With Grand Theft Auto 5's recent next-gen edition dropping, many fans of 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2 will be hoping to see the open-world cowboy adventure title get the same treatment. Although Red Dead Redemption 2 was released a full 5 years after Grand Theft Auto 5, and as such still looks gorgeous even by today's standards, it's easy for players to see the potential of an upgrade to take advantage of the power of the newest consoles. RDR2 followed up from the popular and successful 2010 release of Red Dead Redemption, and the following 8 years of work between the games largely paid off, with RDR2 having the biggest UK launch outside of Call of Duty and FIFA titles and holding the record for 4 years, until the release of Elden Ring.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was widely praised upon release for its graphical fidelity, as well as its vast game world and the level of detail contained within, with around 200 different species of wild animal strewn across the game's five distinct states, all with their own preferences to habitat, food, and behavior. It's not uncommon for players to get caught up in the game's realism, with many examples of animals and NPCs hunting and generally going about their lives in a believable way. Rockstar even managed to nail the smaller details, such as the changing of Arthur's bandolier ammo in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Players have been given a glimpse of Red Dead Redemption 2's potential with the subsequent PC release, as well as the minor upgrades visible on the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, compared to their base counterparts. One thing that is locked on consoles though is the framerate, with 30 fps being locked in for console players, even those playing on next-gen systems already. The PS5 also fails to offer any resolution increase over the PS4 Pro, with both displaying in 1920x2160p resolution. Although the Xbox Series X comes in higher with a 3840x2160p, it still suffers compared to the PC version of the game, even ignoring the photorealistic mods available for Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Could Look Extra Beautiful With An Upgrade
Although even the base versions of Red Dead Redemption 2 look great, its world has plenty of room for improvements that a current-gen console would bring. The PC version introduced greater draw distances as well as improvements in the lightning, resulting in more natural-looking shadows and light effects, which would all likely be addressed in a next-gen upgrade for the game. The framerate would also be a prime target, with the choice for a higher framerate or greater graphical fidelity featuring on many next-gen titles, taking advantage of the impressive power of current console hardware, something Geoff Keighley told fans not to underestimate before the consoles had even hit the shelves.
Given the mixed reception to the recent Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, Rockstar may instead opt to wait and see how fans react to the Grand Theft Auto 5 next-gen upgrade before coming to a decision on Red Dead Redemption 2's possible future. Red Dead Online has also been less successful than Grand Theft Auto Online which may also play a factor, given that Grand Theft Auto Online has been a huge commercial success, spanning three console generations now and drawing in millions of players. Given that Red Dead Redemption 2 shifted 43 million copies itself, with the Red Dead Redemption franchise selling 60 million, there are plenty of potential players that could be convinced to make the next-gen leap.