Everyone’s talking about Grand Theft Auto 6, but I wonder where Rockstar’s cowboy adventures are headed next with Red Dead Redemption 3. Sure, it might still be decades away, but part of me eagerly anticipates how impressive it could be, especially after seeing how stunning the in-engine footage for GTA 6 looks.
The second trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 sent fans into a collective frenzy, with people dissecting every frame in search of new and fascinating details. It had everything, from more realistic physics to improved lighting. Some fans even worry about how it will run on current-gen consoles due to its sheer scale. That’s why many tech experts speculate that GTA 6 might run at 30 frames per second instead of 60.
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This brings me back to Red Dead Redemption 3, likely Rockstar’s next major title after GTA 6. We probably won’t see this sequel for years; it’s more likely a PlayStation 6 game, or worse, a PlayStation 7 one.
But with Rockstar’s upgraded RAGE Engine, I can only imagine how incredible Red Dead Redemption 3 will look and feel. Still, part of me wonders what timeline it should take place in. History has shown that the age of cowboys is long gone, and both RDR1 and RDR2 drove that point home.
Maybe this time, we’ll follow an entirely new character, not someone from the Van Der Linde gang. Dutch’s influence has run its course, and perhaps it’s time for Jack Marston, John’s son, to take the mantle and relive the glory days of his father’s legacy.
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With future consoles capable of handling more demanding hardware, RDR3 running on an improved RAGE Engine could deliver even more breathtaking detail. Imagine riding across America's vast, lawless expanses, in a world even more vibrant and immersive than Red Dead Redemption 2, and that game was already a visual masterpiece.
While it’s all just speculation and anticipation for now, the visual spectacle of GTA 6 gave me hope that Rockstar will continue to lead the way in open-world game design. Sure, games running on Guerrilla Games’ Decima Engine, like Horizon or Death Stranding, come close, but Rockstar still feels like the pioneer.
The open-world genre is set to reach new heights in the coming years, and I’m thrilled to see where Rockstar’s cowboy saga will head next. Hopefully, I’ll still be around to see it.