In the open-world genre, Red Dead Redemption 2’s legacy remains largely untouched. Even years after its release, no other game has come close to matching how believable, detailed, and reactive its Wild West world feels. Rockstar Games poured immense resources and passion into the project, and it seems that only the studio’s next title, Grand Theft Auto 6, might outshine it and set a new, perhaps unreachable, standard for the genre.
To this day, Red Dead Redemption 2 remains one of the highest-rated (95 on OpenCritic), best-selling (79 million copies sold), and longest (main story averaging 50 hours) story-driven open-world games ever made. While, subjectively, there is no other game quite like it, a few titles have still managed to surpass Rockstar’s masterpiece in certain areas. Below are open-world games that have officially outmatched Red Dead Redemption 2 in at least one of three key metrics: OpenCritic score, total sales, and story campaign length.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
OpenCritic Score: 96
As of 2025, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands as the fourth highest-rated game on OpenCritic across all genres, with an average score of 95 out of 100. Only one open-world title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, ranks higher. Nintendo’s 2017 masterpiece holds a 96 out of 100 and remains widely regarded as one of the greatest games ever made.
Like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s impact on the open-world genre is hard to overstate. It’s one of the most influential and iconic entries in the series, offering unmatched freedom of exploration, charming visuals, and a reactive world that makes it a sheer joy to spend hours in.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Total Sales: Over 220 Million Units
With total sales exceeding 79 million copies as of 2025, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands as the fourth best-selling game of all time, surpassing many other iconic open-world titles. For quick comparison, RDR 2 sold more than twice as much as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (over 35 million) and notably outperformed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (over 60 million). However, it still can’t hold a candle to Rockstar’s own record-breaking hit, Grand Theft Auto 5.
A truly colossal game, GTA 5 has sold over 220 million copies to date — nearly triple RDR 2’s total. Released across three generations of consoles and maintaining a strong presence on sales charts for more than a decade, Grand Theft Auto 5 remains a force of nature among open-world titles, largely fueled by its ever-evolving GTA Online multiplayer. At this point, it seems that only GTA 6 could ever hope to surpass it.
Minecraft
Total Sales: Over 350 Million Units
But there’s another phenomenon in the open-world sandbox genre, and the unrivaled number one best-selling game of all time. Of course, it’s Minecraft, which has sold more than both GTA 5 and RDR 2 combined. Minecraft surpassed the 100-million sales mark early in 2014, less than three years after its official release, which is something virtually unheard of ever since. For comparison, GTA 5 reached that milestone only five years later.
Even if it might seem unfair to directly compare Minecraft’s sales to RDR 2, given both games’ entirely different appeal, it’s impossible to deny Minecraft’s legacy and influence. Its impact extends far beyond the gaming industry, attracting even those who don’t typically play games.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Main Story Length: 52 Hours on Average
Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a lengthy, sprawling, and cinematic main story that takes around 50 hours to complete, featuring dozens of unique handcrafted missions, memorable characters, and shocking moments. While many open-world games can take even longer to finish, such as Elden Ring (60 hours) or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (59 hours), those titles focus far more on gameplay than on storytelling.
When looking specifically at narrative-driven open-world games, however, a few still surpass Red Dead Redemption 2 in length. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of them, delivering a vast, cinematic story filled with rich dialogue, complex characters, and major events to rival Rockstar’s creation. Unlike RDR 2, The Witcher 3 also offers a high degree of non-linearity in its narrative, which effectively makes it even longer when considering all its branching storylines.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Main Story Length: 54 Hours on Average
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is another epic open-world RPG celebrated for its rich storytelling, currently ranking among the best new titles of 2025. Its main story campaign alone takes over 54 hours to complete on average, making it one of the longest games of the generation so far.
