Red Dead Redemption 2 is arguably 2018's most anticipated video game. Grand Theft Auto creator Rockstar Games has pulled out all of the stops for its Wild West epic, which they are calling their 'most ambitious game to date'. We have had the chance to spend a day in its world; six hours to explore Rockstar's biggest map yet and familiarise ourselves with the ragtag members of the van der Linde gang. In our series of articles, we explore why Red Dead Redemption 2 could be Rockstar's best story yet, look at how to survive in its harsh world and, here, take a deep-dive into the map.

And the most arresting thing I see as I explore Red Dead Redemption 2’s vast western wilderness is the bright neon lights of St Denis. As outlaw Arthur Morgan, I have rode south from the snows of the Grizzly mountains, through the lush greenery of the Cumberland Forest, over the plains of the Heartlands and into the rolling fog and swamps of the Bayou Nwa taking in as much as I can during my extended wander through Rockstar's biggest ever map.

Each area has stunned in its own way, with the decadence of Red Dead Redemption 2’s development reflected in a land that feels grounded, dirty and real. But St Denis, Rockstar’s interpretation of Old West New Orleans, is something else. Emerging from the fog next to the ‘gator ridden bayou, a brightly lit arch flashes the city’s name in a cluster of golden bulbs.