Summary
With almost six years having passed since the last entry to the franchise, it is clear to see why so many fans want to seeRed Dead Redemption 3become a reality. A lot of the discussion around this potential title is geared toward what kind of setting the game might explore, with the time of the Old West essentially being over by the end of 2010’sRed Dead Redemption.
Away from the potential characters and narrative ofRed Dead Redemption 3, the project would have to match and exceed the overall gameplay experience of its predecessor, andRed Dead Redemption 2’s iconic level of detail will be a hard feature to beat. It is true that too much of a focus on realism could makeRed Dead Redemption 3less approachable in some contexts, but the likely wackiness of Rockstar’s upcomingGrand Theft Auto 6should leave a lot of room forRDR3to take a grounded and detailed approach.
Even years after its release,Red Dead Redemption 2holds up extremely well. Not only is the game’s story and its characters being debated to this day, but the stunning visuals andimmersive game mechanics of the title still remain as a huge strong point ofRDR2.
Features like gun cleaning and horse bonding made the actions of the player feel more consequential and real, while the construction of towns over time and the fully-mapped daily routines of NPCs created a game world full of detail thatRed Dead Redemption 3would need to replicate. It is worth noting that some players did criticize the focus on realism inRDR2, suggesting that it got in the way of freedom of exploration and combat, but these features are something thatthe upcomingGrand Theft Auto 6is expected to encouragein abundance.
Rockstar’sGTAfranchise is renowned for its high-octane gameplay, with players having free rein over entire cities by land, air, and sea in what often leads to expansive crime sprees. The overallthemes ofGrand Theft Autoare usually much more zany and satiricalcompared to the more grounded and somber themes ofRed Dead Redemption, and this should be reflected in the game mechanics of both franchises.
Once players become fully acquainted withGrand Theft Auto 6following its intended 2025 release, there will likely be a desire for Rockstar’s next big project to wow players with depth and detail as opposed to flashiness and explosiveness, and this is something thatRDR3could easily achieve. This same pattern happened withGTA 5andRDR2, with both games being huge thematic departures from each other despite their shared success, and it only seems right that this pattern is continued and expanded upon withGTA 6andRDR3.
The realism ofRed Dead Redemption 2has become one of the most identifiable and remembered traits of the title, andRed Dead Redemption 3could easily take this realism to the next level. A heightened sense of detail works well with the more intense character studies that theRDRfranchise usually explores, andGrand Theft Auto 6may just create the perfect atmosphere forRDR3to commit to this without as much criticism as it might have received otherwise.
