It’s been said that Red Dead Redemption 2 ‘represents perhaps the most important intervention into the Western genre of the twenty-first century.’ Far from being dead, this genre has evolved through the years, constantly subverting its own tropes and reinventing itself. Positioning RDR2 within the context of the Western genre and comparing it to the canon it draws from highlights the genre’s ability to welcome narratives that have in the past been excluded, as well as the possibilities present within the medium of video games.