Everything We Know About the Red Dead Redemption Remaster

UPDATE (8/9/23): A re-release of Red Dead Redemption has been announced. It's being labeled as a "conversion" by Rockstar Games as opposed to a remaster or remake, meaning it will largely be similar to the version released in 2010. It will come to Nintendo Switch and PS4 (backward compatible with PS5) digitally on August 17th and cost $49.99. A physical version will release on October 13th. An Xbox version is not being produced as the backward compatible version is already very similar. This version of Red Dead Redemption will bundle the core game with the Undead Nightmare expansion along with other things that were featured in the Game of the Year Edition. Unfortunately, it will not include the game's multiplayer mode. You can view the original version of this article, when there were just rumors of this release, below.

A Red Dead Redemption remaster or remake is heavily rumored to be in the works, but it's been rumored for literally multiple years now. It's a bit hard to keep up with all the rumors and discern what's reputable and what's not, but we've done our best to round up what we can. In case you're somehow unfamiliar, Red Dead Redemption was released on Xbox 360 and PS3 in May 2010. It was immediately met with critical acclaim and commercial success with many praising the story, the character of John Marston, and Rockstar's ability to craft an immersive open-world worthy of standing tall next to Grand Theft Auto.

Its sequel, released in 2018, was a massive step up and helped move the genre forward in massive ways. It was so well-made that many immediately started hoping to see a remake/remaster of the first game using the mechanics and depth in the sequel. The game also never came to PC, so many hope a new version could make that happen. It seems like those people may get their wish as more and more signs seem to point to a Red Dead Redemption remaster or remake is on the way. So, let's take a look at all the evidence. 

Is Red Dead Redemption Getting a Remaster or Remake?

We don't have outright confirmation that a Red Dead Redemption remaster or remake is in the works, but it has been rumored for a number of years. Rumblings really began in 2018 and 2019, after the release of the sequel. Fans believed that the inclusion of the first game's map in the sequel suggested Rockstar had bigger plans. There wasn't really much to see or do in this region of the map and it only became properly available in the game's epilogue, so it felt like a lot of work for little payoff. The rumors of a remaster and remake at this point seemed like typical hearsay, but they persisted for quite a while. In 2021, we got what was arguably our first really reputable rumor of a Red Dead Redemption remaster.

Kotaku's Zack Zwiezen published a story in August 2021 stating that Rockstar Games was working a collection of remasters for the PS2 Grand Theft Auto trilogy. Buried in this story was also news that the developer had plans for more remasters, including one for Red Dead Redemption. These subsequent projects would, however, depend on the performance of the GTA trilogy. Obviously, half of this story came true as two months later, Rockstar formally announced the GTA trilogy and released it in November. It was pummeled by fans and critics alike due to it being incredibly buggy and feeling like a disservice to these classics. 

In April 2022, Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games announced that the pair were collaborating on remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. This may seem like nothing, but remember, the previous rumor noted that the GTA developer had plans to bring back old games from its library and getting Remedy to do it on its behalf certainly achieves that vision.

Unfortunately, in July 2022, reliable Rockstar Games insider Tez2 reported on Twitter that remasters of both Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption had been abandoned by Rockstar Games and it was believed to be due to the reception of the GTA trilogy. Zwiezen echoed this, but noted the project was shelved and not outright canceled. It was suggested that Rockstar was open to revisiting the idea of remasters after it shipped the next Grand Theft Auto, but at that moment, it was focused on moving forward and creating more distance with the past, in particular its errors with the GTA trilogy. After that, it was radio silent. Rockstar Games would go on to sunset Red Dead Online that same summer and confirm a focus on the development of the next Grand Theft Auto.

Flash forward to 2023, on a random night in June, it was revealed that Red Dead Redemption was rated by a Korean ratings board. A number of games have been leaked this way in the past as publishers must submit their games to this ratings board in order to be released in this territory. Given Red Dead Redemption has already been released in Korea, there'd be no reason to rate this game again... unless a new version was being released. Fans noticed that this new version seemed to have more gore as it wasn't mentioned in the original game's rating, but was mentioned in the new version's.

Zwiezen would go on to post a new article for Kotaku mentioning that he had heard Rockstar was aware of a high demand for a new version of Red Dead Redemption, but wasn't able to say whether or not the developer was actively working on a new version of the game.

Additionally, it was also recently noticed by Twitter user @videotechx that Red Dead Redemption had not appeared in any of the recent digital sales that featured other Rockstar games. Historically, the game had been featured in these sales and given it is one of the most popular Rockstar games, it was pretty suspicious. Is it coincidence? Maybe. It could also be that Rockstar doesn't want people to buy it as it plans to release a Red Dead Redemption remaster soon.

When's the Red Dead Redemption Remaster Release Date?

While the project hasn't been confirmed yet, Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has noted that it plans to re-release some titles in the near future. This is so vague that it could be anything, though. Take-Two owns 2K Games, Rockstar Games, and a number of other video game developers that could have their own remakes and remasters planned. On the other hand, ex-IGN editor and Last Stand Media host Colin Moriarty stated that he has seen confirmation that this Red Dead Redemption remaster does, in fact, exist and it could be revealed as soon as August. It also sounded like it would be released this year, which would make sense as the developer announced and released the GTA trilogy in quick succession.