For those looking for a great Western to stream over the weekend, there’s no shortage of great options available. Multiple streaming services have developed impressive catalogs of Western movies – both old and new. For instance, Tubi boasts a handful of Clint Eastwood’s greatest contributions to the genre, and Amazon Prime Video offers a vast selection of classic Westerns, including some under-the-radar gems.
Other places to look include Netflix and HBO Max. Like Prime Video and Tubi, both have a host of Westerns. Netflix’s options are skewed toward more modern Westerns, whereas HBO Max has a mix of old Westerns and more recently-made entries into the genre.
Some streaming services – such as Netflix, Prime Video, and HBO Max – have even produced their own Westerns that can’t be watched anywhere else, which are perfect for those on the lookout for newer films, as opposed to old favorites like Shane and Stagecoach.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Tubi)
Clint Eastwood’s greatest Western can be streamed completely for free, as its available to watch on Tubi. The final installment in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, the 1966 Spaghetti Western certainly won’t be a quick watch, given that it’s a three-hour film. That said, it’s more than worth the time, whether it’s a rewatch or a first-time viewing.
Not unlike Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly has some truly great moments for Clint Eastwood’s The Man With No Name, many of which stem from his shaky partnership with Eli Wallach’s Tuco. But while it is fairly regarded as the quintessential Clint Eastwood Western, it’s far more than a vehicle for the actor to flex off his chops as a Western star.
True to its title, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly has not one, but three main characters, and all of them get their chance in the spotlight. In fact, it would even be fair to argue that Eli Wallach’s performance as the conniving Tuco is actually the best part of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and that Lee Van Cleef’s Angel Eyes is one of the greatest Western movie villains of all time.
The Horse Soldiers (Prime Video)
Another Western from an icon of the genre that’s worth checking out on streaming is The Horse Soldiers. Although the 1953 film is a John Wayne movie, it’s hardly one of the actor’s most famous outings, overshadowed largely by his much bigger hits. That said, The Horse Soldiers makes for a fun Western buddy adventure movie and can be streamed on Prime Video.
In this one, John Wayne gets top billing, but he also has to share with a fellow Hollywood A-lister, William Holden. The Horse Soldiers sees Wayne and Holden play a tough-as-nails military officer and a conscientious army doctor respectively. Their differing backgrounds and priorities result in the two butting heads as the two and their group of Union soldiers work to destroy a cache of Confederate supplies.
The movie boasts a side story devoted to a romance between Wayne’s hero and a character played by Constance Towers, as well as some high-stakes battles where it becomes clear that not every major character is destined to come out of the story in one piece.
Wyatt Earp (Netflix)
Kevin Costner, one of the best Western stars from recent memory, headlined a biopic about the legendary lawman, Wyatt Earp. Released in 1994, Wyatt Earp sees Costner step into the boots of the titular Western hero, with an all-star cast playing the various real-life figures in Earp’s life, such as Gene Hackman, Dennis Quaid, and Michael Madsen.
Wyatt Earp bombed at the box office, but part of the problem was that Kurt Russell had played the character just six months earlier in Tombstone. But in 2025, the timing of its release hardly matters, and it’s much easier now to enjoy Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp movie without it being compared to one of the best Westerns of the 1990s.
After all, it still offers a quality performance from Kevin Costner, who succeeds in delivering a memorable portrayal of the well-respected lawman. In fact, it even tops Tombstone’s version of the story in certain areas, including the scene where Wyatt Earp kills Curly Bill.
The Indian Fighter (Prime Video)
Released in 1955 and now streaming on Prime Video, The Indian Fighter stars Kirk Douglas as a ruthless frontiersman who has practically devoted his life to killing Native Americans. The events of The Indian Fighter test his commitment to that goal, giving him a Native American love interest and thrusting him into a conflict between an Indian tribe and a group of settlers.
The situation sets up a great character arc for Kirk Douglas’ character, and paves the way for some interesting twists and turns as he navigates his way through all the fighting between the Native Americans, the soldiers, and the settlers, making him into a bit of an unlikely hero. All things considered, it’s one of Kirk Douglas’ best forays into the Western genre.
The Big Country
Supported by a cast full of major Hollywood stars from Charlton Heston to Jean Simmons, The Big Country features an unconventional – but refreshing – Western protagonist. The main character of The Big Country, played by Gregory Peck, is a fish out of water, a man who comes from the eastern United States and finds himself experiencing the American Wild West for the first time.
Despite how different it is from the life he left behind, Gregory Peck’s character refuses to compromise his values, making it incredibly easy to root for him as he deals with warring families fighting over a ranch. His complex – but admirable – moral code adds greatly to the appeal of The Big Country.
Further benefiting the movie is its beautiful cinematography, which shows off the landscape in a way that only enhances the epic feel of the movie. That scope is on full display during the big slugfest between Charlton Heston and Peck’s characters, which has a strong case for being one of the best Western movie fist fights of all time.
Amounting to an almost three-hour watch and streaming for free on Tubi, The Big Country is a good choice for those looking for a long, quality Western to get absorbed in.
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