In the open-world genre, Red Dead Redemption 2’s legacy remains largely untouched. Even years after its release, no other game has come close to matching how believable, detailed, and reactive its Wild West world feels. Rockstar Games poured immense resources and passion into the project, and it seems that only the studio’s next title, Grand Theft Auto 6, might outshine it and set a new, perhaps unreachable, standard for the genre.
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To this day, Red Dead Redemption 2 remains one of the highest-rated (95 on OpenCritic), best-selling (79 million copies sold), and longest (main story averaging 50 hours) story-driven open-world games ever made. While, subjectively, there is no other game quite like it, a few titles have still managed to surpass Rockstar’s masterpiece in certain areas. Below are open-world games that have officially outmatched Red Dead Redemption 2 in at least one of three key metrics: OpenCritic score, total sales, and story campaign length.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
OpenCritic Score: 96
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
As of 2025, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands as the fourth highest-rated game on OpenCritic across all genres, with an average score of 95 out of 100. Only one open-world title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, ranks higher. Nintendo’s 2017 masterpiece holds a 96 out of 100 and remains widely regarded as one of the greatest games ever made.
8 Open-World Games Officially Bigger Than Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 has a huge open world to explore, but these games are even bigger.
Like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s impact on the open-world genre is hard to overstate. It’s one of the most influential and iconic entries in the series, offering unmatched freedom of exploration, charming visuals, and a reactive world that makes it a sheer joy to spend hours in.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Total Sales: Over 220 Million Units
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
With total sales exceeding 79 million copies as of 2025, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands as the fourth best-selling game of all time, surpassing many other iconic open-world titles. For quick comparison, RDR 2 sold more than twice as much as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (over 35 million) and notably outperformed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (over 60 million). However, it still can’t hold a candle to Rockstar’s own record-breaking hit, Grand Theft Auto 5.
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A truly colossal game, GTA 5 has sold over 220 million copies to date — nearly triple RDR 2’s total. Released across three generations of consoles and maintaining a strong presence on sales charts for more than a decade, Grand Theft Auto 5 remains a force of nature among open-world titles, largely fueled by its ever-evolving GTA Online multiplayer. At this point, it seems that only GTA 6 could ever hope to surpass it.
Minecraft
Total Sales: Over 350 Million Units
Minecraft
- Released
- November 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
But there’s another phenomenon in the open-world sandbox genre, and the unrivaled number one best-selling game of all time. Of course, it’s Minecraft, which has sold more than both GTA 5 and RDR 2 combined. Minecraft surpassed the 100-million sales mark early in 2014, less than three years after its official release, which is something virtually unheard of ever since. For comparison, GTA 5 reached that milestone only five years later.
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These games may not reach the heights of RDR2, depending on your opinion, but they come close.
Even if it might seem unfair to directly compare Minecraft’s sales to RDR 2, given both games’ entirely different appeal, it’s impossible to deny Minecraft’s legacy and influence. Its impact extends far beyond the gaming industry, attracting even those who don’t typically play games.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Main Story Length: 52 Hours on Average
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a lengthy, sprawling, and cinematic main story that takes around 50 hours to complete, featuring dozens of unique handcrafted missions, memorable characters, and shocking moments. While many open-world games can take even longer to finish, such as Elden Ring (60 hours) or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (59 hours), those titles focus far more on gameplay than on storytelling.
Things Red Dead Redemption 2 Does Better Than Nearly Every Open-World Game
Red Dead Redemption 2 represents a masterclass in open-world gaming, doing a plethora of things better than its contemporaries.
When looking specifically at narrative-driven open-world games, however, a few still surpass Red Dead Redemption 2 in length. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of them, delivering a vast, cinematic story filled with rich dialogue, complex characters, and major events to rival Rockstar’s creation. Unlike RDR 2, The Witcher 3 also offers a high degree of non-linearity in its narrative, which effectively makes it even longer when considering all its branching storylines.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Main Story Length: 54 Hours on Average
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Released
- February 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is another epic open-world RPG celebrated for its rich storytelling, currently ranking among the best new titles of 2025. Its main story campaign alone takes over 54 hours to complete on average, making it one of the longest games of the generation so far.
Red Dead Redemption: 7 Things the First Game Did Better Than the Sequel
Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 are equally incredible, but there are a few things that the 2008 game did in a superior fashion.
Much like The Witcher 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is heavily driven by player choices with long-lasting consequences, leading to unique outcomes and events for each player. Combined with a level of freedom comparable to Red Dead Redemption 2, which allows players to live in its world, pursue side activities, and immerse themselves in its meticulously crafted historical setting, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 stands as one of the closest modern recommendations for fans of RDR 2.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Main Story Length: 61 Hours on Average
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Released
- November 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Much has been said about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla over the years, but personal preferences aside, one thing is undeniable: the game is truly massive in both scope and length, easily the biggest entry in the long-running open-world series. Featuring a complex narrative with multiple layers to unravel, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s main story takes over 60 hours to complete, packed with major events, historical figures, and deep lore revelations for the series’ most devoted fans.
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Beyond its enormous main story, Valhalla’s world is also much bigger than that of Red Dead Redemption 2. With several vast maps to explore, players embark on an epic journey across real-world-inspired regions and dreamlike mythical realms, each with its own unique atmosphere and environments. For those determined to uncover every secret, collect every weapon, armor piece, and rune, and clear the maps completely, exploring everything Valhalla has to offer can take well over 200 hours.
Red Dead Redemption 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- October 26, 2018
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games