Red Dead Redemption 2, the highly anticipated prequel to Rockstar's last-gen hit Red Dead Redemption, is finally here.
This page features links to story mission as part of a Red Dead Redemption 2 walkthrough, as well as a list of our Red Dead Redemption 2 guides.
Still waiting for Red Dead Online beta? That's on the way, and will be based on the single-player game when it launches.
On this page:
Red Dead Redemption 2 walkthrough and gold medal mission checklists
Red Dead Redemption 2 has a slightly different structure to other Rockstar open-world games, with each chapter seeing the game's gang move camp from one location to the next.
But as with previous Rockstar Games, though the overarching story is linear, at multiple points you'll have a choice of missions to choose from. None will disappear, so pick the ones you want to play and get to the others when you fancy.
These missions are yellow circles with black initials in them, and not to be confused with any white dots (optional companion missions) and white patches (optional Stranger missions).
Each mission has a gold medal checklist - a list of objectives to complete in order to get the best possible score. You won't know it the first time you play, so our checklist below will explain what each of them are before you begin.
If you fail to get a Gold Medal or simply want to replay a mission, you can do so by going into your progress in the pause menu.
We also won't do a walkthrough for each mission either - only the ones with a some difficulty that might warrant it.
Chapter 1 mission checklists
Chapter 1 mission | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
Outlaws from the West | Take no damage during the shootout Loot 6 or more items from Adler Ranch Complete with at least 80% accuracy |
Enter, Pursued by a Memory | Kill all the wolves without taking any damage Complete with at least 80% accuracy |
Old Friends | Catch and hogtie Kieran within 45 seconds Kill 3 O'Driscolls in the same Dead Eye use Complete within 15 minutes 30 seconds Get 15 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
The Aftermath of Genesis | Kill each deer with one arrow Do not spook either deer Get a clean kill on the second deer |
Who the hell is Leviticus Cornwall? | Save Lenny when he is hanging from the train After stopping the train, take out the guards within 1 minute 30 seconds Take no damage during the shootout Get 10 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Eastwood Bound | Pick up Havier when entering Horseshoe Overlook Complete within 6 minutes |
Chapter 2 mission checklists
Chapter 2 mission | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
Polite Society, Valentine Style | Return the last wagon horse to its owner Find Karen within 45 seconds |
Americans at Rest | Save Javier within 15 seconds Defeat Tommy within 1 minute 30 seconds |
Paying a Social Call | Silently kill 4 O'Driscolls Get 12 headshots Complete with at least 80% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
A Quiet Time | Try to make amends with an old rival Catch Lenny in the act Don't get arrested |
Good, Honest, Snake Oil | Stop Benedict Allbright falling off the cliff Hogtie Allbright within 1 minute 15 seconds Return Allbright to the sheriff within 1 minute 30 seconds |
We Loved Once and True - III | Peacefully convince the Chelonians to let you take Jamie Return Jamie to Mary within 2 minutes |
Money Lending and Other Sins - III | Complete within 2 minutes 10 seconds |
Blessed Are The Meek? | While escaping, kill all mounted Lawman within 55 seconds Get 15 headshots Complete with at least 70% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Exit Pursued By a Bruised Ego | Track the bear within 1 minute 30 seconds Shoot the bear at least 6 times Complete with 12 minutes |
Who Is Not Without Sin | Win 2 hands of Poker Return Reverend to camp within 2 minutes 5 seconds |
The First Shall Be The Last | Silently kill the Bounty Hunters by the river with Javier Shoot the rope to free Sean Get 10 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
The Spines of America | Loot everything from Carmody Dell Don't get spoiled Deliver the wagon to Emerald Ranch within 1 minute 10 seconds |
Pouring Forth Oil - II | Deliver the wagon to the drop off within 1 minute 45 seconds |
A Fisher of Men | After arriving at the river, catch a fish within 1 minute 30 seconds Complete with 7 minutes 20 seconds |
Pouring Forth Oil - IV | Kill all the train guards before Sean fires a shot Clear the baggage car of loot Escape the Law within 1 minute 30 seconds Get 10 kills in Dead Eye Complete the mission without taking any health items |
The Sheep and the Goats | Herd all the sheep in the pen in Valentine Get 25 headshots Complete with at least 70% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
A Strange Kindness | Return the captive to his family within 1 minute 40 seconds Get 5 headshots Complete with at least 80% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
An American Pastoral Scene | Headshot each of the mounted guards protecting the wagon Get 10 kills in Dead Eye Complete within 6 minutes Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Chapter 3 mission checklists
Chapter 3 mission | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
The New South | Knock out Anders Anderson without taking a hit Catch and return Anders Anderson to jail within 5 minutes 30 seconds Catch a fish with Dutch and Hosea |
The Course of True Love - II | Reach Penelope without getting spotted Complete within 3 minutes |
The Course of True Love - III | Complete within 4 minutes 15 seconds |
American Distillation | Win the race back to camp Complete the mission without taking any damage Get 10 headshots Complete with at least 70% accuracy |
