When you think of Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto probably comes to mind first. The billion-dollar franchise has dominated gaming culture for decades, breaking sales records and pushing boundaries with every release. But according to one of the people who built the company from the ground up, their crown jewel isn’t their best-selling franchise.
Dan Houser, who co-founded Rockstar Games and served as the creative force behind many of their biggest hits, recently gave an interview at LA Comic Con with IGN, where he named Red Dead Redemption 2 as the studio’s greatest achievement.
Yes. One-half of the houser brothers said that Red Dead Redemption 2 is better than Grand Theft Auto V, which has sold over 215 million copies since 2013, and Grand Theft Auto 3, the game that revolutionized open-world gaming.
But while the answer is surprising, it’s not hard to see why Dan Houser would think so highly of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is special. Released some six years ago for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game pushed technical boundaries that developers are still struggling to match today. The level of detail in its open world remains unmatched, from the way mud accumulates on your character’s boots to how your horse’s breath becomes visible in cold weather.
Not to mention, its story is top-notch. Unlike the satirical, often cynical tone of Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption 2 embraces genuine emotion and character development. Players spend dozens of hours getting to know Arthur, watching him struggle with loyalty, morality, and his own mortality.
This emotional depth is paired with gameplay that treats players like adults. The game doesn’t bombard you with map markers or constant objectives. Instead, it encourages exploration and patience. Travel takes time. Hunting requires skill. Even simple actions like looting bodies or cooking food are given weight through detailed animations essential to the experience.
It’s a technical marvel that wasn’t rushed out of the gates. The game’s development involved thousands of people working across multiple Rockstar studios for eight years. The result was a world that felt more alive than anything the studio had created before. Weather systems affect gameplay. Animals behave realistically. NPCs have routines and react to your reputation.
For fans, this acknowledgement from one of Rockstar Games’ founders feels bittersweet. On one hand, it’s validation for what they’ve believed for a long time. On the other hand, it still doesn’t erase the fact that Rockstar has effectively abandoned Red Dead Redemption 2, even though it continues to be praised by many and has sold extremely well over the years.
If it’s any consolation, there’s good news on the horizon: Rockstar is believed to be working on a re-release of Red Dead Redemption 2 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and possibly, even the Nintendo Switch 2.
