15 Best Open-World Video Games Of The Decade

2. Red Dead Redemption 2

Without a doubt, Red Dead Redemption 2 has the most lifelike open world ever put in a video game. The towns, settlements and wilderness are rife with life (human and otherwise), and while most of it is slow and mundane (people just being people rather than engaging in the constant shootouts that define Spaghetti Westerns) Red Dead finds the beauty in those regular interactions.

The sequel focuses on a dying world, with America itself on the verge of a transition into modernity that will leave a lot of people - including the band of ragtags you're apart of - behind. The fuse is already lit, and RDR's methodical gameplay promotes savouring everything and making that fuse last as long as possible, before the inevitable boom that will come and throw everything into disarray.

That means it won't be for everyone, but RDR 2 doesn't care; it has a singular vision that it sticks to and executes holistically, delivering it all through the eyes of one of the best gaming characters of all time.