What are the very best Western video games on PC? It’s not a simple resolution to make. The Wild West was a time of lawlessness, hanging gold, and threatening shootouts – no marvel it’s the topic of many high cowboy video games. We’ve donned our stetson and cowboy boots and set out on horseback to search out you the very best the American Frontier has to supply.
One of the best PC video games based mostly within the Wild West are impressed closely by the cowboy media that has come earlier than them, and it’s honest to say that the standard Western is a cornerstone of American tradition. The sport studios that resolve to tackle the problem of bringing this time interval into our lives have loads of strain to get it proper. Fortunately, a lot of them have completely nailed what being a cowboy is all about, and we’ve accomplished the arduous work of corralling the varmints proper right here, from open-world video games to technique video games and even vampire video games, so right here’s our choose of the very best Western video games.
Listed below are the very best Western video games on PC in 2024:
Evil West
If some video games set within the Wild West are a bit of bit too real looking for you, then why not don your Stetson and rattle these boot spurs whereas slaying vampires as a substitute? 2022 certain had its fill of vampires, however Evil West took the favored style again to a really fictional tackle the western frontier, full with electrical weapons and demonic, winged beasts.
This RPG sport takes you on a linear journey as you discover this loopy historic story, so there’s no free roaming round on horseback right here. Nevertheless, Evil West nonetheless solutions the decision of Western followers with its attractive environments and Nineteenth-century type. And in the event you don’t fancy being a lone rancher whilst you full Evil West’s collection of chapters, then you may slay classic zombies in co-op mode, too. We even have an Evil Useless distinctive chests places information in the event you’re not sure the place to search out epic loot.
Arduous West 2
The unique Arduous West was a mighty effective mix of turn-based technique, the supernatural, and good old style cowboy. Sequel Arduous West 2 manages to supply that and extra. When a heist on the notorious ‘ghost practice’ goes south, you and your merry band should blaze a path via the American frontier, combating everybody from legislation enforcement to witches to the demons that threaten to eat you.
Regardless of being a turn-based techniques sport, Arduous Ward 2 nonetheless manages to maintain its fight environments dynamic and alive whereas additionally providing some satisfyingly brain-twisting strikes and combos that may see you’re taking out an entire carriage of foes in a single shot. Throw in a rip-roaring journey that even offers Crimson Useless a run for its cash, and you’ve got your self a Western sport that’s not solely an ideal sequel however a worthy Western outing in its personal proper.
Desperados 3
The Desperados collection is understood for mixing the long-lasting stealth sport motion of Commandos with the theme and setting of the Wild West. Mimimi Video games did glorious work paying homage to this Commandos-style tactical technique sport with Shadow Ways: Blades of the Shogun, and the studio has utilized that very same formulation to a 3rd Desperados sport.
Desperados 3 has every little thing you may need – stealth-based motion, characters you develop to like and care about, and the beautiful stress of getting the timing simply proper so you may take out a bunch of enemies with out elevating the alarm. This story-driven sport acts as a prequel to the unique Desperados: Needed Useless or Alive, and also you’ll lead Cooper and his gang on a quest for redemption and epic western-style shoot-outs. Since launch, the sport has been supported with a wholesome quantity of DLC as effectively, so that you’ll get loads of worth right here, too.
Crimson Useless Redemption 2
A prequel to among the best western video games of all time, Crimson Useless Redemption 2 throws you in on the brunt finish of life as a cowboy in an unforgiving open world. Not that RDR2 is with out whisky swilling, tavern brawls, or nights tenting below the celebrities, however we now see one other aspect to this scrappy way of life. You play as Van der Linde gang member Arthur Morgan, who’s the right-hand man of Dutch, the baleful chief of the outlaw gang. The murky morality the gang embraces to outlive in a world that now not accommodates their way of life is continually examined throughout this epic story – not like many Western video games, RDR2 appears to be like on the American Frontier in transition, and that’s brilliantly mirrored within the downtrodden Van der Linde gang.
In Crimson Useless Redemption 2, you’ll learn to be a cowboy, however together with taming horses and bounty searching, it’s a spot the place you may lasso escaped outlaws and lay them on railway tracks like a pantomime villain, get drunk at saloons and begin a town-wide brawl, and experience via the dry, dusty plains taking pictures deer for dinner. There’s additionally a web-based sport element to RDR2 that’ll have you ever combating rival cowboy gangs alongside your most loyal mates. Don’t overlook to take a look at our Crimson Useless Redemption 2 overview to see what we considered arguably Rockstar’s biggest sport.
