Red Dead Redemption 2 was very well received when it launched back in 2018. The game was beloved by critics and players alike for its extremely detailed world, engaging story, and nuanced gameplay. Red Dead Redemption 2 went on to sell millions and millions of copies as well as launching a standalone online mode, Red Dead Online. With all of Red Dead Redemption 2's success, it seems very likely that the series will receive a third entry, even if nothing official has been confirmed by Rockstar Games.
Of course, if Red Dead Redemption 3 does become a reality, it is likely many years away. There has still been no official confirmation about a reveal or announcement of Grand Theft Auto 6, despite Grand Theft Auto 5 releasing in 2013 and still regularly having a presence in monthly top-seller lists. While there is no way to know what hardware the game would even release on when and if it eventually does, there are still some big features that would make a lot of sense for a sequel. One of these is if Red Dead Redemption 3 borrowed the character switching mechanic that was so integral to Grand Theft Auto 5.
How Character Switching Works in Grand Theft Auto 5
In Grand Theft Auto 5 players go through a story of American crime and bank heists following the characters of Trevor, Franklin, and Michael. Each character has a distinct personality, storylines, and abilities to offer players.
Trevor is a psychotic criminal that is completely unpredictable and chaotic while having an ability that increases his damage against enemies while also raising his damage resistance. Franklin, on the other hand, is a small-time gangbanger that makes a living committing small crimes and has an ability that gives players increased control of driving vehicles. Grand Theft Auto 5's final character is Michael De Santos is a retired bank robber who has a history with Trevor and is in the witness protection service. He has an ability that gives players the ability to slow down time in shootouts.
While playing through the story players are able to switch in real-time between the three characters. Each character has their own missions to take on throughout the story with many of the missions involving a combination of them, allowing players to switch back and forth during missions. This allows players to see multiple perspectives during the story's biggest missions, like the bank heists, while also letting players choose who they want to interact with Grand Theft Auto 5's open-world. Switching characters outside of missions also gives a glimpse at the characters' lives, as they stumble in on Michael watching bad TV, or Trevor throwing somebody off a bridge.
How Red Dead Redemption 3 is Ready for Character Switching
A big part of Grand Theft Auto 5's success with the character switching system is that the three characters are all deeply developed and each plays differently from the others. With how deep and fleshed out the characters in the Red Dead Redemption universe are, the system would feel right at home in Red Dead Redemption 3.
Of course, there is no way to know when a Red Dead Redemption 3 would even be set, but if it involves Dutch's gang in any way there are already plenty of characters that would be prime candidates to be upgraded to protagonists. Characters like Red Dead Redemption 2's Said Adler, Micah Bell, and Javier all have the depth to fill the spotlight together while also having diverse enough personalities to make a similar dynamic as the one present in Grand Theft Auto 5.
Red Dead Redemption 3 would also have to justify having multiple protagonists. Red Dead Redemption 2 also exemplifies that Red Dead Redemption 3 would be more than capable of fulfilling this requirement. There is a lot that players can do in Red Dead Redemption 2 that could definitely support multiple protagonists. It is not hard to imagine different protagonists being better at Red Dead Redemption 2's activities like hunting, fishing, or gambling while also having associated gameplay implications like one being able to use Dead Eye while other protagonists can control a horse better or perform better in fistfights.
How Character Switching Could Impact Red Dead Redemption 3
If Red Dead Redemption 3 does adopt character switching as a core mechanic it will undoubtedly have a massive impact on its gameplay. The Red Dead Redemption series is very well known for having deep characters that players come to know over the course of intricate plot lines. Having three protagonists would allow players to explore the wild west in ways with more depth than ever before. it would be fascinating to go into a town like Armadillo or Valentine as Sadie and see it through her perspective before switching to Red Dead Redemption 2's deranged Micah and experiencing it all again but through his violent outlook on the west.
Of course, character switching would also have a massive impact on the gameplay as well. Being able to switch protagonists during larger missions like attacks on a gang hideout or a train robbery would allow Red Dead Redemption 3 to show players those scenes with a new level of depth and scale. The different protagonists would also lead to players being able to switch between the different protagonists to tackle different activities and the great side quests that Red Dead Redemption is known for.
There is no way to know whether or not Red Dead Redemption 3 will end up including the character switching mechanic. If it does, however, it would help Red Dead Redemption 3 stand out drastically from its two predecessors, while also helping the game flesh out and build on the aspects of the series that fans already know and love. Red Dead Redemption 3 is very likely still a long way away, but until then, players have a massive library of mods for Red Dead Redemption 2 as well as Red Dead Online to play while they wait. Unfortunately, I doubt there will be a mod to add character switching into Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.