Something interesting is happening with Red Dead Redemption 2 and the fans are the driving force. It’s trajectory is unlike any other game. I wanted to investigate it and share what the fans are currently being most vocal about. I’ve read a lot of comments from our readers which was one of the driving forces behind writing this.
Red Dead Redemption 2 might be over five years old and receives no new major content updates but there’s a growing fanbase begging Rockstar Games for one thing: a 60FPS mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. To some, it’s just a toggle in the settings. To others, it’s a just a toggle that gives a much better feeling when playing their beloved game.
The Red Dead fans are showing up
The catalyst of this article was the sheer amount of people who read the one I wrote covering the most recent Red Dead Redemption 2 update. In just a couple of days, that article became the most viewed page of all time on our website.
GTA Online and GTA VI are far more popular and current whereas Red Dead Redemption 2 stopped receiving major support from Rockstar Games. This has led to a decline in interest for Red Dead Online.
We’ve seen substantial growth in readers over the past few months (thank you). GTA VI certainly has helped along with GTA Online updates but that’s not all. One thing that I started to notice though was how well our Red Dead Redemption coverage would do even if the news was of less importance than say a GTA VI trailer.

Another example I can share is the patch Rockstar Games released in January. That article is in the top 10 most viewed pages in our history. It was a very small patch released to fix an issue many Red Dead Online players were facing.
The game was being crashed by cheaters and Rockstar addressed that exploit. Something to consider about our viewership is the game’s age. There are far less gaming sites covering Red Dead Redemption 2 as it has been over five years since launch.
The stable bug is one thing…
Whenever I’ve reported on a minor patch released for Red Dead 2, a lot of players complain the patch did not in contain a fix for the “Stable Bug/Glitch”. From comments on the articles to replies on our Tweets, Red Dead Online players were so frustrated by this problem. It had been in the game for a couple of years. Thankfully Rockstar finally fixed it in the most recent patch. This was a nice moment for the community but it also raised questions…more on that later.
There’s only one or two newsworthy Red Dead stories to cover each month compared to dozens for GTA. Since Rockstar Games ceased creating new content, all that happens in Red Dead Online is an an Event Month. Those posts don’t do as well for us compared to a patch for the game. A factor in that might just be the lack of interest in Event Months or Red Dead Online in general. It’s an online component which does not 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 attempted to get Rockstar’s attention a few years ago. Back in May 2022, our site took a look at the situation almost a year since the last major content update. Then a #SaveRedDeadOnline movement trended across social media. At the bare minimum, fans wanted Rockstar to give a statement and put them out of their misery.
Inevitably, Rockstar did issue a letter to fans confirming that was it for content updates. Their reasoning was developers have been shifting over to GTA 6. It is a monumental task what they’re 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 March’s update even more surprising. Aside from fixing the stable bug, it resolved a bunch more issues, updated the AMD FSR version to 2.2 and added support for HDR10+ GAMING. The fact these sort of inclusions were part of the patch but not 60FPS raised eyebrows. The replies to our Tweet and comments on the article were flooded with requests for 60FPS on console.
Why fans want a 60FPS mode so bad

Since 2020, over 75 million PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles have been sold. Whilst gamers have enjoyed titles made exclusively for current gen hardware, staples like GTA Online and Red Dead 2 get installed on the new console they pick up. It took a bit of time but Rockstar Games did re-release GTA V on current gen with a 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 just is more pleasant to play at the higher frame rate and makes for playing on current gen hardware more fun. The PS5 is more than capable. We’ve seen it.
Twitter user illusion0002 has been 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 would need to test the entire game to make sure running it like this on console does not cause any issues but still. Surely they could do it. They should as the game is selling well and people are playing on the PS5.
Rockstar aren’t the only ones who haven’t updated games still being enjoyed with a performance mode. However, plenty games have received such an option making them a must play on the current generation of consoles.
To rub salt in the wound, Red Dead Redemption’s 2023 re-release on PS4 received a patch that added a 60FPS toggle. As you’d expect, this patch’s main feature was met with a lot of requests for the same option in Red Dead 2.

The game continues to be highly successful
It isn’t like Rockstar Games need to add a 60FPS mode. The game is continuing 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. Even though it continues to do great, as a goodwill gesture to current players and even as a headline to bring in additional first time players, a frame rate boost 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. Players get a PS5 and turn to checking out Red Dead 2 that has PS4 Pro enhancements such as 4K and more. The game also was the most downloaded PS4 title in October last year too and has maintained a high ranking most months since.
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 ever concurrent player count on Steam. It hit 77,655 players at the same time. Over the course of about 12 months, the game broke its concurrent number several times.
It might be an older game but due to its incredible quality, new people are always discovering it. The popularity it has gained on Steam has seen it be one of the most played games on Steam Deck each month and even won five Steam awards last year.

As a Red Dead fan myself
Much like many others, I’m a huge appreciator of Red Dead Redemption 2. Personally, it is my favourite 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 PC. However, I was not going to wait for the inevitable PC port a year or so 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 I deem not nice to play. So, all of 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 playthrough on PC and it’ll look and play better but that does not solve the Red Dead Online problem or Xbox achievements I want to unlock. I’d return to Red Dead Online if I could play at 60FPS.
On top of that, Rockstar Games created a character transfer tool for GTA Online. This has allowed us to go from Xbox 360/PS3 to Xbox One/PS4 and PC. Plus now the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Yet this has not been possible for Red Dead Online. Except once.

With the closure of Google’s Stadia platform, Rockstar Games transferred players’ RDO data to PC, Xbox One or PS4. This was a great move from Rockstar as some fans had put in thousands of hours on their $60 purchase. The game was no longer playable once Stadia’s servers were turned off.
Not having the same sort of function available to all platforms is just one of the reasons why some Red Dead fans feel like they have been treated differently to GTA Online players. It’s a love/hate relationship.
Red Dead Redemption 2 60FPS mode forever to remain a dream?
Overall, we can tell there is still a lot of people playing Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first time or a replay on their PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It’s seriously impressive how a game is still selling and being re-downloaded so much over half a decade after it came out. There is a hunger from fans to keep enjoying this classic but with a smoother presentation.
It feels like a 60FPS mode in Red Dead 2 would have happened by now if Rockstar were going to do it. Unless some staff who’d work on this sort of feature get some time off GTA VI and can work on Red Dead 2? March’s update was a slither of hope to some.
Obviously if one day they do give fans what they’d like, we’ll be covering it right here at RockstarINTEL. As for anything Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online, stay tuned. Over the past few months our Red Dead News Twitter account has grew decently considering the franchise’s current status. Be sure to give us a follow here.
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