Red Dead Redemption 2 was released back in 2018 on PS4 and Xbox One. It’s a very good open-world Wild West game developed and published by Rockstar Games. And over six years later, this incredible video game, which got a PC port in 2019, has yet to receive a PS5/Series X update. Meanwhile, Rockstar recently confirmed that 2010’s Red Dead Redemption will, in fact, get a nice upgrade. Life is cruel like that sometimes.
On November 13, Rockstar Games announced that Red Dead Redemption would be ported to phones, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2. If you already own the PS4, Switch, or backwards-compatible digital Xbox 360 version of the game, you’ll get the upgrade for free when RDR makes the leap to new consoles on December 2. This new version of Red Dead Redemption supports 4K/60, enhanced image quality, and HDR support on PS5/Xbox. Meanwhile, on Nintendo Switch 2, RDR supports DLSS, HDR, mouse controls, and 60FPS gameplay. And, like with 2023’s rerelease on PS4, this new version will include the zombie-infested Undead Nightmare DLC. Awesome stuff! But uh…hey, Rockstar, I think you forgot something.
Since the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2020, Rockstar fans have been begging the company to update or upgrade Red Dead Redemption 2 so that the game can take full advantage of the more powerful machines. Over on PC, RDR 2 looks amazing with its high framerates, increased draw distances, and impressive resolutions. That’s not to say RDR 2 on PS4 is an ugly game, but it could be so much better. And yet, six years later…nothing. No update. No upgrade. Just rumors and whispers that maybe one day it might happen. But it never does.
Even Xbox thought a modern update was coming, according to leaked court documents from 2023. But alas, nope. Rockstar has seen fit to update and upgrade Grand Theft Auto V from PS3 to PS4 to PS5. And it’s now planning to upgrade Red Dead Redemption from last gen to current gen, for free, too. Sadly, RDR 2, for whatever reason, isn’t getting the same treatment, at least not yet.
I’ll admit, I laughed when I saw the news that Red Dead Redemption would get a fancy PS5 upgrade before Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s funny, in a depressing kind of way. Which, for a game as sad as RDR 2, feels like poetry. But I’m not here for amusing parallels between art and real life. I’m here to blast away bandits and lawmen in RDR 2 in 4K/60 on PS5 Pro. I guess I’ll just buy a Steam Machine next year and play Red Dead Redemption 2 at 60FPS over there. It’s probably the closest to a current-gen port we’ll get anytime soon, as Grand Theft Auto 6 takes away most of Rockstar’s focus and resources.
