Howdy, partner. Ever heard of a goblin with a cowboy hat? No? Well, saddle up – because today, we’re ridin’ into the dusty digital sunset, straight into the heart of my favorite Wild West games of all time.
The Wild West: Bullets, Boot Dust, and Digital Dreams
There’s just something magical about the Wild West. The endless deserts, the saloons full of shady characters, the clink of spurs on wooden floors, and the sound of a revolver being cocked before a high-noon showdown. As a young goblin living deep in a dark cave with a CRT monitor and a dream, I was absolutely obsessed with cowboy games. I didn’t need a horse –I had a mouse and keyboard. And sometimes, even a gamepad if I felt fancy.
These games let me live out my gunslinger fantasies, from robbing trains and hunting outlaws to solving tactical puzzles and uncovering supernatural horrors hiding beneath the sand. So, grab your whiskey (or cactus juice), kick up your feet, and let me take you on a ride through the best Wild West games this goblin has ever played.
1. Red Dead Redemption Series (RDR1 + RDR2)
If you ask me what the ultimate cowboy simulator is, there’s no contest – it’s Red Dead Redemption. Both the first and second games are masterpieces, blending open-world freedom with emotional storytelling and some of the best shootouts in gaming history.
Red Dead Redemption (2010) put us in the muddy boots of John Marston, a former outlaw trying to leave his past behind. The story? A heartbreaking epic of redemption, betrayal, and frontier justice. I still remember galloping across the Mexican border for the first time, José González’s “Far Away” playing in the background. My goblin eyes may have teared up a little. No shame.
Then came Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)– and boy, did it raise the bar. Playing as Arthur Morgan, part of the doomed Van der Linde gang, was a wild emotional rollercoaster. Every detail in that game, from brushing your horse to robbing a train, feels like it matters. It's not just a game – it's a damn Western opera.
Goblin Side Note:
Let’s not forget Undead Nightmare, the standalone expansion for the original game. Imagine zombies, chupacabras, and the four horses of the apocalypse – all in a gritty Western setting. A spooky treat for gunslingers who don’t mind some rotting flesh with their revolvers.
2. Call of Juarez Series
Ah, Call of Juarez – the pride of Poland’s contribution to Western gaming! And this one’s extra special to me, because – surprise! – this goblin was born in Poland. Yep, deep in the mossy caves of the Polish forests, I grew up on pierogi, pickles, and pixelated shootouts. So you can bet I took a special kind of goblin pride in seeing my homeland bring the Wild West to life with such flair.
The original Call of Juarez (2006) mixed biblical themes, dual protagonists, and a spaghetti Western tone. You play as both a gunslinger preacher and a young outlaw – it's messy, weird, and totally memorable.
Then came Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (2009), a glorious prequel full of sibling rivalry, explosive shootouts, and gritty storytelling. It’s the kind of game where you feel the heat of the sun and the weight of your six-shooter with every step.
And finally, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (2013) – a fast-paced, arcade-style shooter wrapped in a meta-narrative. The storytelling here is brilliant: unreliable narration, tall tales, and duels straight out of cowboy legend. It’s stylish, bold, and a must-play for any fan of Westerns.
3. Desperados Series (1, 2, and III)
If you love outsmarting your enemies more than outshooting them, the Desperados series is where it's at. Think Commandos, but with cowboy hats and dynamite.
Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive (2001) was my introduction to tactical stealth gaming in the Wild West. You control a ragtag gang of outlaws, each with unique abilities – from Doc’s sleeping gas to Kate’s distracting charm. It was hard as a rock but so rewarding.
Desperados 2: Cooper’s Revenge (2006) added a 3D camera and a clunkier feel, but it still carried the charm of the first. And then came the glorious Desperados III (2020), a modern masterpiece that blended classic gameplay with polished visuals, better AI, and deep strategy.
Goblin Trivia:
There’s also Helldorado (2007), a kind of spinoff/sequel to Desperados 2. Not as well-known, but worth checking out for hardcore fans of isometric Western mayhem.
4. Gun (2005)
Before Red Dead rode in and stole the show, there was Gun. And let me tell you – this game had guts.
Developed by Neversoft (yes, the Tony Hawk people!), Gun was a third-person Western action game with a surprisingly strong narrative and a grim tone. You play as Colton White, a hunter turned outlaw seeking revenge and uncovering dark secrets of the frontier.
What made Gun stand out was its open world, horseback combat, brutal tone, and sharp voice acting. It might be rough around the edges by today’s standards, but for a goblin cowboy growing up in 2005? It was pure gold.
5. Weird West (2022)
Now here’s a game that brings a darker, stranger flavor to the Western genre. Weird West is a top-down immersive sim where the supernatural meets six-shooters.
Made by veterans behind Dishonored, this game gives you control of multiple characters across intertwined stories – bounty hunters, pigmen, werewolves, you name it. The world reacts to your choices in surprising ways, and the blend of Western grit and eldritch horror is totally unique.
I loved how it scratched that immersive, story-driven itch while still letting me be a goblin outlaw blasting cultists in the face with a shotgun. Delightful.
Final Thoughts from the Saloon
The Wild West has always been the perfect setting for games – full of lawlessness, legend, and just the right amount of dust. These five games (and their extended universes) have given me hundreds of hours of gunfights, campfires, and revenge-fueled adventures. And they’ve helped this little cave goblin live out the cowboy dream – without ever needing to leave his gaming chair.
Whether you’re hunting outlaws, planning a stealthy ambush, or just riding your horse into the sunset with a sad country tune playing in the background, one thing’s for sure: the Wild West in gaming is alive and kickin’.
So, what are your favorite Cowboy games? Drop a comment, partner – I’ll be waiting by the campfire with a bowl of goblin chili and a worn-out controller.
