The 11 Best Wild West Games Ever Made

Red Dead Redemption 2 has certainly got us thinking about what it's going to be like to return to the Wild West when it lands in late 2017. It's only natural, then, that our minds wandered to other western-themed games. With that being the case we thought we'd collect together some of the best and most influential games to ever have drawing a dusty old six shooter.

(11) Oregon Trail PC / 1971
The Oregon Trail wasn't just a way for you to get from the east coast all the way over to west in the nineteenth century. It's also an early computer game about pioneer life where you are a wagon leader charged with getting your group to the west. First released in 1971, this has gone through many different iterations and tasks the player with hunting animals to survive, protecting the members of the party, and scoring you based on how successful the expedition was. If one of your wagon got dysentery and died, well, that's a lower score for you, partner. Later versions adapted the gameplay slightly, and not all of them require you to type "bang" as quick as possible to hunt, like the 1971 version did. As an educational tool, though, this showed people the hardships of life on the trail, and left a legacy for people to be inspired by for decades to come.

(10) Wild Gunman Arcade, NES / 1974, 1984/85
An arcade classic, 1984's Wild Gunman for the NES started life as an arcade game a decade earlier, before coming to the home console in 84-85. You faced off against another cowboy and when his eyes flashed and he said "Fire!!" you'd draw your gun (the NES Zapper) and blast him before he blasted you. If you were too slow, though, that was death for you. There was even a mode where you had to shoot enemies from the window of a saloon. The more gunslingers you killed with your sharp shooting, the more you had to face to get the highest score in the west, and arcades and home console owners alike revelled in the duels they had seen so often in films. The Famicom version even took it a step further and offered a western-style revolver accessory instead of a zapper.

(9) Sunset Riders Arcade, Sega Mega Drive, SNES / 1991
Perhaps the most cliché name for a Wild West game, Sunset Riders hit the arcades in 1991 before coming to Sega Mega Drive and SNES in 1992 and 1993 respectively. You played as a bounty hunter and in each level there was an outlaw to defeat, the twist being that this game could be played with two or four players. Yes, with up to three of your friends you could all step into the shoes of a bounty hunter and take to the streets to tackle bandits, the one with the most damage dealt at the end being the winner. Not only this, but there were horseback sections and even first-person sections as well, so this was where to go if you and your friends wanted to be the baddest gang in the west. The action was intense, too, especially shooting eight different ways when riding alongside a train. Oh, and the audio was sufficiently cheesy.

(8) Outlaws PC /1997
LucasArts' Jedi game engine, already used to great effect in Star Wars: Dark Forces, was used to create an FPS experience with a Wild West setting: Outlaws. You played as James Anderson, a retired U.S. Marshal that runs into trouble with some, you guessed it, outlaws. As well as a campaign, there was multiplayer and extra missions to complete, requiring you to capture certain outlaws. As an FPS it received a cult following due to its unique setting, and there has been a committed fan base creating maps for it ever since. It innovated in more ways than just the setting too, as its art style looked hand-drawn and it was the first FPS to feature a sniper scope as well. Even the legendary John Romero loves it, so you know it must be good.

(7) Gunman Clive Android, iOS, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U / 2012
Hörberg Productions' indie game Gunman Clive came out in 2012 and mixed the futuristic with the wild west in a cute action game defined by its colour palette and 2D platforming. Everything about it was loyal to the Wild West, from the sketch-like appearance of the visuals to the soundtrack. Of course, what would a western game be without gunslinging, and there are plenty of weapons to pick up and utilise, not to mention a large variety of enemies to shoot them at. Despite being short, this was a fun little western game that used its charming art style and action-filled platforming to provide a memorable experience.

(6) Hard West PC /2015
Hard West takes the western in a whole new direction, and while it's hard to argue that it's a stone cold classic, it gets a mention here because it does something really interesting with the genre, by fusing some of the tropes that we know and love, and mixing in an occult theme and turn-based combat. It's more Xcom than High Noon, but there's something to be said about the tension of getting into cover, surviving a barrage of attacks, and hoping your return fire will see you through to the next turn.

(5) Fistful of Frags PC / 2014
The Source engine has given birth to a lot of really cool projects over the years, and one that stands out for us is the western-themed team shooter, Fistful of Frags. There's a bunch of classic shooter modes, including team deathmatch and free-for-all options, and players move around in teams of similarly dressed characters, blasting away at their opponents with a range of appropriately themed weapons. The levels are well designed and expansive, and really capture the mood of the era. Best of all, it's free on Steam, so get it download now!

(4) Wild Arms PS1, PS2, PSP / 1996
Wild Arms is a JRPG with a western theme which was unusual at the time, and is remembered as being one of the first RPGs on the original PlayStation with a Wild West setting. The battle system is your traditional turn-based JRPG fare, with a few twists of its own. The game got a number of sequels, but despite the fact Wild Arms was successful it still remains rather niche and quite a few gamers these days may not have even heard of it. It does have a legacy and like most games in this list, a cult following. If you're at all interested in the series, you can get the third game on PS4 which was recently re-released on the system alongside trophy support.

(3) Gun PS2, PSP, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC / 2005
There are many games that stand out at the time they were released, and Gun did exactly that. In it you play as an Apache called Colton White, and you're on a quest for revenge. The story is good but what shone above everything else was the gameplay. The amount of mini games available to do, with activities such as hunting, poker, bounty hunting and so on, really fleshed out the experience. Another cool feature in the game was the option to switch from third- to first-person during combat. Gun sold fairly well and was loved by many, a sequel was teased but nothing has ever materialised. Don't give up hope.

(2) Call of Juarez PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / 2006
Call of Juarez is another first-person shooter series, and the first game follows the tale of Ray McCall, a gunslinger turned preacher trying to find his brother's killer. The story is pretty good and is typically western, and was successful enough to spawn three more games in the series. One of these is Bound in Blood (2009) which was a much more solid offering and served as a prequel to the first game. In this you're able to play as Ray once again, and Thomas McCall, Ray's brother. The duels in this game certainly capture the tension of the showdowns we've all seen in movies. The series then followed up with Call of Juarez: The Cartel (2011) which was set in the modern-day and adopted themes of the neo-western genre. The last game in the series was Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (2013) which returned to the Old West theme. It wasn't connected to the other games story wise, as it tells the tale of Silas Greaves, a bounty hunter who tells of his adventures taking down famed outlaws such as Butch Cassidy. There hasn't been a new game since 2013, but it does have a dedicated fan base. The question is, will there be another Call of Juarez title?

(1) Red Dead Revolver PS2, Xbox / 2004, and Red Dead Redemption PS3, Xbox 360 / 2010
While the existing Red Dead games are in the same series, they're poles apart in terms of gameplay. Red Dead Revolver (2004) was Rockstar's first foray into the western genre. Revolver didn't play like GTA; it was linear and had a number of levels. Still, it was a great game that had believable characters and an engaging story, and it has gone on to became somewhat of a cult classic which fans remember to this day. If you haven't played it, you ought to, and it recently was re-released on PS4 so you've no excuse.

Red Dead Redemption (2010), however, is completely different and separate from its predecessor. Where Revolver was linear, Redemption shifted to the open-world setup we see in Rockstar's other little-known IP, Grand Theft Auto. In Redemption you play as John Marston, a former outlaw and member of the Duchess gang who is now helping the Federal Bureau bring his former friends to justice. The story is fantastic with memorable characters and a wonderful setting. There's a reason why many say Red Dead Redemption has one of the best stories of the last generation. If you haven't played it, not only are you missing out on one of the best western-themed games ever made, you're missing out on one of the best games of a console generation.