Something interesting is happening with Red Dead Redemption 2 and the fans are the driving force. Its trajectory is unlike any other game. I wanted to explore it and share what the fans are currently most vocal about. I read a lot of comments from our readers, which was one of the driving forces behind writing this.
Red Dead Redemption 2 may be over five years old and receiving no new major content updates, but there is a growing fan base begging Rockstar Games for one thing: 60FPS mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. For some, it’s just a toggle in the settings. To others, it’s just a toggle that gives a much better feeling when playing their beloved game.
Red Dead fans show up
The catalyst for this article was the large number of people who read the one I wrote about the most recent update of Red Dead Redemption 2. In just a few days, that article became the most viewed page of all time on our website.
GTA Online and GTA VI are much more popular and current while Red Dead Redemption 2 stopped receiving major support from Rockstar Games. This led to a decline in interest for Red Dead Online.
We’ve seen a big increase in readers over the past few months (thank you). GTA VI certainly helped along with GTA Online updates but that’s not all. One thing I started to notice, though, was how well our Red Dead Redemption coverage would do even if the news was less important than say a GTA VI trailer.
Another example I can share is the patch Rockstar Games released in January. That article is in the 10 most viewed pages in our history. It was a very small patch released to fix an issue that many Red Dead Online players are facing.
The game was cracked by cheaters and Rockstar addressed that exploit. Something to consider about our audience is the age of the game. There are far fewer gaming sites covering Red Dead Redemption 2 since it’s been over five years since launch.
The stable bug is one thing…
Whenever I reported on a minor patch released for Red Dead 2, many players complain that the patch did not contain a fix for the “Stable Bug/Flood”. From comments on the articles to replies on our Tweets, Red Dead Online players have been so frustrated by this problem. It’s been in the game for a few years. Luckily Rockstar finally fixed it in the most recent patch. This was a beautiful moment for the community but it also raised questions…more on that later.
There are only one or two Red Dead news stories to cover each month compared to dozens for GTA. Since Rockstar Games stopped creating new content, everything that happens in Red Dead Online is an Event Month. Those posts don’t work that well for us compared to a patch for the game. A factor in this could just be the lack of interest in Event Months or Red Dead Online in general. It’s an online component that doesn’t get brand new DLC like other games including GTA Online. Red Dead 2 as a story though is an evergreen masterpiece.
Years without DLC
Red Dead fans, especially those who play Red Dead Online, tried to get Rockstar’s attention a few years ago. Back in May 2022, our site looked at the situation almost a year since the last major content update. Then a #SaveRedDeadOnline movement trended across social media. At the very least, fans wanted Rockstar to make a statement and put them out of their misery.
Inevitably, Rockstar issued a letter to fans confirming that this was for content updates. Their reasoning was that developers have moved on to GTA 6. It is a monumental task that they are trying to achieve with this new Grand Theft Auto and that requires almost the entire company working on it.
The lack of support for three years is what made the March update even more surprising. Besides fixing the stable bug, it fixed many more issues, updated the AMD FSR version to 2.2 and added support for HDR10+ GAMING. The fact that these types of inclusions were part of the patch, but not 60FPS raised eyebrows. The answers to our Tweet and comments on the article were flooded with requests for 60FPS on console.
Why fans want 60FPS mode so bad
As of 2020, over 75 million PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles have been sold. While gamers have enjoyed titles made exclusively for current gen hardware, staples like GTA Online and Red Dead 2 are installed on the new console they pick up. It took a while, but Rockstar Games has re-released GTA V in current gen with 60FPS mode, improved graphics and more.
Red Dead fans dreamed of a re-release for the wild west sequel even if they knew it might be unlikely. The game is simply more enjoyable to play with the higher frame rate and more fun to play on current gen hardware. The PS5 is more than capable. We saw it.
