Why RDR2 is one of the best games of its decade

Every decade has its monuments, the games people keep talking about long after release. For the 2010s, Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the handful of titles that comes up in almost every conversation. Released on October 26, 2018 on PS4 and Xbox One, then on November 5, 2019 on PC, it had it all: near-unanimous critical acclaim, historic sales, a shower of awards and a prime spot in the end-of-decade rankings.

This feature gathers the facts, with figures and sources. When we give our opinion, we say so.

Every score, sales figure and award below has been checked against official sources (Metacritic, Take-Two, The Game Awards) and cross-referenced with the gaming press. Data current as of October 9, 2026.

Near-unanimous critical acclaim

Metacritic scores by platform

Source: Metacritic, checked October 9, 2026.

A 97 on Metacritic puts a game in the very small club of the highest-rated releases ever. In its 2018 review, Metacritic named it the best-reviewed game of the year, ahead of God of War (94). And in its ranking of the best-reviewed games of the 2010s, published in December 2019, RDR2 came 3rd, just behind Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Zelda: Breath of the Wild, in a top three where all three sit at 97.

Some standout scores

IGN described it as one of the greatest games of the modern age, and GamesRadar+ as the current pinnacle of video game design. Critics praised the story, the characters, the open world, the visuals, the music and the level of detail. To be fair, a few reservations came up: slow opening hours, a pace that can feel heavy, and for GameSpot a more predictable late story. None of it dented the consensus.

What critics singled out

• The open world, which several critics (Game Informer, Giant Bomb) ranked among the greatest ever made.
• The level of detail, seen by many as the source of its immersion, even if some felt that realism occasionally slowed the action down.
• The writing and characters, with a gang where every member has a past and their own reasons to stay.
• The PC version, released a year later with visual upgrades, which scored 93 on Metacritic and ranks among the highest-rated PC games.

A historic commercial success

The game came out of the gate at full gallop: $725 million in revenue in three days, according to Rockstar and Take-Two's press release of October 30, 2018. And it has never really stopped selling.

The latest official figure comes from Take-Two's fiscal 2027 first-quarter results, presented on August 7, 2026 (quarter ended June 30, 2026), and reported by outlets including Game Developer and Insider Gaming. Worth knowing: Take-Two reports sold-in units, meaning copies shipped to retailers and digital storefronts, not games bought by players. Eight years after release, the Red Dead series is still among the publisher's biggest revenue contributors.

A shower of awards

The Game Awards 2018: the night's biggest winner

At The Game Awards 2018 (December 6, 2018), RDR2 received 8 nominations and won 4 awards, more than any other game that night:

• Best Narrative
• Best Score/Music, for Woody Jackson's score
• Best Audio Design
• Best Performance for Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan

Game of the Year went to God of War, its great rival of 2018.

The other major ceremonies

The pattern is clear: 2018 was a fiercely contested year, and God of War often took the top prizes with professional juries. But RDR2 dominated the technical, audio and performance categories, and the PC version was voted Game of the Year by Steam players in 2020.

In the decade rankings

At the end of 2019, it was time to look back on the 2010s. RDR2, released less than two years earlier, landed at the very top of several lists:

NME refused to split RDR2 and Breath of the Wild, arguing they may well be the two greatest games of all time. For a game barely a year old when those lists were drawn up, that's a remarkably fast rise to classic status.

Why it still holds up, eight years later

A world that's still the benchmark

RDR2's landscapes are still the yardstick open worlds get measured against. In our view, it's less about resolution than cohesion: light, weather, wildlife, NPCs and sound all work as one. The PC version added visual and technical upgrades, and today the game runs on PS5 and Xbox Series through backward compatibility. We break down everything that makes this world feel alive in our feature on RDR2's incredible details.

A twilight western

Rockstar made a bold call: a single protagonist, after GTA 5's three leads, to follow his emotions more closely. The story charts the slow unravelling of the Van der Linde gang at the end of the 19th century, as the Wild West gives way to civilisation. The Honor system colours dialogue and some outcomes depending on how you play. Without spoiling anything, Arthur Morgan's arc is often cited as one of the most memorable in video games.

Roger Clark, Arthur's voice and body

The role of Arthur earned Roger Clark Best Performance at The Game Awards 2018 and a BAFTA nomination, and the character of Arthur was nominated at the D.I.C.E. Awards. His gravelly voice and restrained performance do a lot to explain how attached players became to the character. A sign of the mark he left: he narrated the audiobook of Red Dead's History (2024), a book by historian Tore Olsson based on his "Red Dead America" course, launched in 2021 at the University of Tennessee.

A game that goes beyond games

RDR2 has spilled beyond gaming: a university history course, then, but also a University of Exeter study (2021) showing its players were better at identifying real American wildlife than non-players. Few games can claim that kind of legacy.

Red Dead Online, in brief

The multiplayer side, Red Dead Online, launched in beta in late November 2018, then went on sale as a standalone game from December 1, 2020. In July 2022, Rockstar announced it was shifting resources towards the next GTA: the mode is still playable and has since received smaller content drops, but no more major themed updates. To jump in, follow our guide to getting started in Red Dead Online.

The takeaway

Top scores, sales among the highest in history, an award-winning lead performance and a top-5 spot in several decade-end lists: the facts speak for RDR2. The rest comes down to feeling, and ours is simple: few games make you feel so much like you've lived another life. If you've never finished it, now might be the time, before GTA 6.

Go further

• The Red Dead Redemption 2 game page
• RDR2's incredible details
• Beginner tips for RDR2
• How to make money fast in RDR2
• Legendary animals and their locations
• Every treasure map and its solution
• The best horses in RDR2
• Getting started in Red Dead Online

FAQ

What is Red Dead Redemption 2's Metacritic score?

97/100 on PS4 and Xbox One, 93/100 on PC. It was the best-reviewed game of 2018 on Metacritic.

How many copies has RDR2 sold?

More than 87 million copies sold-in as of June 30, 2026, according to Take-Two (results presented August 7, 2026).

Did RDR2 win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2018?

No, God of War won. RDR2 was the night's most awarded game with 4 wins: narrative, score/music, audio design and Roger Clark's performance.