Open-World Games with Better Environmental Storytelling Than Red Dead Redemption

The Red Dead Redemption series has become one of the most iconic names in the video game industry and, personally, one of my favorite IPs.

The adventures of John Marston and Arthur Morgan are extraordinary in countless ways, ranging from their gritty and emotional stories to their dynamic and vibrant open worlds.

Whether hunting down a gang of rival outlaws or trying to herd a flock of sheep, everything in this Western fantasy world feels phenomenal, but that doesn't mean they can't be surpassed.

Comparisons can be odious, though I find them quite stimulating, which is why I invite you to read this article about eight open-world games with better environmental storytelling than Red Dead Redemption.

8 Cyberpunk 2077

Talking with Night City

Among the defining characteristics of Red Dead Redemption's open worlds is their focus on nature, which contrasts sharply with the strengths offered by an urban setting like that of Cyberpunk 2077.

The plains, forests, prairies, and other biomes of the Wild West are impressive, but they don't allow for the same density of human interaction that Night City, on the other hand, provides.

The metropolis is alive, teeming with captivating events and characters that offer no respite except when you move away from the neon lights, ensuring that there isn't a single second you're wandering the streets without something interesting to do or even reflect on.

Nevertheless, I can admit it's simply a different way of approaching the environment, given the differences in setting, though I'd be lying if I didn't say that, in the long run, Cyberpunk 2077's approach seems more captivating to me.

7 Fallout: New Vegas

Vestiges of a Collapsed Society

It's undeniable that Rockstar does an incredible job blurring the lines between video games and reality, creating compelling worlds that make you feel like you're having spontaneous adventures, though I wouldn't say it's quite on the level of Fallout: New Vegas.

While Red Dead Redemption achieves virtually unparalleled levels of realism, the seams of its scripted events are there for those who can see them, and there comes a point where they lose their magic.

In stark contrast, Mojave Wasteland, even with the technical limitations of Bethesda's graphics engine, allows for unparalleled immersion through its overwhelming number of interactions and, of course, the agency it gives the player to engage with them.

Yes, the NPCs, animals, and general conditions in Red Dead Redemption are more natural, and that's a commendable achievement in itself, but Fallout: New Vegas is more convincing in making me feel like I'm actually there.

6 Kenshi

Creating the Environment

Following in the footsteps of Fallout: New Vegas in its exploration of the vast opportunities that make digital fantasies possible, Kenshi is another extraordinary example of how to transform a story into a constantly evolving and self-contained narrative.

Considering Red Dead Redemption's morality system, arguably one of the franchise's weakest points, both games attempt to create a false sense of control over their campaigns' events, though these modifications are always superficial.

The franchise is meticulously crafted down to the last detail, but this limits the range of genuine experiences offered by titles like Kenshi, whose entire premise is based on granting players the power to engage with the environmental narrative in unique ways.

My John and my Arthur are just like yours, in part because they react to a static yet superbly crafted environment, while Kenshi only knows how to tell its stories through how you, in particular, interact with its world, and that is incomparable.

5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

True Medieval Immersion

Unlike its predecessors on this list, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II goes head-to-head with Red Dead Redemption in its strongest area: the realism of a world that feels alive down to the last town.

Both graphically and in terms of its scripting, including the map's size and the number of spontaneous encounters, Bohemia has nothing to envy in the Wild West; in fact, I'd venture to say it might even be the other way around.

The technological differences are noticeable, of course, but I think they do little to diminish Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's work, whose world is so absurdly believable to the point of feeling like you've stepped into a time machine.

Every town, road, forest, and even fight speaks volumes about the game's world, and while the same can be said of Red Dead Redemption, its level of density doesn't compare to Henry's journey.

4 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

An Incomparable Spontaneity

The Legend of Zelda perfected the use of spontaneity as a core mechanic through Breath of the Wild, a title that encapsulates the concept of adventure in its purest form.

With nothing more than the player's imagination, creativity, and curiosity, the game constructs its gameplay and narrative context by offering a virtually infinite array of possibilities, where the only direction is the one the player sets for themselves.

Of course, Breath of the Wild has an advantage in this comparison because it presents a post-apocalyptic world, which is the perfect formula for showcasing the scars of the natural and human world rather than simply narrating them, as Red Dead Redemption tends to do.

There are also traditional dialogues and cinematics with explanations, but the bulk of Link's grand voyage is understood through exploration; a statement that cannot be made about any of the Westerns being compared.

3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

An Immaculate Worldbuilding

Whenever I think of Red Dead Redemption, I automatically think of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as I've always seen CD Projekt RED's masterpiece as its medieval counterpart.

Nonetheless, it's precisely because of its leaning towards fantasy rather than realism that I've always been more drawn to the world of Geralt of Rivia, whose mythology is so vast that dialogue and cutscenes alone aren't enough.

You need real-time events, stories told through the architecture of buildings and the topography of mountains, logical connections between physical points of interest, and more cognitive processes that demand a strong connection between the player and their surroundings.

If it were a realistic representation of a historical context, said sensation would be more difficult to achieve due to the limitations imposed by our own reality. Therefore, when you manage to break free from those restrictions, you can do magical things that few have managed to do, like The Witcher 3.

2 Elden Ring

Its Greatest Narrative Form

Following in the footsteps of its spiritual predecessors, but on a much larger scale and with greater determination, Elden Ring is the kind of game that only makes sense thanks to its environmental narrative.

The placement of bosses, the differences between biomes, the location of key items, the journeys taken by NPCs, the transformations in the color palette… There's nothing random in The Lands Between, so everything is subject to significant narrative interpretation.

Since you don't have a story told traditionally, you have to construct it yourself from what the background offers, leading you to analyze even the smallest detail to make sense of everything from the main story to the smallest subplot.

Whether you're wondering who the god is who orchestrated all the events of Elden Ring, why there's a giant hand trapped beneath some sewers, or why a hidden optional boss wields the Golden Order Greatsword, the environment holds every single answer, and that's why the game is so hard to put down.

A History Composed Over Millennia

When a series boasts so many installments over the years, each with a narrative depth worthy of a book anthology, it's no surprise The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim tops this list.

Few franchises in video game history have such a long-running and profound world-building, which is further enhanced in the latest installment with a vast world teeming with so many anecdotes that you'd need a historian to grasp them all.

Since there are no cutscenes, you have no choice but to talk to the NPCs in a city to discover they've been besieged by a dragon or a gang of thieves is terrorizing them, just as you'll only learn what happened to that scout sent to investigate a dungeon by venturing into it.

The legend of Alduin is etched on temple walls, stories of the Daedra are everywhere, records of past wars are found in books, and the latest news is shared by secondary characters… The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is meant to be experienced from a first-person perspective, quite literally.

As a result, you have to investigate to do anything, and if this is the answer to the game's dilemmas, it's precisely because the environment itself contains all the information you need.