Twitter user illusion0002 was able to make games locked at 30FPS run at 60FPS using a hacked PS5. With Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s the same PS4 game just running at a silky smooth 60 frames per second. Sure, Rockstar should test the entire game to make sure running it like this on a console doesn’t cause problems but still. Sure they could do it. They should because the game is selling well and people are playing on the PS5.
Rockstar aren’t the only ones who haven’t updated games that still enjoy an action mode. However, many games have been given such an option making them a must play on the current generation of consoles.
To rub salt in the wound, the 2023 re-release of Red Dead Redemption on PS4 received a patch that added a 60FPS toggle. As you would expect, the main feature of this patch was met with many requests for the same option in Red Dead 2.
The game continues to be very successful
It’s not like Rockstar Games needs add 60FPS mode. The game continues to sell well. In the previous financial quarter, Red Dead Redemption 2 four million copies. This brought the total to 61 million making it the 7th best selling game of all time. While it still works great, as a goodwill gesture to current players and even as a headline to bring in more first-time players, an increase in frame rate would be most appreciated.
It’s also worth noting that the game was the most downloaded PS4 game in February. This does take into account downloads on both PS5 and PS4 consoles. Gamers get a PS5 and turn to check out Red Dead 2, which has PS4 Pro enhancements like 4K and more. The game was also the most downloaded PS4 title in October of last year and has maintained a high ranking for most months thereafter.
The only version of Red Dead Redemption 2 that can run at 60FPS without hacked firmware is the PC version. In November, it had its highest concurrent player count on Steam. It hit 77,655 players at once. Over the course of about 12 months, the game broke its concurrent number several times.
It may be an older game, but because of its incredible quality, new people are always discovering it. The popularity it gained on Steam saw it being one of the most played games on Steam Deck every month and even won five Steam awards last year.
As a Red Dead fan myself
Much like many others, I am a huge fan of Red Dead Redemption 2. Personally, it is my favorite single player story game of all time. I’m also someone who loves high frame rates and the best graphics I can possibly push on my computer. However, I won’t wait for the inevitable PC port a year later!
Back when Red Dead 2 launched, I accepted the 30FPS limit on the Xbox One X. The storytelling, gameplay, and artistic achievement made me play past the refresh rate, which I don’t think is enjoyable to play. So, all my progress in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online is on Xbox, not PC.
I want to continue those in 60FPS… Sure, I could start another game on PC and it will look and play better but that doesn’t solve the problem of Red Dead Online or Xbox achievements I want to unlock. I would go back to Red Dead Online if I could play at 60FPS.
In addition to that, Rockstar Games has created a character transfer tool for GTA Online. This allowed us to go from Xbox 360/PS3 to Xbox One/PS4 and PC. Plus now the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. However, this was not possible for Red Dead Online. Except once.
With the closure of Google’s Stadia platform, Rockstar Games has transferred players’ RDO data to PC, Xbox One or PS4. This was a great move by Rockstar, as some fans put in thousands of hours for their $60 purchase. The game was no longer playable after the Stadia servers were shut down.
Not having the same feature available for all platforms is just one of the reasons why some Red Dead fans feel they’ve been treated differently to GTA Online players. It’s a love/hate relationship.
Red Dead Redemption 2 60FPS mode to forever remain a dream?
Overall, we can say that there are still many people playing Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first time or a repeat on their PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It’s seriously impressive how a game is still selling and being re-downloaded so much more than half a decade after it came out. There is a hunger for fans to continue to enjoy this classic but with a smoother presentation.
It feels like a 60FPS mode in Red Dead 2 would have happened by now if Rockstar had made it. Unless some of the staff who would be working on these kinds of features get some time off GTA VI and can work on Red Dead 2? The March update was a glimmer of hope for some.
Obviously, if one day they give fans what they’d like, we’ll be covering it right here at RockstarINTEL. For anything Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online, stay tuned. Over the past few months our Red Dead News Twitter account has grown decently considering the current state of the franchise. Be sure to give us a follow up here.
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