Start with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition if you want the closest overall substitute for Red Dead Redemption’s authored storytelling, memorable characters and freedom to roam. Choose Kingdom Come: Deliverance II if historical realism matters most, Cyberpunk 2077 for a dense urban role-playing world, or Ghost of Tsushima for cinematic swordplay in a carefully shaped historical landscape.
No game reproduces Red Dead Redemption’s western setting and measured frontier pace exactly. The better question is which part you want to preserve: a long quest-driven story, believable history, quiet travel, consequential choices, cinematic combat or an activity-packed sandbox. The recommendations below are organized around those priorities.
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Quick picks
| Game | Setting and tone | What carries over from Red Dead Redemption | Biggest change |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition | Dark fantasy across the war-torn Northern Kingdoms | Large-scale travel, authored quests, memorable characters and a protagonist with a defined personal story | Monster hunting, magic signs and fantasy politics replace the western world |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Historically grounded 15th-century Bohemia | Believable environments, social consequences and a strong sense of place | More demanding real-time combat and a less forgiving role-playing structure |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Futuristic Night City | Character-focused quests, exploration between missions and a protagonist caught in larger conflicts | A dense vertical metropolis, firearms and build-driven action replace frontier travel |
| Ghost of Tsushima | Historical samurai Japan | Cinematic landscapes, stealth, personal stakes and deliberate melee combat | Its structure is more focused around samurai warfare than a frontier crime story |
| Ghost of Yōtei | Rural Japan in the 1600s | A standalone historical action story and expansive natural environments | It follows the mercenary Atsu in a new setting rather than continuing Jin Sakai’s story |
| Horizon Forbidden West | Science-fiction wilderness filled with machines | Riding through varied terrain, discovering locations and preparing for dangerous encounters | Machine hunting, technology and science-fiction mysteries drive the world |
| Grand Theft Auto V | Contemporary crime in a modern city and surrounding countryside | Open-ended activities, travel and a world built for unscripted diversions | It emphasizes a crime sandbox and multiple protagonists over one reflective journey |
The strongest broad match is The Witcher 3. The most grounded alternative is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. The rest are better targeted choices rather than direct replacements.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition is the best all-round follow-up
Why it fits
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gives you a large, authored role-playing adventure with a defined hero, extensive quest chains and a world worth crossing simply to see what is beyond the next road. Geralt searches for Ciri across the war-torn Northern Kingdoms, so the main plot supplies a clear emotional direction while the open world continually offers contracts, political conflicts and personal stories.
#1 Best Overall
![NAMCO - CD Projekt Red - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, Playstation 5 [English Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dWUfwFl5L._SL160_.jpg)
- 1205504
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That combination makes it the closest match for readers who valued Red Dead Redemption as a journey rather than merely a map full of activities. Geralt is not a blank avatar: his relationships, reputation and decisions shape how many quests unfold. You can spend an evening following the main search, then turn aside for a village dispute or a monster contract without losing the sense that the world has its own history.
Exploration and role-playing
Exploration is built around settlements, wilderness, roads and quest locations rather than a single frontier region. The game expects you to investigate clues, prepare for specific enemies and make choices with consequences that may appear much later. Equipment, skills, alchemy and dialogue decisions all matter, giving the adventure more role-playing texture than Red Dead Redemption’s relatively fixed protagonist.
Edition advice
Buy the Complete Edition if you want the full package. It includes the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions in addition to the base game. CD PROJEKT RED describes the remastered edition as modernizing the open-world RPG with upgrades to visuals, performance and gameplay. The official description calls it “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered,” with those enhancements applied to the generation-defining adventure.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is the choice for historical realism
Why it fits
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II places Henry of Skalitz in 15th-century Bohemia. Its world is designed around period detail and social context rather than supernatural spectacle. If what you admired in Red Dead Redemption was the feeling that people, places and power structures belonged to a recognizable history, this is the most direct alternative.
Combat, activities and equipment
Combat is real-time and demands more attention than a conventional action game. Positioning, timing and equipment affect your options, while activities outside combat help establish Henry’s place in Bohemian society. Equipment customization is part of the role-playing loop, and the game’s choices can alter his destiny rather than simply changing a line of dialogue.
That consequence-driven design rewards patience. You may need to learn how the world works, prepare before a dangerous encounter and accept that not every problem can be solved by drawing a weapon. The slower, more deliberate rhythm is an advantage for players seeking authenticity, but it can feel less immediately accessible than Rockstar’s streamlined gunplay.
