Red Dead Redemption 2 is regarded as one of the best open-world games ever, but its lack of a next-gen upgrade doesn’t reflect that.
The newest generation of video game hardware has been marked by unprecedented backward compatibility. The Xbox Series X/S has continued the brand’s tradition of including a robust library of games stretching back to the Xbox 360, and the PS5’s backward compatibility applies to just about every PS4 game ever made. With this compatibility has come a slew of next-gen upgrades for titles that were released not long before the transition to the current generation, and even games from years prior have received upgrades due to their lasting impact. Many major titles fit into that latter camp, but not Red Dead Redemption 2.
Rockstar’s Western epic captivated fans and critics when it was released in 2018, drawing praise for its compelling characters, vast gameplay systems, and unrelenting attention to detail. Since Red Dead Redemption 2 has released, however, it’s received very little in the way of ongoing support. Red Dead Online has gotten its fair share of updates, but Rockstar has shown little interest in propping up the game as it has with Grand Theft Auto 5. The lack of a next-gen upgrade almost three years into this console cycle makes this glaringly apparent, and for now, it seems RDR 2 may never get a true next-gen upgrade.
