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 prime 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 determine to tackle the problem of bringing this time interval into our lives have lots of stress to get it proper. Fortunately, quite a few them have completely nailed what being a cowboy is all about, and we’ve completed 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 practical for you, then why not don your Stetson and rattle these boot spurs whereas slaying vampires as a substitute? 2022 positive 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 beautiful environments and Nineteenth-century model. And when you don’t fancy being a lone rancher whilst you full Evil West’s collection of chapters, then you possibly can slay classic zombies in co-op mode, too. We even have an Evil Lifeless distinctive chests places information when you’re uncertain the place to search out epic loot.
Laborious West 2
The unique Laborious West was a mighty high-quality mix of turn-based technique, the supernatural, and good old style cowboy. Sequel Laborious 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 by the American frontier, preventing everybody from regulation enforcement to witches to the demons that threaten to eat you.
Regardless of being a turn-based techniques sport, Laborious 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 provides Purple Lifeless a run for its cash, and you’ve got your self a Western sport that’s not solely an amazing sequel however a worthy Western outing in its personal proper.
Desperados 3
The Desperados collection is thought for mixing the enduring stealth sport motion of Commandos with the theme and setting of the Wild West. Mimimi Video games did wonderful 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 method to a 3rd Desperados sport.
Desperados 3 has all the pieces you would need – stealth-based motion, characters you develop to like and care about, and the beautiful rigidity of getting the timing simply proper so you possibly can take out a bunch of enemies with out elevating the alarm. This story-driven sport acts as a prequel to the unique Desperados: Wished Lifeless 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.
Purple Lifeless Redemption 2
A prequel to probably the greatest western video games of all time, Purple Lifeless 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 facet 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 not accommodates their life-style is continually examined throughout this epic story – not like many Western video games, RDR2 appears on the American Frontier in transition, and that’s brilliantly mirrored within the downtrodden Van der Linde gang.
In Purple Lifeless Redemption 2, you’ll discover ways to be a cowboy, however together with taming horses and bounty looking, it’s a spot the place you possibly can 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 by the dry, dusty plains taking pictures deer for dinner. There’s additionally an internet sport part to RDR2 that’ll have you ever preventing rival cowboy gangs alongside your most loyal buddies. Don’t overlook to take a look at our Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 evaluate 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 all the pieces the primary sport did and makes it higher, beginning with vastly improved appears. It’s beautiful.
You get to discover this colourful, vibrant world as a robotic named Dorothy, who’s in quest of 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 scale of its predecessor, too, that means it takes about eight hours to complete, and also you’ll get pleasure from each second.
You discover mines, collect sources, remedy puzzles, and take care of enemies and traps like an everyday Indiana Jones. Most spectacular is how all of those elements are balanced in order that the sport flows naturally from one encounter to the subsequent. Whereas SteamWorld Dig remains to be value 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 all the pieces too severely. 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 Ultimate 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 all the pieces in it, from driving ghost horses to flushing bathrooms. It’s full of 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 listing to have a Daveyard – a graveyard for individuals named ‘Dave’.
Name of Juarez: Gunslinger
The Name of Juarez collection boasts having a few of the most interesting Western video games round, however the inclusion of Gunslinger over the maybe extra standard Sure In Blood could also be a shock. Whereas the sooner video games are undeniably wonderful, they’ve aged a good bit in locations – whereas Name of Juarez: Gunslinger nonetheless appears nice due to its fantastic cel-shaded artwork model. And it could be just a few years previous at this level, however we nonetheless again the 8 we gave it initially in our Name of Juarez: Gunslinger evaluate.
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 when you keep away from it, you get your well being again. Within the second of your near-death, the sport’s complete world turns black and white, other than enemies, which lets you dodge bullets as when you had been Max Payne. The one-on-one ‘Showdown’ duels additionally stand out and are performed virtually like puzzles, as you maneuver your arms and sights whereas watching your opponent’s, and you’ll even kill them earlier than the time’s up when you don’t thoughts being referred to as “dishonorable.” There’s even a slice of Bulletstorm in right here as you earn bonus XP factors for pulling off trendy 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 unsuitable, or others interject. The degrees truly form themselves across the story being instructed, 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 pleasurable, 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 function 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 traditional betrayal. Aside from having to struggle rodents, robots, and Romans, it’s as Western as you may get.
It’s additionally arguably the very best Fallout sport, which isn’t too stunning 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 type as you wander the wastelands. New Vegas is full of memorable characters, many with stunning backstories, making for a few of the most memorable companions in a Bethesda sport.
The battle between the New Californian Republic and Caesar’s Legion provides the world a harmful and interesting edge. The trusty VATS aiming mechanic provides the taking pictures a turn-based techniques really feel. Oh, and seize the ‘Wild Wasteland’ perk so you will discover a load of wacky secrets and techniques, like aliens and even the stays of Indiana Jones inside a fridge. Ensure to seize his hat. After ending the marketing campaign, you’ll in all probability wish 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 probably the greatest Wild West sandbox video games below the title of Gun. Its unique attraction was born out of novelty, because it got here out when an open-world Western sport was a brand new idea. However Gun is value enjoying at the moment as a result of it has completely different concepts than the likes of Purple Lifeless and its ilk – plus, it’s nonetheless a very enjoyable shooter.
Past that, Gun has a superb story written by film author Randall Jahnson, recognized for The Masks of Zorro and The Doorways. That is accompanied by an amazing 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 did not 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 take 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 towards his company homeowners 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 fantastic.
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 because of the Stranger’s major weapon being a crossbow that fires stay animals. It’s far much less horrific than it sounds because of the Muppet-like method by which it’s portrayed. Better of all, it by no means stops being enjoyable as you head out, organising traps consisting of stay monsters to chew your enemies to loss of life.
It’s all supported by an exquisite, imaginative world that developer Oddworld Inhabitants clearly put lots 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 bought an HD re-release just a few years in the past, so it nonetheless appears fairly nice at the moment.
Outlaws
There are not one of the fancy concepts you get in trendy shooters right here. Outlaws, which is among the few unique LucasArts IPs that wasn’t an journey sport, is a pure, simple, and well-designed FPS within the model of the unique Doom and Star Wars: Darkish Forces.
LucasArts was one of many few ‘90s builders to place the story entrance and middle. Meaning the traditional 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 monitor them down over a superb string of ranges that channel pure old-school FPS motion.
It’s slightly fundamental by at the moment’s requirements, however when you settle for it as no-nonsense enjoyable with tightly designed ranges filled with secrets and techniques, you’ll get a hell of a kick out of Outlaws. It’s surprisingly practical 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 must be given to the voice appearing, too, which even sports activities John de Lancie (Q from Star Trek) as “Dr Demise”, and the unimaginable orchestral soundtrack by Indiana Jones common Clint Bajakian.
Blood West
Certainly one of 2023’s most nice surprises got here within the type of Blood West: a stealth-based horror FPS with RPG parts from Polish studio Hyperstrange. Taking up the type of an undead gunslinger, you might want to root and toot your approach by all kinds of eldritch nasties as you attempt to free your soul from a devilish curse.
Sporting loads of perks and undead-cleaning weapons that will help you in your journey, Blood West packs loads of punch into its 20-plus-hour runtime. Stealth is a big part of the sport, so don’t count on to make it out in a single piece must you decide to go in all weapons blazin’.
These are the very best pure Wild West video games to be discovered on PC. Nevertheless, you’ll discover that gunslingers could be discovered far and large by gaming, equivalent to 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 area, together with BattleTech or just about something Star Wars. The affect of the Western runs deep as a result of who doesn’t wish to be a gunslinger?
