Video games have become one of the best ways to escape to another world and indulge in different kinds of genres. Western games are inspired heavily by the cowboy media that has come before them - the Wild West is a time of lawlessness, striking gold, and perilous shootouts – no wonder it’s the subject of many top cowboy games.
In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the top 5 best western games on PC in 2022.
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
There are stories, good stories, and then there are those stories you'll remember for a long time. This game has it all. Adventure, tons of things to do, a marvelous story, fun gameplay, and most of all it leaves you something. You really care for the characters, the gang "family" becomes like your family, and when things go bad.. you really want to help. Of course in the meantime you can hunt, rob, kill and do whatever nasty or good thing you prefer, but you know someone is waiting for you. And the ending will bring tears to your eyes for different things on multiple occasions. Add to this an incredible, very realistic environment, a perfect western setting that would make Sergio Leone proud and you have an absolute masterpiece.
For the visuals, even while not at the ultra settings, this game is insanely beautiful, I never felt a world full of life as much as in RDR2, Rockstar went into each detail to create the last days of the Wild West and it's a huge payoff for the players, you really feel like you riding with a gang in the early 1900s. And with photo mode, whatever you are doing and wherever you are on the map, be sure that you'll end up with a nice photo. I'll add to that the dynamic weather and different environment that won't change just the looks but also the fauna and flora of the region.
Shooting is pretty satisfying with the dead eye mechanic and the slow motion. Even the crafting is diverse, from food to ammo to tonics, also loved the weapon modifications, to make each weapon customized to a different look.
2. Fallout: New Vegas
The Wild West meets the Fallout Post Apocalyptic world and a great game is born.
Fallout: New Vegas is an open-world RPG set in a Post Apocalyptic world. Where Fallout 3 was set in D.C. this game is set in the Mojave desert around the ruins of old Las Vegas. The theme throughout this game is a western one, but many different factions are present, each with their own unique (and often hilarious) style. And of course, there is a power struggle between a pre-war industrialist, Caesars' legion, and the New California Republic is underway and you are about to be thrown into the middle of it.
This game is filled with great characters, hilarious dialogue and so many entertaining quests that it would be hard to do them all in a single play-through. The DLC adds many more hours of fun although it is quite varied in flavor and in value, all of them are worth playing at least once. The exception might be Lonesome Road, which most people loved but I had some issues with, especially with one decision it forces you to take that I felt was not one any of my characters would ever have made. But Old World Blues may be my favorite DLC for any game ever. The first fifteen minutes had me crying with laughter.
Gambling is also an essential activity in FNV.
3. Desperados III
Desperados III tells us the story of John Cooper, a rough bounty hunter who has to revenge for his father’s death. During his journey, he meets a company of desperate characters with their own story, motives, and the reason to stay with John Cooper. So, in terms of the story, the main goal of Desperados III is to tell the player how everything started and how John met his gang members.
The game is presented as an isometric real-time tactic game, where the player has to control different characters in order to complete the level. Each level can be completed in a loud or in a quiet way, however, the stealth approach is much more rewarding and it causes fewer problems for the player. During certain levels, the player has to control only one character or it starts with one character, and then another character joins a bit later.
Every single character has their own unique abilities that are hopeful during certain situations and the player has to figure out how to use them properly. The way the game introduces the new character to the player is magnificent: it starts with a short story of what happened to them and then, the whole level is dedicated to that character and it’s designed to be completed by using the abilities of this character. This kind of approach lets the player learn the character and understand how to play with him.
4. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a superb game that offers a rich blend of exciting gameplay, intriguing storytelling, and a pleasurable atmosphere. The levels are narrow and the mechanics are simple, but the overall experience is downright riotous. It is designed to simultaneously feel comfortingly familiar and adventurously fresh. Put simply: it is a very easy-to-digest FPS game that boasts a strong and unique identity. Both established fans of the genre and those who are generally on the fence would be wise to give this game strong consideration.
The game embraces the Wild West of the late 19th and early 20th century for its setting and atmosphere, with a jovial emphasis on the “Wild” part. The graphic style is in the same vein as that of Borderlands, although slightly more realistic, but the overall ambiance is definitely more focused on fun than realism. And the narrative is great. It is funny and compelling, it flows at a very enjoyable pace, and it touches on “real” folktales from the Wild West era. But more than that, the style of storytelling used in the game is exceptionally well-crafted and delivered near perfectly, with excellent voice acting. It comes together to establish an outstanding presentation.
5. West of Loathing
West of Loathing is set in an absurd western-themed world where humor is so baked into the fabric of everything that there is virtually nothing that isn't some kind of joke. This could easily fall flat if it were poorly written, but I found the writing to be fantastic. Obviously, humor is subjective so if you aren't onboard with its humor you probably won't get much out of it. For everyone else, you are due for a hell of a ride as the game is an absolute hoot.
The game takes place in a kind of open-sh world with your character setting out from a location on their horse. By wandering, you will make a broad loop out and around, potentially uncovering new map locations or encountering a random encounter. You can also direct travel to locations you have found and will also be told about map locations from NPCs or as the outcomes of various quests. The world feels quite expansive with a lot of interesting locations to explore. There are a couple of central plot quests to pursue and a bunch of side quests as well. In my 20-hour playthrough, I managed to complete the main story but still had a few side things I'd managed to miss all the clues for.
Combat in the game takes place in a turn-based format that should feel familiar to anyone who has played a JRPG before. You stand on one side, your foes on the other and you select your various attacks and abilities from a list specific to each character's class. As you gain XP you can choose what skills you buy so you can tailor your character to your play style, with higher skill levels costing increasing amounts of XP. You can further personalize your character with a swathe of various equipment, almost all of which is humorous and absurd. The combat is not particularly complex but it's good enough and the humor is so good that it really does the heavy lifting for keeping you engaged.
>>> Read more: Top 5 Best World War 2 Games On PC In 2022
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