Steamworld Dig 2
The unique SteamWorld Dig was a perky Metroidvania with a Steampunk Western vibe. The sequel, SteamWorld Dig 2, takes every little thing the primary sport did and makes it higher, beginning with vastly improved appears to be like. It’s attractive.
You get to discover this colourful, vibrant world as a robotic named Dorothy, who’s seeking the primary sport’s protagonist, Rusty. The story is surprisingly deep – very similar to the holes you dig in your seek for minerals and crystals – and ties the entire SteamWorld universe collectively effectively. This sequel is roughly twice the dimensions of its predecessor, too, which means it takes about eight hours to complete, and also you’ll take pleasure in each second.
You discover mines, collect sources, clear up puzzles, and cope with enemies and traps like a daily Indiana Jones. Most spectacular is how all of those elements are balanced in order that the sport flows naturally from one encounter to the following. Whereas SteamWorld Dig remains to be price trying out first, SteamWorld Dig 2 removes all of its predecessor’s tough edges and polishes the gameplay to a eager shine. A uncommon event of a sequel is healthier than the unique.
West of Loathing
Western video games have a behavior of taking every little thing too significantly. The place are the barrels of guffaws? Enter West of Loathing, a straight-up Wild West comedy sport that options a whole solid of stick figures.
It’s an RPG with turn-based fight, not not like the early Closing Fantasy video games, however that’s not what West of Loathing is about. As a substitute, it’s about exploring this huge and weird world and making an attempt to do every little thing in it, from driving ghost horses to flushing bathrooms. It’s crammed with mysteries, spitoons, and spooky goings-on with supernatural characters like necromancers, goblins, and demonic cows.
There are puzzles, loads of characters to speak to, and jokes delivered higher than 99% of different videogames. The intentionally crummy graphics simply make the sport extra endearing and even funnier than it already is. It’s Westworld meets Sturdy Unhealthy. Plus, it’s the one sport on this checklist to have a Daveyard – a graveyard for folks named ‘Dave’.
Name of Juarez: Gunslinger
The Name of Juarez collection boasts having a number of the most interesting Western video games round, however the inclusion of Gunslinger over the maybe extra well-liked Sure In Blood could also be a shock. Whereas the sooner video games are undeniably glorious, they’ve aged a good bit in locations – whereas Name of Juarez: Gunslinger nonetheless appears to be like nice because of its great cel-shaded artwork type. And it might be a couple of years previous at this level, however we nonetheless again the 8 we gave it initially in our Name of Juarez: Gunslinger overview.
Gunslinger additionally has the splendidly cinematic ‘cheat loss of life’ mechanic that slows down time and zooms in on the bullet that’s about to kill you, and in the event you keep away from it, you get your well being again. Within the second of your near-death, the sport’s entire world turns black and white, other than enemies, which lets you dodge bullets as in the event you had been Max Payne. The one-on-one ‘Showdown’ duels additionally stand out and are performed nearly like puzzles, as you maneuver your palms and sights whereas watching your opponent’s, and you may even kill them earlier than the time’s up in the event you don’t thoughts being known as “dishonorable.” There’s even a slice of Bulletstorm in right here as you earn bonus XP factors for pulling off fashionable kills.
It’s Gunslinger’s narration mechanic, nonetheless, that’s the true standout. You play as Silas Greaves, whose older self is telling the story years later – and generally he will get it improper, or others interject. The degrees truly form themselves across the story being informed, so enemies, areas, and even time itself can change proper in entrance of you. All of this makes Name of Juarez: Gunslinger an unpredictable, extremely pleasant, and distinctive shooter.
Fallout: New Vegas
Wager you by no means considered Fallout: New Vegas as a Wild West sport, did you? The follow-up to Fallout 3 places you within the position of a Mysterious Stranger trying to discover their function within the deserts of the Mojave Wasteland whereas coping with all method of nuclear risks and basic betrayal. Other than having to combat rodents, robots, and Romans, it’s as Western as you will get.
It’s additionally arguably the very best Fallout sport, which isn’t too shocking as developer Obsidian contains lots of people who initially created the collection. The writing – from the likes of Chris Avellone – is superb, plausible, and takes a twisted kind as you wander the wastelands. New Vegas is crammed with memorable characters, many with surprising backstories, making for a number of the most memorable companions in a Bethesda sport.