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Who should choose it
Choose this first if “realistic” means historical setting, practical equipment and social consequences. Choose The Witcher 3 instead if you want the same emphasis on a long quest narrative but prefer a more forgiving action system and fantasy abilities.
Cyberpunk 2077 is the strongest urban contrast
Night City instead of the frontier
Cyberpunk 2077 moves the open-world formula into Night City, a futuristic metropolis where vertical districts, corporate power and street-level factions create a much denser environment than a western wilderness. You play V, a mercenary pursuing a unique implant, and the central story keeps personal survival tied to the city’s larger conflicts.
This is the best recommendation if you want Red Dead Redemption’s character-focused missions but are ready for a radically different setting. The map is not primarily about long rides through empty country. It is about crossing neighborhoods, entering interiors, meeting fixers and deciding which local problems deserve your time.
Builds and quest structure
Combat supports firearms and build-driven action, so character development changes how you approach missions. A heavily equipped mercenary, a stealth specialist and a technology-focused build can read the same situation differently. Side quests are important because they develop V’s relationships and reveal how Night City’s institutions operate.
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- If you buy this game, you will receive a free next-gen update on December 14th!
- Play as a highly trained monster slayer for hire.
- Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth and complexity.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year edition brings together the base game and all the additional content released to date.
Phantom Liberty
Phantom Liberty adds Dogtown and another storyline. Treat it as an expansion to the Night City experience rather than a separate game when checking an edition or bundle. Store pages and availability change by region, so confirm whether the version you are buying includes the expansion.
Ghost of Tsushima delivers cinematic samurai action
Why it fits
Ghost of Tsushima is the right choice when the part you remember most is the combination of a serious personal story, beautiful travel and precise melee combat. Its historical Japanese setting replaces the American frontier, while samurai combat and stealth provide a clear identity of their own.
The island’s landscapes are designed to make movement feel purposeful. Wind, vegetation and landmarks guide you through the world without turning every discovery into a checklist. That contemplative quality can appeal to players who enjoyed simply riding across Red Dead Redemption’s terrain between major missions.
Combat and stealth
Swordplay is the centerpiece. You learn to read opponents, change approach and use stealth when a direct confrontation is not advantageous. The result is more formal and stylized than a western gunfight, but it retains the sense that preparation and timing matter.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIts story is more tightly focused than the sprawling role-playing structure of The Witcher 3. Choose it for atmosphere, authored character drama and combat mastery rather than for extensive dialogue branching or deep equipment simulation.
Ghost of Yōtei is the newer PS5 historical option
What makes it distinct
PlayStation describes Ghost of Yōtei as a standalone story set in rural Japan during the 1600s, roughly 300 years after Ghost of Tsushima. It follows Atsu, a mercenary, rather than continuing Jin Sakai’s story. That makes it an approachable entry point for someone who wants the samurai atmosphere without treating the earlier game as a prerequisite.
When to pick it
Choose Ghost of Yōtei if you want a newer PS5-focused historical action experience and prefer a standalone protagonist. Choose Ghost of Tsushima if you want the established samurai story and its particular island setting. Because platform and edition listings can change, verify the current regional store page before purchase.
Horizon Forbidden West is for science-fiction exploration
Why it fits
Horizon Forbidden West keeps the pleasure of traveling through a dangerous, visually distinctive wilderness but changes the fantasy of the frontier into science fiction. Aloy explores a world populated by machine creatures, and understanding their behavior is as important as defeating them.
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The game’s central activity is preparation: observe a machine, identify its weaknesses, choose suitable weapons and decide whether to fight directly or exploit the terrain. That loop gives exploration a practical purpose. New regions, ruins and machine habitats encourage you to leave the safest route and investigate.
Compared with Red Dead Redemption, the tone is more technological and the progression system is more explicit. There is less emphasis on a grounded outlaw identity and more on uncovering a science-fiction mystery through equipment, abilities and environmental clues.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Grand Theft Auto V is the best contemporary crime sandbox
Why it fits
Grand Theft Auto V is the recommendation for players who want an open world packed with diversions and a modern criminal setting. Its city, countryside and surrounding roads support a wide range of activities, so the pleasure comes as much from unscripted travel and experimentation as from the scripted missions.
