Video Games · Tool Face-Off

Rockstar Games GTA VI vs Rockstar Games Red Dead Redemption 2

Quick answer

RDR2 is a masterpiece you can play right now. GTA VI is the most hyped game in history — but hype isn't a gameplay feature.

GTA VI

The billion-dollar question mark

3.8★

Our pick

Red Dead Redemption 2

The cowboy sim that ruins other games for you

4.6★

Release Status

Expected 2025 (TBD, PS5/Xbox first)

Released Oct 2018 (PC, PS4/5, Xbox)

Setting

Modern Vice City & surroundings (Florida-inspired)

1899 American frontier (fictional US states)

Protagonist(s)

Lucia + male co-lead (series first female lead)

Arthur Morgan (one of gaming's greatest characters)

Estimated Price

$70-80 (premium pricing expected)

$10-30 depending on platform & sale

Map Size

Rumored to be Rockstar's largest ever

~29 sq miles — massive and dense

Story Length

Unknown (likely 40-60+ hrs)

~60 hrs main story, 200+ hrs completionist

Online Multiplayer

GTA Online successor (major focus)

Red Dead Online (largely abandoned by Rockstar)

Trailer Views

200M+ views in 24 hrs (record-breaking)

Hundreds of millions across launch trailers

PC Version

No PC version at launch confirmed

Yes, full PC release (Nov 2019)

Wildlife & Ecosystem

Unknown detail level

200+ species with real AI behavior & ecosystems

Critical Reception

N/A — not yet released

97/100 Metacritic — one of highest ever scored

Playable Right Now

Yes

GTA VI

Multiplayer★★★★½

Availability★☆☆☆☆

Open World Size★★★★★

Value for Money★★★☆☆

Graphics & Visuals★★★★★

Story & Characters★★★★☆

Red Dead Redemption 2

Multiplayer★★★☆☆

Availability★★★★★

Open World Size★★★★½

Value for Money★★★★★

Graphics & Visuals★★★★★

Story & Characters★★★★★

Worth knowing

RDR2 employed over 2,000 people across 8 Rockstar studios and took roughly 8 years to make.
GTA VI's first trailer dropped in December 2023 and broke YouTube records within hours.
RDR2's weather system alone has over 20 distinct weather states affecting NPC and animal behavior.
GTA VI is expected to be Rockstar's most expensive game ever developed, with budgets rumored in the billions.
RDR2 sold over 60 million copies and still consistently tops 'best games ever' lists in 2024.

RDR2 NPCs remember if you wore a bandana to rob them days ago in real time — GTA VI fans have been waiting so long they could've grown an actual beard like Arthur Morgan.

If you want

You want to play something incredible tonight

RDR2 is available, finished, and genuinely life-changing — no waiting required.

→ Pick Red Dead Redemption 2

If you want

You love modern open-world chaos and online heists

GTA VI's online mode is shaping up to be the next evolution of GTA Online's addictive formula.

→ Pick GTA VI

If you want

You care about narrative depth and emotional storytelling

Arthur Morgan's arc is widely considered one of the best stories in gaming, full stop.

→ Pick Red Dead Redemption 2

If you want

You want the freshest, most technically advanced Rockstar experience

GTA VI will almost certainly push hardware limits and set the new graphical benchmark — once it actually launches.

→ Pick GTA VI

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