Out of all the genres and fantasy worlds of online games, the Wild West is quite possibly the least seen of them all. When you think of online gaming, your mind probably goes to fantasy worlds full of dragons, or sci-fi universes filled with laser guns and spaceships. However, tucked away in the dusty corners of gaming history the Wild West is a niche that refuses to die. From saloon brawls to outlaw shootouts, wild west online games have carved out a small, but very loyal following over the years.
One of the first online games I ever played was an online shooter with cartoonish graphics called Outlaws. It was a single player game with great the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly type of music, but it also offered multiplayer duels and shootouts. Outlaws also had maps and allowed players to team up with each other. I even met a good friend in this game and that friendship lasted over 15 years! Thus, old school online games back in the day were not massive nor was the anything like social media back then, but there was a friendliness between players that I am not sure exists any more today in 2025. At least not to the same extent that it did back then.
Pioneers of Online Western Games
- Outlaws (1997) – Not an MMO, but it did offer multiplayer shootouts that gained a cult following. With its memorable music and classic cowboy duels, it paved the way for future online cowboy shooters.
- Bang Howdy (2006) – This fun tactical Wild West game blended cowboys with a touch of steampunk. Players battled in turn-based matches featuring gunslingers, saloons, and train robberies.
- The West (2008) – A browser-based Wild West MMORPG where players could duel, complete jobs, build towns, and even run saloons.
- Wild West Online (2017) – Ambitious MMO that promised train robberies, outlaw gangs, and dynamic cowboy adventures but, unfortunately, launched in a broken state and was quickly abandoned!
Wild West Games You Can Still Play
- Red Dead Online – The king of all online cowboy games and the most popular one by far. As the multiplayer component of Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead Online offers fishing, hunting, duels, train robberies, and roleplay servers that keep the frontier alive. While not a traditional MMO, it’s the closest thing we have to a living Wild West world today!
- West Hunt – A social deduction game set in a Wild West town. One team plays as sneaky outlaws trying to blend in with NPCs, while the other team hunts them down. Simple, fun, and perfect for party nights.
- Roblox: The Wild West – A massive player driven Wild Westgame world inside Roblox. Players can become bounty hunters, outlaws, or simple townsfolk, with train robberies, duels, and exploration. It’s surprisingly deep for a Roblox game and has an active community!
There is also Minecraft with a large Wild West themed community and many more smaller western games on Steam like West of Loathing, Westslingers, and Wild West Survival.
