\nY'all, I was playing Red Dead Redemption 2 again the other day and got hit with a major thought. Since 2018, nothing has really come close to that perfect Western experience. It's wild, right? Games chase trends like Breath of the Wild's open world all the time, but the cowboy fantasy seems untouched. So, let's saddle up and reimagine how some iconic sci-fi games could have been absolute bangers if they leaned a little harder into those dusty, sun-baked Western tropes.

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First on the list is Fallout: New Vegas. I mean, the setup is already peak Western revenge drama. You get betrayed, shot, and left for dead in the desert—classic! The Mojave Wasteland is basically the Nevada frontier. But imagine if Obsidian had gone all-in:

  • Horse (or Brahmin) Riding: Cruising the desert on a trusty steed instead of fast-traveling everywhere.

  • Classic Weapon Showdowns: More revolvers, lever-action rifles, and tense duels against raiders at high noon.

  • Faction Rodeos: The war between the NCR and Caesar's Legion already feels like a frontier conflict, but make it feel even more like rival cattle barons fighting over land.

It had all the ingredients for a gritty, post-apocalyptic spaghetti Western, and I'll always wonder what could've been.

Next, Horizon Forbidden West. Girl, the title literally has "West" in it! Aloy's journey through Utah, Nevada, and California had so much potential for a neo-Western vibe. Guerrilla Games could have:

  • Introduced a Gunslinger Tribe: One tribe that mastered pre-Fall firearms tech instead of just bows. Picture Aloy learning to quick-draw against a Thunderjaw.

  • Robotic Horses: The mounts are cool, but a customisable, gear-upgradable mechanical horse? Iconic. 🐎

  • Colony Sheriff Missions: Instead of it being solely Aloy's personal quest, she could have taken on bounty hunter or protector roles for the scattered settlements, building a reputation across the frontier.

The lush, overgrown world was beautiful, but a dustier, more rugged aesthetic could have made that "Forbidden West" name truly sing.

Let's talk about Death Stranding. A man walks across America to reconnect a broken nation... sounds like a loner cowboy's epic journey to me! Hideo Kojima's masterpiece had the solitude and vast landscapes down pat. To Western-ify it:

  • Desolate American Wasteland: Instead of a verdant, recovering country, make the U.S. a sprawling, unforgiving desert. The BT-fog could be like treacherous dust storms.

  • The Chiral Pony Express: Sam's core delivery gameplay could have been framed as re-establishing the legendary Pony Express mail service. Delivering packages between isolated frontier outposts for survival. 📦

  • Wagon Trains & Outposts: Building structures could have felt more like establishing waystations and forts along a dangerous trail.

The loneliness of being a porter already has a cowboy-esque quality; this would have just sharpened it into a true sci-fi Western.

Now, Cyberpunk 2077. The Nomad life path gives us a taste, but what if everyone started as a desert rat?

  • From Wasteland to Megacity: Your entire first act could be surviving in the Badlands, honing your skills, earning your first iconic piece of tech, and scraping together enough eddies to make it to the big city. That journey from nothing to Night City legend would hit so much harder.

  • Frontier Justice in Night City: Imagine bringing that "law of the land" mentality into a place ruled by corps. Your revolvers and rifles would stand out against high-tech smart weapons, creating a fantastic clash of styles.

  • Nomad Gang as Posse: Instead of just a backstory, your Nomad family/clan could be your recurring posse, riding into the city to back you up in major heists.

A Cyberpunk Western fusion is such an untapped aesthetic goldmine!

Here's a hot take: Xenoblade Chronicles X. Humanity lands on a new planet, Mira, to rebuild. But instead of a lush paradise, what if it was a harsh, desert world?

  • Frontier Town Building: Core gameplay could involve scouting locations, defending settlers from indigenous threats (instead of just monsters), and managing resources to grow your colony from a tent city into a proper town. 🏜️

  • Exploration as Prospecting: Finding resources and ancient tech would feel like prospecting for gold or striking oil, driving the expansion.

  • Planet of Sand & Saloons: The social hubs could have been classic frontier towns with a alien twist. Think Trigun's vibe but with mechs!

Even some classic RPGs could have used a dash of Western. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. What if you weren't the galaxy's chosen one right away? What if you started as a...

  • Jedi Marshal: A lone Jedi assigned to keep the peace in the Outer Rim, a place where the Republic's law is thin. Visiting backwater planets, solving disputes between moisture farmers, dealing with Tusken Raider (Sand People) tensions. It's the ultimate "Space Sheriff" fantasy.

  • Blaster at your Hip: Optional, but having that iconic weapon as a tool of the frontier, even as a Jedi, would cement the vibe.

Similarly, Mass Effect. Commander Shepard as a Spectre already has some frontier lawman energy. But what if the focus was smaller?

  • Galactic Trouble-Shooter: Less about Reaper doom, more about riding your Normandy into a disputed star system, negotiating with colonial governors, and taking down rogue mercenary bands threatening new settlements.

  • Andromeda's Lost Potential: Mass Effect: Andromeda tried this with the Pathfinder settling a new galaxy, but it lacked the grit and tight-knit community focus of a true Western. It could have been about building the first town on a new frontier, not just finding planets.

Finally, Borderlands 2. Pandora IS a Western planet, let's be real. But it's a chaotic, meme-filled one. To refine it:

  • From Vault Hunter to Town Deputy: You're not a treasure hunter arriving on a bus. You're a local, hired to keep the peace in a town like Sanctuary, caught between Hyperion, bandits, and the crazy Vault Hunters blowing through town.

  • Faction Allegiance: Like in New Vegas, you could choose to side with the corporations (becoming a company man), the bandits (an outlaw), or try to forge your own independent path for the people of Pandora.

  • Bounty Boards & Showdowns: More structured, narrative-driven bounties on iconic enemies, culminating in classic stand-offs.

The manic energy of Borderlands mixed with Western storytelling structures could have been something truly special.

Daydreaming about these alternate versions is so much fun. It just goes to show how versatile and rich Western themes are—they're not just about cowboys and horses, but about solitude, community building, law vs. chaos, and surviving on a harsh frontier. These core ideas can translate to any setting, from post-apocalyptic deserts to alien planets and cyberpunk cities. Here's hoping some brave developer gives us a proper genre-bending Western soon! Until then, I'll be over here, wishing for a game where I can be a Jedi sheriff riding a robotic horse across a desert planet. A girl can dream! 🤠✨