10 Open-World Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
2. Red Dead Redemption
None of Rockstar's games make you feel quite as involved in the world as Red Dead Redemption does, which is impressive when you consider what came after it.
Sure, Grand Theft Auto V may have had an impressively expansive take on the open-world genre, but it can't quite compare with what Rockstar previously did in the Wild West.
What Red Dead Redemption lacks in sheer size, it more than makes up for in density. Everywhere you go there's always something interesting to do, whether it be through side missions or random encounters. Unlike in GTA V, these random encounters are actually interesting, and don't feel like you're wasting your time with them.
In fact, this is true of almost every single activity in Red Dead Redemption, which is exactly why it feels so rewarding to just live and breathe in this world.
Another aspect of Red Dead Redemption's open world that sets it apart is how each section of the map felt vastly different from one another. You have the cold and snowy woods of the Tall Trees, and then you have the sun-soaked land of Mexico, and both feel vastly different.
Honestly, Red Dead Redemption 2 has some big shoes to fill here.