Should you try out Red Dead Redemption in 2025?

Red Dead Redemption takes place a decade after the fall of the Van der Linde gang and follows John Marston's story from outlaw to rancher to a killer of old friends. Rockstar Games released this title in 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and it received universal praise from fans and critics. The iconic open-world western was recently ported to PC and received a remaster for modern consoles.

Despite being much older than the prequel, arguably much bigger and grander in scale, the original has aged like fine wine. Players should consider diving into it in 2025 to see where the story leads after the satisfying demise of Micah Bell. Marston fought hard to abandon the outlaw life; however, old habits die hard.

Disclaimer: Some aspects of this article are subjective and only reflect the writer's opinion about the game.

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Red Dead Redemption was a solid foundation

John Marston should have taken Arthur's advice and never looked back (Image via Rockstar Games)

After the fall of the Van der Linde gang, John and his family were given a second chance to live a normal life thanks to the efforts of a dying Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2. John could have left it all behind and focused on building a future on Beecher's Hope; however, news of an old friend's emergence forced him to make a house call and settle a score, bringing the law on his tail.

The story begins in 1911 when John is escorted by Agent Ross, a former associate of Agent Milton of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, who coerced him to do his bidding in exchange for his family's life. John was tasked with eliminating his old friends: Bill Williamson, who leads a gang now and is much more unhinged; Javier Escuella who returned to Mexico, and their leader; Dutch Van der Linde.

Reluctant to grab a gun and kill the people he knew as family, John was faced with an impossible dilemma. Bill was the first target on the list and was holed up in Fort Mercer with the Williamson gang, and the plan went south after John was shot and left for dead. Fortunately, a good Samaritan, Bonnie MacFarlane, came to his rescue and nursed him back to health.

Throughout the journey, John makes allies to help him with his mission, and each set piece feels unique and authentic. Rockstar Games didn't view the limited technology at the time of development as a disadvantage, especially with the setting of the original Red Dead Redemption. The game had impressive combat mechanics and physics, which caught the gaming community's attention.

Red Dead Redemption feels distinct from the Grand Theft Auto franchise in a good way. In this franchise, player choice and behavior will impact the Fame system, determining how the NPCs react toward John. If a player behaves in a civilized manner, like helping strangers at random events, the scale will move positively; however, there are consequences if John keeps robbing or killing.

The combat and gunplay were snappy and responsive, but the prequel perfected them. Like Arthur, John has the special Dead Eye ability to help him in a firefight. Players can manually tag enemies accurately to end a fight swiftly or disarm them by aiming for their weapons. This is a testament to John's skill and marksmanship, a known gunslinger for most of his life.

John and Uncle might have gotten rusty in their old age after leaving the gang in Red Dead Redemption (Image via Steam || Rockstar Games)

While Red Dead Redemption 2's graphics were a cut above the rest, the original game looked amazing, considering it was released in 2010. Rockstar Games recycled a few mechanics from the first game and improved them for the prequel, which was released almost a decade later. The developers had something going, and it would be hypocritical to neglect the achievements of the first game.

The remastered ports for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch made the project look even better, especially on the PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility. The iconic open-world Western finally received the remaster treatment it deserved after being sidelined by the developers in favor of the Grand Theft Auto games, and the PC port looks even better, making it a compelling choice for a first playthrough.

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Verdict

Red Dead Redemption is a timeless masterpiece (Image via Steam || Rockstar Games)

John Marston is a man trying to run from his past sins but fails to realize it will always catch up to him. Rockstar Games struck gold with Red Dead Redemption, and while it may seem dated regarding graphics and visuals, the core remains the same and is a great open-world experience.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to start this game immediately after wrapping up Red Dead Redemption 2. Red Dead Redemption fans should consider grabbing a remastered copy for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, or the biggest gaming PC to experience the final days of the Wild West in 2025.