Red Dead Redemption Turns 10 Years Old

If you feel a little extra spur in your step today, May 18, that may be because it's the tenth anniversary of the western epic Red Dead Redemption. First released for PS3 and Xbox 360 on this day in 2010, the game marked a departure for Rockstar and led the way for the prequel Red Dead Redemption 2. Despite persistent rumors, RDR never came to PC.

As of the time that Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption, the franchise was essentially unproven, known only for the middling Capcom game Red Dead Revolver. Rockstar was mostly known for it's Grand Theft Auto series, though it had ventured into other unconventional open-world games like The Warriors and Bully.

Red Dead Redemption gained almost instant critical acclaim, still holding a 95 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. That high score also earned it a "Metacritic Must-Play" label. It also earned GameSpot's Game of the Year award in 2010.

"This is an outstanding game that tells a great story with memorable and occasionally laugh-out-loud-funny characters," reviewer Justin Calvert wrote in GameSpot's review. "Think about great moments that you remember from spaghetti Western movies, put them all into one 20- to 40-hour epic feature, and picture yourself in the starring role. Now you have some idea of what's waiting for you in Red Dead Redemption."

Months later, Rockstar rolled out the ambitious DLC Undead Nightmare. The lengthy campaign brought zombies to the Old West, with its own unique story sequences and cameos. At the time most DLC was relatively small and cosmetic, and Undead Nightmare signaled a more expansive approach.

The fan following waited almost ten years for another game in the series, and it came in 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2. The prequel showed the falling out of the Van Der Linde gang, and true to form, it was GameSpot's GOTY too. When RDR 2 came to PC a year later, it was a worthy port and a visual showpiece. Rockstar has continued to support Red Dead Online.

None of that would have been possible without Red Dead Redemption. Share your favorite memories of the classic in the comments.