Both are Rockstar giants, so you cannot really lose, and I still will not pretend they are the same evening, because Red Dead Redemption 2 has the deepest, most immersive open world I have played, and it is slow and it demands patience. GTA 5 is faster, funnier, more accessible, and the one I would hand you if you are warming up for GTA 6, so if you want the richest world, start with Red Dead, and if you want fast fun or you are prepping for November, start with GTA 5. I have spent whole videos in Arthur’s map with no marker, which is how I know which one I am actually in the mood for before I start recommending either of them to anyone else.
| GTA 5 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Modern Los Santos | Turn-of-the-century frontier |
| Pace | Fast, chaotic, funny | Slow, deliberate, immersive |
| World depth | Excellent | The deepest ever made |
| Accessibility | Very easy to get into | Demands patience |
| Best for | Fast fun, GTA 6 warm-up | The richest open world |
| WillyB’s pick | The on-ramp | The deeper reward |
Both sit among the best open worlds ever made, from the same studio, with the same obsessive attention to detail, and GTA 5 and Red Dead 2 share a brain without sharing a pulse. The useful question is which one is right for you right now, and that comes down almost entirely to pace, which is a smaller argument than the internet wants and a much more practical one.
I do not wait for the recast
The internet has decided, in that particular way the internet decides, that Red Dead is the serious one and GTA 5 is the joke you have already heard, or the other way round, that GTA 5 is the one you play before November and Red Dead is homework for people who like walking, and both takes have a crowd. People follow people, they follow a trailer, and they follow whoever shouted that this was the greatest open world ever made last, while I try to follow the session, which has been less loyal to either headline than the comments are.
I came up on twitchy shooters, and Red Dead is the opposite of that on purpose, which is why for a long time I treated it like homework I kept putting off, because Chapter 1 is a snowy crawl and I nearly bounced. Then Horseshoe Overlook opened, I turned the cinematic camera on, and the slowness stopped being a bug, while GTA 5 never asked me to change gear, because it dropped me into Los Santos and let me be an idiot in a car, and both of those evenings were the correct use of the time. The recast that says you must play Red Dead first because it is the art is just another crowd, and the recast that says skip it because GTA 6 is coming is another one, so my take is smaller than either headline. For one long ride, Red Dead is the richest world I know, and for one loud night, GTA 5 is the one I would actually start you on.
Red Dead when I have the evening, GTA 5 when I do not
If we are talking pure open-world craft, Red Dead is the high point, because the world is staggeringly detailed and alive in a way nothing else has matched, in the way people react to you, the weather, the wildlife, and the tiny systemic moments that happen with no scripting at all. It is, arguably, the greatest open world ever built, and the catch is that it is slow and deliberate on purpose, a game about immersion and pacing rather than constant action, which is exactly why some people adore it and others bounce off it in the first hour. Go in expecting a calm, rich, methodical experience and it will floor you, and go in expecting GTA’s tempo and you will be frustrated, so I treat Chapter 1 as a runway, ignore the completion lists, and lean on Dead Eye when the shooter brain wants a familiar beat.
The film on this page is me exploring that map like it is the greatest one of all time, because for me it still is, and the longer buying call is in is Red Dead Redemption 2 worth it in 2026. GTA 5 is the more immediately fun of the two, since Los Santos is chaotic, funny and endlessly entertaining, the three-character story keeps things moving, and it is far more accessible to a newcomer, with no slow burn to get past before it drops you into the mayhem. Switching between Michael, Franklin and Trevor on the fly was clever in 2013 and it still is, and while it is not as deep as Red Dead, it is a lot easier to pick up and enjoy in short bursts, which makes it the game I would hand almost anyone who has never touched a Rockstar open world.
I have already said it is still worth it in 2026 in is GTA 5 still worth it in 2026, and I would skip it only if you have worn it out, because for a GTA 6 warm-up it is the closest thing in the shop.
Which one I would start you on
Start with Red Dead if you want the best open world ever made and you have the patience to let it breathe, because it is the deeper, richer, more rewarding game, and start with GTA 5 if you want fast, chaotic fun, if you are new to Rockstar, or if you are specifically warming up for GTA 6. That second path is the easier entry point and the direct on-ramp to November, which is a scheduling decision as much as a taste one. If you can only play one and you have never touched either, I would send most people to GTA 5 first for the accessibility and the GTA 6 tie-in, then Red Dead second as the deeper reward once you are hooked on Rockstar’s world-building. If you already know you want the most immersive open world ever made and you have the patience for it, Red Dead is the one, and there is genuinely no wrong answer here, only the right order for you.
For the countdown to the next Rockstar giant, the GTA 6 HQ tracks it, and what to play before GTA 6 has the full warm-up list, which is where I send people who want more than a two-horse argument. I keep coming back to both because they are funny when they are trying to be worlds, and one of them just asks you to walk there, which is either the compliment or the warning depending on the evening you have actually got.
FAQ
Which is better, GTA 5 or Red Dead Redemption 2?
They are both Rockstar giants and it depends on what you want, because Red Dead has the deeper, more detailed world of the two, the best open world I have played, and it is slow and deliberate, while GTA 5 is faster, funnier and more accessible. Red Dead is the richer game, GTA 5 is the more immediately fun one, and I play both without pretending they scratch the same itch.
Should I play GTA 5 or Red Dead Redemption 2 first?
If you want the best open world ever made and you have patience, start with Red Dead, and if you want fast, chaotic fun or you are specifically warming up for GTA 6, start with GTA 5. For most newcomers, GTA 5 is the easier entry point and Red Dead is the deeper reward, which is the order I would send most people rather than a law about which one is allowed to be loved.
Is Red Dead Redemption 2 slow?
Yes, deliberately, because Red Dead is a slow-burn game built around immersion, detail and pacing rather than constant action, which is exactly why I think it is the greatest open world ever made, and why some players bounce off it early. I nearly did, on that snowy mountain, so if you go in expecting GTA's pace you will be frustrated, and if you go in expecting something calmer and richer the slowness starts to make sense.
Which is better to play before GTA 6?
GTA 5, easily, because it is the closest possible feel to GTA 6, it reminds you exactly what the series does, and it is the natural warm-up before 19 November 2026. Red Dead is the better game for many, including me on a long evening, and GTA 5 is the direct on-ramp to GTA 6, which is a different question and so it gets a different answer.
Are GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 connected?
No, they are completely separate worlds and stories, one a modern crime sandbox in Los Santos and the other a western in a fictionalised turn-of-the-century America. What connects them is the studio, Rockstar, and the shared DNA of dense, detailed open worlds, so I would not play one as a prequel to the other, since they share a brain and not a plot.
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