15 Best Open-World Video Games Of The Decade

7. Red Dead Redemption

red dead redemption mexico
Rockstar Games

Though there had been a couple of Western games before Rockstar tried their hand at one, each one felt like a trial run for Red Dead Redemption to properly realise the genre in video game form. It wasn't simply a love letter to the Wild West, it was a vital addition to the canon: a stunning, gripping gunslinger tale told with the same finesse and attention to detail you'd expect from the makers of Grand Theft Auto.

That heritage is perhaps why it's such a special game though. This could have very easily become 'GTA with horses', but while the developers transferred over elements from their other series, Red Dead was a major step forward, and marked a shift from the player-driven anarchy of the studio's previous titles to the authored role-playing that would define the series going forward.

The storytelling was a mature step up as well, defined primarily by restraint and the desire to let the characters breathe in this gorgeous representation of the dying west.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.