Rank #3
- PLAY AS A HIGHLY TRAINED MONSTER SLAYER FOR HIRE: Trained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.
- Gruesomely destroy foes as a professional monster hunter armed with a range of upgradeable weapons, mutating potions, and combat magic.
- Hunt down a wide variety of exotic monsters, from savage beasts prowling mountain passes to cunning supernatural predators lurking in the shadowy back alleys of densely populated cities. Invest your rewards to upgrade your weaponry and buy custom armor, or spend them on horse races, card games, fist fighting, and other pleasures life brings.
- EXPLORE A MORALLY AMBIGUOUS FANTASY OPEN WORLD: Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity. Traverse a fantastical open world: explore forgotten ruins, caves, and shipwrecks, trade with merchants and dwarven smiths in cities, and hunt across the open plains, mountains, and seas. Deal with treasonous generals, devious witches, and corrupt royalty to provide dark and dangerous services. Make choices that go beyond good & evil, and face their far-reaching consequences.
- TRACK DOWN THE CHILD OF PROPHECY: Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world. In times of war, chase down the child of prophecy, a living weapon foretold by ancient elven legends. Struggle against ferocious rulers, spirits of the wilds, and even a threat from beyond the veil – all hell-bent on controlling this world. Define your destiny in a world that may not be worth saving.
Multiple protagonists and tone
The game’s crime story uses multiple protagonists rather than the single, steadily unfolding journey found in Red Dead Redemption. That structure creates variety and lets the narrative shift between different viewpoints, but it also makes the experience more episodic. Choose it when you want a flexible sandbox and contemporary satire; do not choose it expecting the same reflective western mood.
It is also the least historically grounded recommendation on this list. Its appeal is the freedom to cause, escape and improvise within a living modern setting.
Match the game to the part of Red Dead Redemption you loved
You want the longest authored story
Pick The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition. It combines a large world with a defined protagonist, extensive quest chains and two substantial expansions. Its fantasy setting is a deliberate trade-off for narrative breadth.
You want the most believable history
Pick Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Henry’s 15th-century Bohemian setting, real-time combat, equipment choices and consequences are built around historical plausibility rather than supernatural powers.
You want a city instead of open countryside
Pick Cyberpunk 2077. Night City provides the densest urban role-playing alternative, with V’s mercenary story and a progression system that supports different combat approaches.
You want cinematic swordplay
Pick Ghost of Tsushima for the established samurai story, or Ghost of Yōtei for a standalone 1600s Japan story centered on Atsu and designed for PS5.
You want discovery and dangerous wildlife
Pick Horizon Forbidden West. Machine behavior, environmental exploration and equipment choices replace the western world’s hunting and gunfights with a science-fiction survival loop.
You want a modern activity sandbox
Pick Grand Theft Auto V. Its contemporary crime setting and multiple protagonists prioritize variety and free-form diversions over one continuous personal odyssey.
Edition and platform checks before you buy
Game editions and regional listings change, especially when expansions are sold separately or bundled into a complete edition. Check these points on the store page for your country:
- Confirm the platform version, because a title’s availability can differ between console generations and PC storefronts.
- Check whether “Complete,” “Remastered” or another bundle name includes the expansions you want.
- For The Witcher 3, verify that Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are included if you want the complete story package.
- For Cyberpunk 2077, check whether Phantom Liberty and Dogtown access are part of the edition.
- For Ghost of Yōtei, confirm the current PS5 listing and regional release details.
- Compare the edition description, not just the product name: retailers sometimes list the base game and expansion bundle as separate products.
These checks matter more than a generic “best platform” ranking because availability and bundle contents can change by region.
If you meant the next game in the Red Dead series
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the obvious series follow-up for anyone who has not played it. It is a prequel rather than a new setting or a substitute from another studio, so it belongs in a different decision: play it when you want more of the same western world, not when you want a contrasting open-world experience. If you have already finished both Red Dead games, the recommendations above separate the qualities you may want to carry into your next game.
Final recommendation
For one purchase, choose The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition because it best combines a substantial authored story, exploration and consequential character-driven quests. Choose Kingdom Come: Deliverance II instead when realism is non-negotiable. The remaining games are focused alternatives: Cyberpunk 2077 for urban role-playing, Ghost of Tsushima or Ghost of Yōtei for historical samurai action, Horizon Forbidden West for science-fiction discovery, and Grand Theft Auto V for a modern crime sandbox.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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