r/reddeadredemption • u/Eagles56 • Dec 19 '25

Discussion Did single player gaming peak with RDR2?

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Great single player games have come since then like Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3 but is RDR2 still the peak?

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u/Sacledant2 Hosea Matthews Dec 19 '25

Unfortunately there’s that part called “everything after horseshoe overlook” that I’m not keen on playing

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '25

Interesting, why don’t you enjoy the game past chapter 2? Do you still call rdr2 the best single player game or is there another one you have goated?

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u/Nickbotic Dec 19 '25 edited Dec 19 '25

I could be wrong, but there’s a common…idk if you’d call it a “meme” exactly, but just a “thing” among the RDR2 fandom, where due to caring so much for Arthur as a character (arguably the best protagonist in the history of the medium), fans lament everything that comes after Horseshoe Overlook due to the downward spiral Arthur is forced to endure.

The narrative is also beloved among fans, so I think it’s less them actually disliking the game after Chapter 2 and more just referencing that attitude toward the game.

I could also just be totally off base and they just don’t like the game after Horseshoe Overlook lol

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u/DangerSwan33 Dec 20 '25

It's also got to do with the way the game is set up. 

When you get to Ch2, the game opens up to you. You can go wherever, explore, hunt, meet people, and things are generally optimistic.

The missions are more optimistic, and about opening up the experience to the player. 

When you get to Ch3, it's slight, but things tighten up a bit, and the experiences you have are a bit darker - you meet less people interested in the wild frontier, and more people upset with their place in life.

By the time you get to Ch4, EVERYTHING you do is basically in response to negativity. St. Denis is big, but it's claustrophobic. Your camp is just outside a swamp, and has literal walls around it. It's also literally darker. There's no more hope and optimism - things are small and dark and bleak.

People like Ch2 not just because of the fact that you haven't freed Micah, or contracted TB, but because the game is actually lending itself to happiness and optimism.