Rockstar’s re-release of ‘Red Dead Redemption’ at full price is borderline criminal

I know what you’re thinking: the gaming community should be ecstatic that one of the most-beloved open-world games of all time is finally getting a re-release. And, yes, on a surface level, I’m as happy as everyone else that Red Dead Redemption will be held prisoner no longer, doomed to exist on consoles that are old enough to drive a car.

But, once the warm glow of nostalgia wears off, I’m quite confident that gamers will begin to realize just how greedy of a proposition this all is. Let’s recap the situation:

• Red Dead Redemption launched back in May 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
• While its estimated development and marketing budget comes in at close to $100 million, it’s also sold a staggering 23+ million copies.
• Now, Rockstar is re-releasing the game for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 (the latter of which is nearly 10 years old) for a whopping $50.

Now, I could understand re-releasing a game at full price if substantial upgrades were made, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Let’s look at the clues, shall we?

First off, the newly-released trailer for the Switch and PlayStation 4 versions makes no mention of updated graphics or improved framerates, which would certainly be an odd omission if, in fact, Rockstar did take the time to put a fresh coat of paint on their “money printer go BRRR” franchise. This jives with the accompanying press release, which makes no mention of any enhancements.

Our worst fears are confirmed if you also factor in the aforementioned trailer. Curiously, it has been uploaded in 4K, so there’s a chance that those playing on PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro, or PS5 will be able to play the game at something higher than 720p, but that’s not entirely clear. We did reach out to Rockstar to get more information on Red Dead Redemption‘s re-release but have yet to hear back at the time of publishing.

And then, there’s the other elephant in the room. Where are the Xbox and PC versions? It is odd that there is no mention of an Xbox Series X|S version, that is until you realize that those consoles can already play Red Dead Redemption via backward compatibility, further lending credence to the idea that the back-compat versions on Microsoft’s systems are virtually identical to the upcoming Switch and PlayStation 4 version. If I were a betting man, Rockstar is likely aware that releasing the game on PC would require implementing additional menus and settings, as well as allowing players to select higher framerates and resolutions. This would require a bit more of an engineering effort, which is currently our best guess as to why there is still no PC version.

In some ways, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by Rockstar’s latest cash grab. After all, it was less than two years ago when Rockstar and Grove Street Games released the laughably disappointing and broken Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, which launched with a litany of bugs and technical issues. And to add insult to injury, Rockstar pulled the original, far-less buggy version of the trilogy from most store (and digital) shelves, eventually adding it back to a single platform: their own storefront.

So, what’s one to do from here? Well, depending on what kind of consoles/hardware you own, there are a few options at your disposal.

• If you have an Xbox Series X|S, an Xbox One X, or an Xbox One, you can simply play the original Xbox 360 version via backward compatibility. If you don’t happen to own the game, it can be purchased digitally, or you can use a physical copy of the original release, the Undead Nightmare standalone disc, or the Game of the Year version. This is by far the cheapest option, and it has the added benefit of not having to wait for the new ports that drop next week.
• If you don’t own a Microsoft console but have a PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro, PS5, or Nintendo Switch, you can grab yourself a copy when it releases on Aug. 17.
• If all you own is a gaming PC, you can look into running the game using an emulator (like Xenia or RPCS3) and your copy of the game. Of course, this is a bit more of a thorough process and requires players to obtain Red Dead Redemption on disc.

If history has taught me anything, it’s that Rockstar won’t stop doing what they’re doing, and gamers will end up shelling out the $50 for these “new” ports. At this point, it’s either a case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” or waiting for the upcoming Switch and PlayStation 4 versions to drop in price or go on sale. A real Sophie’s choice, if you ask me.