Red Dead Redemption Has A Third Game Nobody Remembers

3 hours ago 14

John Marston holds a Rifle in the original Red Dead Redemption

Published Jun 14, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

Everyone knows and loves the Red Dead Redemption series, from John Marston's emotional escapades in the first game to the devastatingly emotional pre-sequel. Most people probably even know the legendarily good zombie-focused DLC for Red Dead Redemption, which completely transformed an already excellent game into easily one of the best zombie shooters of all time. It is a well-known series that needs little introduction, and one that many hope will get a new entry soon.

However, despite being one of the most popular video game series of all time, there is a third Red Dead Redemption game that practically no one talks about. The third RDR game shares so much of the DNA that made the other two so beloved, and yet barely anyone has played it. This isn't even a case of a game like Red Dead Redemption that is a spiritual successor, or even a copycat series that somehow has flown under the radar. There really is a Rockstar-developed third Red Dead Redemption game no one knows about, and it's truly astounding.

Before Red Dead Redemption, There Was Red Dead Revolver

The player aiming their gun at an approaching enemy in Red Dead Revolver.

Back in 2004, Rockstar released the first game in the Red Dead series, titled Red Dead Revolver. While not connected canonically to the Red Dead Redemption games (although NPCs will often reference its protagonist, Red Harlow, as if he were a legend), it introduced several key features that are now staples in RDR, including the Dead Eye mechanic, explorable towns, and, of course, the setting. Unlike Red Dead Redemption and its sequel, Revolver isn't an open-world title, but rather a linear game with an expansive hub area that's explorable between levels.

Red Dead Revolver might not have the flashy visuals or scope of its predecessors, but it is still very much a Rockstar-feeling Red Dead game and easily one of the most underrated Rockstar games ever made. Developed by Angel Studios, Red Dead Revolver was originally intended to be a Capcom title. However, Take-Two Interactive bought and rebranded Angel Studios as Rockstar San Diego, and when Capcom inevitably canceled the project, Rockstar bought the rights and finished it. It is somewhat bizarre to think that in another universe, Red Dead Redemption is a Capcom-owned series.

Interestingly, Capcom actually published Red Dead Revolver in Japan, despite having initially canceled the project and subsequently selling the rights to it.

It is easy to see now how the series evolved to become the incredibly immersive open-world title it is today. Red Harlow has all the makings of a Rockstar protagonist, and while its plot veers more on the outlandish side, much of the western trappings that Rockstar adopted for RDR and RDR2 are present and accounted for. Its visual style and key mechanics also carried over into Red Dead Redemption. So, it is odd that no one really talks about it, especially as everyone is clamoring for a new Red Dead Redemption game, and Revolver is available on modern hardware.

Why Does Nobody Talk About Red Dead Revolver?

The player riding on a horse and chasing after a train in Red Dead Revolver.

Red Dead Revolver's lack of popularity is evident in its sales alone. It sold 140,000 copies during its first month, according to Gamespot, and had, according to Engadget, sold 920,000 copies six years later in July 2010. Those aren't unimpressive numbers, but compared to Red Dead Redemption and its sequel, they weren't enough. For context, Red Dead Redemption sold 1.5 million copies in its first month, according to the NPD Group, and as of December 2024, sold 25 million. Red Dead Redemption 2 is the third best-selling game of all time, having sold 85 million copies.

Obviously, the key difference here is that Red Dead Revolver was released back in 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, when gaming wasn't nearly as popular, and video game sales didn't explode as they do today. Additionally, Red Dead Revolver hasn't aged as well, lacks the open-world setting of its predecessors, and leans more into Rockstar's penchant for the juvenile and absurd, rather than Red Dead Redemption's gritty, grounded, and mature tone.

Red Dead Revolver's sales were actually fairly low by Rockstar's standards. The original GTA had sold 1 million copies by November 1998, just one year after launch, and six million by 2001.

Its lack of initial breakout success, coupled with its dated gameplay and completely different style, largely explains why it goes overlooked, despite its connection to the Red Dead Redemption series. That's not to say that Red Dead Revolver is bad, nor that it isn't worth playing; rather, it merely showcases the natural progression of video games over time.

Revolver represents the era it was made in, its arcadey gameplay, and over-the-top narrative are illustrative of a time before video games embraced the cinematic. Its predecessors simply built upon its foundations while embracing the innovations and stylings demanded by a modern generation. For those who miss the bygone era of a gameplay-first mentality, Red Dead Revolver is the perfect choice, especially as it still has that Red Dead Redemption spirit nestled amongst the absurd.