The best Red Dead game is Red Dead Redemption 2, one of the highest-rated games ever made and a landmark open-world western. The 2010 original, Red Dead Redemption, is close behind and remains a classic, while the Undead Nightmare expansion and the early Red Dead Revolver round out Rockstar’s short but storied western series.
Rockstar’s western franchise is small — just a handful of releases — so here’s how they rank, what order to play them in, and where a newcomer should start.
The Red Dead games ranked
Every Red Dead release ranked, from the essential to the historical curiosity.
| # | Game | Year | Why it lands here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2018 | A staggeringly detailed open world; universal acclaim |
| 2 | Red Dead Redemption | 2010 | The classic that made the western a AAA genre again |
| 3 | Undead Nightmare | 2010 | The beloved zombie expansion for the original |
| 4 | Red Dead Revolver | 2004 | The stylised arcade shooter that started the series |
Every Red Dead game in order
The western franchise is compact. In release order it runs Red Dead Revolver (2004), Red Dead Redemption and its Undead Nightmare expansion (2010), and Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018). Note that RDR2 is a prequel to the 2010 game: it follows the Van der Linde gang years before the events of the original, so playing in release order actually means playing the story roughly backwards. Red Dead Revolver is a standalone arcade shooter and isn’t connected to the Redemption storyline. The 2010 original also received a modern console port in 2023, making the whole saga easy to play today.
The top picks explained
The releases every western fan should know.
#1
The classic
Best expansion
The origin
Fans of Rockstar’s other series will like our best GTA games ranking and our best open-world games guide.
Where to start
How to pick your first Red Dead.
| You want… | Start with |
|---|---|
| The best the series offers | Red Dead Redemption 2 |
| To follow the story chronologically | RDR2 first, then the 2010 original |
| A shorter classic | Red Dead Redemption (2023 port) |
