The Best Order to Play Red Dead Games
Red Dead is a franchise of open world video games. Due to the detailed Western atmosphere that Red Dead games achieve, they have become a fan favorite among open world game fans around the world. Red Dead games, specially Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, are often considered classic open world video games and some of the best video games of all time.
What Are Red Dead Games Like?
In general, Red Dead video games are open world games set in the American frontier period, also called Old West. These games depict the life during that time period, as well as the adventures of different game characters during that time. Considering that Red Dead games offer an immersive experience and a window to the American frontier time period, Red Dead games are a refreshing experience in the open world game genre.
Red Dead video games typically feature a Western-themed open world which shows detailed aspects of the American frontier society, as well as different activities. In Red Dead games, the player character is sometimes tasked of herding animals, taming horses and tracking down criminals. Despite the detailed Western atmosphere, Red Dead games are not simulation games, but open world games with an action combat gameplay and a storyline which can be followed. Red Dead games, specially Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, are known for having an engaging storyline.
In Red Dead games, particularly Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, players can explore the open world environment, complete different missions, and help multiple characters with diverse tasks. These games offer third-person combat gameplay, third-person open world adventures, as well as multiple aspects and elements that add to the immersion of an open world experience.
Red Dead video games are known worldwide for Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, which are open world video games. However, not all Red Dead games belong to the open world genre. For example, Red Dead Revolver, is a third-person shooter action-adventure video game, offering a linear gameplay through different missions. Another exception is Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers, which is a social RPG set in the Red Dead games universe.
Considering the level of realism encountered in Red Dead video games, these games could be considered more than open world games, they could be considered an immersive window to the American frontier period, a chance to experience adventures during the Old West. Due to the immersive nature of these games, they offer an interesting experience.
Is There an Order to Play Red Dead Games?
Red Dead video games can be played and enjoyed in any order. However, considering that these are story-rich games featuring narratives and story events, it is reasonable to consider playing these games in story order. Furthermore, considering that some characters appear or are mentioned in multiple Red Dead games, playing these games in order is beneficial to having a better understanding of the Red Dead games universe and backstory. For this reason, even though it is possible to play Red Dead games in any order and enjoy them, it is suggested to play these games in chronological story order, which is presented in this article.
The Chronological Story Order of Red Dead Video Games
This is the chronological story order of the Red Dead video games. This is not the same as the chronological release order of these games. Instead, this is the chronological order in which the story events of the different Red Dead games take place. This is the suggested order in which to play these games to have the most comprehensive story experience possible.
Red Dead Revolver
Red Dead Online
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption
Spin-Off Red Dead Games
Some Red Dead video games, such as Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers and Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, do not have a clear placement in the chronology of the Red Dead games. Even more, some of these games, such as Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, are hardly canonical. For this reason, there is no clear placement of these games in the Red Dead games continuity. Rather, these games could be played in any order in relation to the other Red Dead video games.
Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
The Story Timeline Order of Red Dead Games
In general, Red Dead video games are set in the American frontier time period, also called Old West, and take place at the later half of the 19th century, such as in the late 1800s and also in the early 20th century, in the early 1900s.
In some cases, I was able to find the exact year in which each Red Dead game takes place. In other cases, such as Red Dead Revolver, Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers and Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, I did not find the exact year in which the game is set.
1880 Red Dead Revolver
1898 Red Dead Online
1899 Red Dead Redemption 2
1911 Red Dead Redemption
It is not completely clear whether Red Dead Revolver is canonical to the Red Dead video games storyline. Considering that some Red Dead Revolver game characters are mentioned in other Red Dead games, it is reasonable to assume that there must be some relation, even if the game may not be entirely canonical. Considering that I do not have enough information in order to conclude whether Red Dead Revolver is canon or not, and that the focus of this article is the chronology of the Red Dead games, not the canonicity, I will refrain from saying whether this game is canon or not. Instead, with the available information, what is clear is that this game is set in the late 1870s or early 1880s, placing it before Red Dead Redemption 2 and before Red Dead Online in my timeline of Red Dead video games.
I did not find any information regarding the time period of Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers. It seems reasonable that Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers probably is set at a time approximate to the other Red Dead video games, but considering that I did not find exact information, if I had written any year for this game, it would be a guess, and thus I did not include it in the timeline that I wrote.
While Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare is hardly canon, and thus does not belong to the Red Dead games continuity, it seems reasonable to suppose that Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare would be set at a very approximate time to Red Dead Redemption.
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