiac hero, created by the player, who is rescued and then taken to the Jedi Council. Players can build their character in several ways, but the Jedi or Sith paths are the two that the game pushes the most. In the MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, players get more choices in the type of character they can create, from a Jedi to a smuggler.
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It would have been interesting if this first game had just started players out as a Jedi who was sent on assignments to patrol the galaxy, sort of like a space sheriff. They would not have to carry a blaster, but it could have still felt more like a Western either way if the planets players visited were more primitive.
Mass Effect
The Lone Shepard
Mass Effect
- Released
- November 20, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Mass Effect was developed by BioWare, just like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was. Instead of creating a trilogy about saving the galaxy from a doomsday-like race, which is a cliche, it could have been more interesting if space was treated like it is in the various Star Trek shows.
As Commander Shepard, players could have visited planets to solve disputes on a smaller scale, again, like the space sheriff idea for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In Mass Effect’s favor, there would be a lot more blasting going on with guns. This is sort of what they were trying to do with Mass Effect: Andromeda, but it was nowhere near as good as the original Mass Effect trilogy.
Borderlands 2
Shifting From Vault Hunter To Sheriff
Borderlands 2
- Released
- September 18, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Like the original, Borderlands 2 is set on the desert planet of Pandora. The game is practically a Western already, as the various shops and towns are very basic beyond all he high-tech gadgetry around, from the guns to the drivable buggy. Also, like the first game, players are Vault Hunters, which means they traveled to Pandora just to hunt for treasure.
While this was a great setup for the original, it would have been a bold move for Gearbox to try something else for their first sequel. Players could have instead been an inhabitant of Pandora who was hired as a deputy to keep the law between the corporations, raiders, and Vault Hunter visitors. There could have even been a faction system like in Fallout: New Vegas, too, depending on who players wanted to side with.
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