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It’s been a harder process, but now westerns are a great filter to put over first-person shooters or action video games. Accordingly, here are some of the best video games to play for those who like westerns and cowboys.
Updated May 13, 2022, by Tom Bowen: While the popularity of westerns has faded somewhat in recent years, the genre still has an awful lot to offer for those who enjoy action. Granted, they do tend to be a little lacking in the explosions department, but, more often than not, they more than make up for this with their gripping dialogue and tension-filled shootouts. The same is often true of video games that are inspired by westerns and cowboys, making them a great option for fans of the genre. These are some of the best games set in and inspired by the old west.
12 Red Dead Revolver
While it failed to make anywhere near as big an impression as either of its two sequels, Red Dead Revolver was still a pretty solid game when it was released for the PS2 and Xbox back in May of 2004. Sadly, it really hasn’t aged all that well, though there’s still enjoyment to be found for those who like cowboys and western movies.
More than anything, Red Dead Revolver provides a unique and interesting window into the origins of one of gaming’s biggest franchises. These humble beginnings would eventually lead to true greatness, and exploring them is a must for anybody who considers themselves a fan of Rockstar’s Red Dead series.
11 Hard West
Polish studio Creative Forge hasn’t developed all that many games since it was founded back in 2011, but it has been responsible for a few good ones. The pick of the bunch is arguably Hard West, which, as the title suggests, takes place in a fictionalized version of the American Old West. What the game’s name doesn’t convey, however, are the supernatural elements that help to shape this surreal experience.
Those who liked Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare DLC should take a lot of enjoyment from Hard West. As well as undead cowboys, players can expect to encounter a whole host of other terrifying threats (including ghosts and demons) as they struggle to survive the lynchings, rituals, and shootouts found so prominently throughout the game.
10 Darkwatch: Curse Of The West
Darkwatch: Curse of the West is a glorious mash-up of elements that’s trying so hard to find mass appeal that it’s a little heartbreaking it wasn’t able to spawn a long franchise of weird titles.
The shooter mixes together the western genre with gothic horror and traces of steampunk as it tells the story of Jericho Cross, a vampire cowboy who’s looking to wipe out a larger evil. Darkwatch leads to a very different take on the western genre and it’s something that deserves another chance.
9 Wild Guns Reloaded
Wild Guns was a popular Super Nintendo title that tells a story about revenge and family honor, albeit with a very cute, unassuming art design. Wild Guns Reloaded re-masters & modernizes the classic game and delivers a very satisfying title for western fans. The game is a streamlined take on shooters and brawlers, while also lovingly re-contextualizing the classic genre.
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Wild Guns Reloaded doesn’t lose the heart of the original title and the addition of new characters helps make this quirky western shooter become even more entertaining.
8 Gunman Clive HD Collection
It’s been encouraging to see how important art design and visual aesthetics have become for audiences. There used to be a time where only advanced graphics got people’s attention, but there’s more of an artistry to the look and feel of games now, especially when it comes to indie titles. The pair of Gunman Clive games are a perfect example of this.
They’re indie sidescrollers that involve gunslingers in the west, but the scaled back art design is where these titles feel unique. An HD collection has helped bring the games over to modern audiences and keep these games alive.
7 TimeSplitters 2
This may be a controversial selection, but with so many of the standard western and cowboy games skewing towards the same genres, TimeSplitters 2 becomes a breath of fresh air.
The sequel is a part of one of the most popular rail-shooter series, but TimeSplitters 2 gets especially crazy with the periods that it visits. TimeSplitters 2 spends some time in the Wild West to great effect. However, it’s the only game on here that also visits a high-tech vision of the future and a zombie dystopia.
6 Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD
It’s not unusual for franchises to produce spin-offs that take the games in radically different directions, and Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath really accomplishes something difficult here. It takes the surreal universe of the Oddworld games, but turns them into moody westerns with an original slant.
Stranger is a grizzled bounty hunter who just wants to get enough money to complete his goal. The ruthless world of Gizzard Gulch is a great expansion to the Oddworld universe and a re-master in 2012 helped Stranger’s Wrath not get forgotten.
5 Gun
Before games like Red Dead Redemption came along and essentially perfected the western genre, there were games like Gun that were attempting the same thing, just a generation earlier. Gun is very ambitious for its time and it puts players in a sprawling open world that’s full of outlaws and bandits who are eager to eliminate anyone who gives them a dirty look.
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Gun excels with its extensive side missions and how it fleshes out this world. While its heights have since been surpassed, it was formative back on the original Xbox and PlayStation 2.
4 Fallout: New Vegas
The Fallout series has taken many turns throughout its lifespan and while the best title in the franchise is up for debate, many consider Fallout: New Vegas to be the height of the apocalyptic series. Fallout: New Vegas may not technically be set in the Wild West or contain cowboys, but it’s set on the Mojave Wasteland and this desert landscape evokes the same energy.
Additionally, Fallout: New Vegas features a world where laws and rules no longer matter. It’s an environment that feels as dangerous and unpredictable as the Old West, even if it’s set drastically in the future.
3 Desperados III
The Desperados series of games on the PC are a worthy inclusion because they’re set back during the late 1800s when the West was at its most ruthless, & they utilize the strategy genre of games to look at this old time corruption.
Desperados IIIhas players on the hunt for bandits, but there’s a varied team of help that’s provided to track down these criminals in various settings. It may be slower and less graphically advanced than other games on here, but it builds the tension of a robbery or heist as effectively as anything else.
2 Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger
Not all of the Call of Juarez titles are set back in the days of the Wild West, but the series has gradually learned that it creates some of its best work in that time period. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger features Silas Greaves, a bounty hunter who’s at the end of his rope and progressively frustrated with this derelict community.
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger also provides a “duel” mode, which is a fantastic addition that allows multiplayer mayhem to invade the premise. It’s not a perfect title, but it features a tortured anti-hero at the center of it all.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2’s inclusion at the top of this list shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Its predecessor was already a masterpiece (and even Xbox’s Red Dead Revolver is a highly polished take on the genre for its time), but the sequel improves upon everything and creates an even more satisfying experience.
The open world of Red Dead Redemption 2is the new standard to strive for and whether players are stopping bandits or just leisurely tending to horses or kicking back at a saloon, the game ensures that it’s as detailed and enjoyable as possible.
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