Grand Theft Auto 6’s whirlwind of preorders and no physical release may be eclipsing everything else going on right now, and understandably so, due to it being one of the most highly anticipated games ever, but Red Dead Redemption 2 will go down swinging. It’s a testament to how truly adored and special Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises are that both have their own unique and shared communities, and neither can fully outweigh nor snuff out the other.
For example, fans are still holding out hope each day for an official next-gen Red Dead Redemption 2 update eight years later. Moreover, like Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption 2 has inspired a handful of ‘clones,’ so to speak, with a new one indulging wholly in Valheim’s brand of survival/crafting gameplay while wearing its Red Dead Redemption 2 inspirations on its sleeve.
Scheduled to be released in early access on August 25, 2026, Western Rye is an “open world survival crafting adventure game” that takes place in—you guessed it—the Wild West’s American Frontier. On its Steam store page, similarities between Western Rye and the Red Dead Redemption series are instantly discernible, and fans might be...
