Out of nowhere, PlayStation has dropped a real heavyweight into the PS Plus Extra and Premium catalog, letting subscribers play Red Dead Redemption at no extra cost. The timing could not be better, as Rockstar has also lined up new, upgraded versions of John Marston’s adventure for modern platforms.

At long last, Rockstar has delivered the good news Red Dead fans have been craving, with fresh editions of Red Dead Redemption that make it even easier to revisit John Marston’s story. The studio’s iconic western is getting native versions for PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and Nintendo Switch 2, along with a Netflix release that will put the game within reach on mobile as well.

Rockstar has confirmed that new builds of Red Dead Redemption are coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch, plus a Netflix-supported version that brings the game to Android and iOS. All of these editions are scheduled for December 2 and will come with free upgrades, save transfer support, and a range of quality of life and technical tweaks.

The headline improvements include 60 FPS gameplay, cleaner image quality, HDR support and resolutions of up to 4K on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The Nintendo Switch release is also targeting 60 FPS and adds DLSS, HDR, and mouse controls on top. Players who already own Red Dead Redemption will be able to move up to the new versions at no additional cost on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.

The original report notes that the first Red Dead Redemption has captivated millions of players since its 2010 debut and has persisted across several generations of hardware. Its presence on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2, however, has been unusual so far. Strictly speaking, the Rockstar western has only been playable on those systems via backward compatibility with last gen consoles, as no fully native editions have existed for each platform.

A recent step by Take-Two suggests that this situation is about to change, since the John Marston led game has now been registered for the latest PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo devices with the ESRB, the US age rating body. On the ESRB’s website, Red Dead Redemption is listed for PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S with an M (Mature, 17+) rating. The description flags blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, and drug use, and it also highlights the use of firearms and the game’s combat mechanics.

When a video game appears in an age rating database, it usually points toward an upcoming release. It is not a guarantee, but such listings are widely read as a precursor to official confirmation. The twist in this case is that, as mentioned earlier, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 owners can already play Red Dead Redemption through backward compatibility, and right now only PS5 delivers a 60 FPS experience. It seems entirely plausible that Rockstar is preparing native versions that squeeze more out of each machine’s technical capabilities, although for the moment, all we can do is wait for a clear, on-the-record announcement from the studio.

John Marston Is Reportedly Riding To Netflix And Mobile As Well

While the ESRB listing formally shows Red Dead Redemption registered for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2, one of Garrus’s recent posts on X adds another interesting detail. According to him, John Marston’s classic is also headed to Netflix, iOS, and Android. In his account, Rockstar notified him that a video he published to coincide with the game’s PC launch in 2024 had been monetized, and he decided to spell out why this is an issue: “In 2024, I made a video reacting to and giving my opinion on the PC release of Red Dead Redemption 1. It seems they’ve uploaded a very similar video in the background for enhanced versions on PS5, Series X, Switch 2, etc., and that video has been flagged for copyright infringement,” he explains, pointing to a possible reason why the Take-Two subsidiary has acted against his content.

In a twist of irony, most of the community’s speculation around new Red Dead projects had focused on a next-gen edition of the newer Red Dead Redemption 2, not on a renewed push for John Marston’s earlier journey. For now, everything suggests that Rockstar has no plans to share fresh information about the second game and will instead keep riding the wave of its long-term success. After all, Arthur Morgan’s story has already been confirmed as the fourth best-selling video game of all time.

In the meantime, it is the players themselves who are pushing Rockstar’s open world further with their own creations. A standout example is Red Dead Redemption 2: Nuevo Paraiso – The Forgotten Frontier, a huge fan project that aims to expand the original game by reintroducing Mexico. It is exactly the kind of mod that will tempt many fans to step back into Arthur Morgan’s boots and discover a new storyline on the fringes of the frontier.

Source: 3djuegos