The battle between the New Californian Republic and Caesar’s Legion offers the world a harmful and engaging edge. The trusty VATS aiming mechanic offers the taking pictures a turn-based techniques really feel. Oh, and seize the ‘Wild Wasteland’ perk so you could find a load of wacky secrets and techniques, like aliens and even the stays of Indiana Jones inside a fridge. Be sure to seize his hat. After ending the marketing campaign, you’ll in all probability need to know what to know the way Fallout New Vegas mods drastically change the expertise.
Gun
Again in 2005, developer Neversoft took time without work from the Tony Hawk collection to launch among the best Wild West sandbox video games below the title of Gun. Its authentic enchantment was born out of novelty, because it got here out when an open-world Western sport was a brand new idea. However Gun is price taking part in as we speak as a result of it has completely different concepts than the likes of Crimson Useless and its ilk – plus, it’s nonetheless a very enjoyable shooter.
Past that, Gun has a wonderful story written by film author Randall Jahnson, identified for The Masks of Zorro and The Doorways. That is accompanied by an ideal soundtrack and a few spectacular appearing expertise, together with Lance Henriksen, Ron Perlman, Kris Kristofferson, Brad Dourif, and Thomas Jane as the primary character Colton White. The leisure provided by the taking pictures is enhanced by Neversoft’s ‘QuickDraw’ slow-motion aiming mechanic, which is extremely satisfying to make use of.
Whereas it’s a bit of brief, and sadly, Gun 2 didn’t emerge since Activision moved Neversoft on the Guitar Hero practice, Gun nonetheless holds up as a singular cowboy title that hits a stride of its personal, providing a have a look at the place the style may have gone.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
Many of the Oddworld collection focuses on the pleasant Mudokon named Abe as he escapes and plots revenge in opposition to his company house owners in a collection of action-adventure video games, however there was a time when Oddworld centered on a brand new character in a Wild West setting – and it’s great.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath follows the Stranger, a bounty hunter who tracks outlaws for the bounty to pay for a life-saving (and mysterious) operation. The gameplay is a bizarre mesh of third-person action-adventure and FPS. Each are entertaining, however the shooter parts stand out as a result of Stranger’s major weapon being a crossbow that fires reside animals. It’s far much less horrific than it sounds as a result of Muppet-like method through which it’s portrayed. Better of all, it by no means stops being enjoyable as you head out, organising traps consisting of reside monsters to chew your enemies to loss of life.
It’s all supported by a beautiful, imaginative world that developer Oddworld Inhabitants clearly put loads of effort and time into creating. Regardless of being set on an alien planet, the Mongo River Valley feels extra alive and plausible than many places that characteristic in video games set on Earth. Fortunately, Stranger’s Wrath obtained an HD re-release a couple of years in the past, so it nonetheless appears to be like fairly nice as we speak.
Outlaws
There are not one of the fancy concepts you get in trendy shooters right here. Outlaws, which is among the few authentic LucasArts IPs that wasn’t an journey sport, is a pure, easy, and well-designed FPS within the type of the unique Doom and Star Wars: Darkish Forces.
LucasArts was one of many few ‘90s builders to place the story entrance and middle. Which means the basic Western revenge story of Outlaws will get to shine. You play as retired US Marshal James Anderson, who returns house to search out {that a} gang of vicious outlaws have kidnapped his daughter and murdered his spouse. It’s important to observe them down over a wonderful string of ranges that channel pure old-school FPS motion.
It’s reasonably fundamental by as we speak’s requirements, however in the event you settle for it as no-nonsense enjoyable with tightly designed ranges full of secrets and techniques, you’ll get a hell of a kick out of Outlaws. It’s surprisingly real looking in elements, although – a few bullets out of your fundamental pistol will kill any enemy (besides the bosses), so its vary of weapons is healthier weighed up for his or her accuracy than firepower. Particular point out needs to be given to the voice appearing, too, which even sports activities John de Lancie (Q from Star Trek) as “Dr Demise”, and the unbelievable orchestral soundtrack by Indiana Jones common Clint Bajakian
These are the very best pure Wild West video games to be discovered on PC. Nevertheless, you’ll discover that gunslingers will be discovered far and large via gaming, resembling protagonist Caleb in Blood, the aptly-named Gunslinger, one of many many DBD killers, and Overwatch 2 characters like Cassidy – to not point out all these sci-fi video games set within the wilds of outer house, together with BattleTech or just about something Star Wars. The affect of the Western runs deep as a result of who doesn’t need to be a gunslinger?