Rockstar develops and publishes some of the most beloved franchises in the entire gaming industry, and Red Dead Redemption is certainly one of those. Debuting in 2010, the first Red Dead Redemption marked a bold departure for the publisher best known for Grand Theft Auto, but that risk was more than worth it, with the game selling extremely well and becoming one of the most beloved open-world games of all time. Rockstar somehow managed to capture lightning in a bottle twice with 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2, another monumental success both in terms of sales and critical reviews. But if Rockstar plans on returning to the Wild West, then it might want to consider making another Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare first and foremost.
Released only a few months after the original game hit store shelves, Undead Nightmare is a standalone DLC expansion that takes Red Dead Redemption's Spaghetti Western influences of the base game and blends them perfectly with campy B-movie horror. Set in an alternate, non-canonical timeline, Undead Nightmare sees players lock and load as John Marston once more, though this time rather than save his family from the consequences of his past crimes, he's saving them from zombies. And it's as good of a time as ever to bring players back to that world.
The Next Red Dead Redemption Should Be an Undead Nightmare Sequel
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest DLC of all time. Undead Nightmare takes the expansive open world of the base game and gives it a zombie makeover, complete with new enemy types, a plethora of new missions, and even the four horses of the apocalypse. Undead Nightmare is packed to the brim with engaging new content, and its campy self-aware tone still feels like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise often solemn, self-serious industry. It's clear that Rockstar San Diego had a lot of fun working on Undead Nightmare, and that fun definitely carries over to the player experience.
Red Dead Redemption 2, despite making controversial headlines before its release due to extreme crunch, was a huge success for Rockstar, and fans are still avidly playing the game almost five years later. Much like Grand Theft Auto, it's not really a case of "if" Rockstar will make another Red Dead game, but "when," and instead of another mainline entry that focuses on realistic gameplay and a heart-wrenching story, Rockstar should make another Undead Nightmare.
Zombie games have fluctuated in popularity pretty heavily over the last decade or so, going from being one of the most oversaturated genres on the market to one with barely any entries. Nowadays, Dying Light and Dead Island are really the only big hitters around, carving out the perfect space for another Undead Nightmare game. Though Dying Light and Dead Island are popular franchises, they pale in comparison to Red Dead and Rockstar's following, and Undead Nightmare's Wild West setting immediately sets it apart from the crowd. Fans have also been asking for another Undead Nightmare for years now, and a fully-fledged, content-complete game could do a lot for the Red Dead brand, which has been a little tarnished over the last few years due to Red Dead Online's reception.
But on top of all that, a new Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare would also give Rockstar developers the chance to work on something a bit more lighthearted. While Grand Theft Auto usually has a satirical undertone, many of its themes are still pretty dark and gritty. If a new Undead Nightmare adopted a similar B-movie tone to its predecessor, then it's likely to make for a more enjoyable gameplay experience.
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare is available now for PS3 and Xbox 360.