An Honest Mistake | Save Uncle when he is overpowered Get 20 headshots Complete with at least 80% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Further Questions of Female Suffrage | Fend off the Lemoyne Raiders in less than 1 minute Get 5 headshots Complete with at least 85% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Preaching Forgiveness As He Went | Kill 10 Lemoyne Raiders with a long scoped rifle Complete within 11 minutes and 30 seconds Complete with at least 70% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Sodom? Back to Gomorrah | Loot all the safes Headshot 5 mounted Lawmen during the horseback escape Get to Downes Ranch within 1 minute 55 seconds Complete with at least 70% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Advertising, The New American Art - II | Headshot 5 Lemoyne Raiders in the saloon Complete with at least 90% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Magicians for Sport | Inspect all the clues in Trelawny's Caravan While tracking, stay within 30 feet of Trelawny's trail Kill 2 Bounty Hunters in the cornfields within 1 minute Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Horse Flesh for Dinner | Kill the stable hand showing you the horses Catch the stallion within 10 seconds Get 5 headshots |
Friends in Very Low Places | Complete the mission without getting spotted Complete within 8 minutes 10 seconds |
The Fine Joys of Tabacco | Silently kill the Gray Sean distracts in the wagon store Douse the fields within 2 minutes 20 seconds Kill 5 Grays during the escape Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Blessed are the Peacemakers | Free yourself and perform self-surgery within 1 minute Recover your weapons from the O'Driscoll's camp Kill the O'Driscoll gang members that beat and shot you Escape the O'Driscoll's camp without being spotted |
A Short Walk in a Pretty Town | Kill 3 Lawmen in Dead Eye while saving Bill Complete using only sidearms Complete within 4 minutes 30 seconds Get 20 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern | Headshot Gareth and Gerald Braithwaite Get 20 headhots Complete with at least 85% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
The Battle of Shady Belle | Kill all the Lemoyne Raiders in Shady Belle Clear two bodies from Shady Belle within 1 minute 40 seconds Complete with 11 minutes |
Chapter 4 mission checklists
Chapter 4 mission | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
The Joys of Civilization | Catch the street urchin before he reaches the market Complete within 5 minutes 30 seconds |
Angelo Bronte, a Man of Honor | Encounter the dog and the drunk Don't get spotted by the law Complete within 10 minutes 40 seconds Get 4 headshots |
The Gilded Cage | While at the party, pour some drinks, compliment a guest's attire, accept a gift and save a life Follow the servant without being spotted |
No, No and Thrice, No | Kill both of the Foreman boys yourself during the chase Complete with at least 90% accuracy |
A Fine Night of Debauchery | Win the game of Power without Strauss's help After your cover is blown, escape the boat in under 35 seconds Get 5 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Horseman, Apocalypses | Hoot the O'Driscoll's in the boat before they disembark Complete using only sidearms Complete with at least 70% accuracy Get 15 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
American Fathers - II | Inflitrate the factory by hiding in the wagon Reach Danbury's office without being detected Kill all the horseback pursuers during the escape Complete with at least 80% accuracy |
Urban Pleasures | Rob all the customers in the trolley station Kill 10 lawmen while on the trolley Prevent any lawmen jumping on the back of the wagon Shoot the dynamite Lenny throws Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Country Pursuits | Return Jules to the skiff within 1 minte 40 seconds Shoot the Bullgator 5 times |
Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten | Search every room in Brone's mansion Carry Bronte to the skiff within 1 minute 30 seconds Get 20 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Banking, the Old American Art | Crack the safe without making any mistakes Complete only using firearms Get 25 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Help a Brother Out | Find the captives without threatening the store owner Complete within 2 minutes 45 seconds |
Brothers and Sisters, One and All | Find the kid within 19 seconds |
Fatherhood and Other Dreams - II | Catch the wagon and take it to the secluded spot within 1 minute 45 minutes Take Mary to the theater |
High and Low Finance | Complete within 5 minutes 45 seconds Don't take any damage during the escape |
Chapter 5 mission checklists
Chapter 5 mission | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
Welcome to the New World | Do not fall behind while walking with the chain gang Get 10 headshots |
A Kind and Benevolent Despot | Get Javier to safety in under 10 minutes Get 10 headshots |
Savagery Unleashed | Release all the workers within 4 seconds Complete within 5 minutes 40 seconds Get 8 headshots |
Hell Hath No Fury | Prevent 4 boats from reaching the shore Destroy the Naval ship without missing a shot Complete with at least 70% accuracy |
Paradise Mercifully Departed | Kill the first 2 sentries without being spotted Escort the captain to the boat within 1 minute 45 seconds Complete withion 6 minutes 45 seconds Get 25 headshots |
Dear Uncle Tacitus | Leave Shady Belle without being detected by the Pinkertons Complete within 8 minutes |
Fleeting Joy | Kill 2 Pinkertons during the Dead Eye ambush Get 5 headshots with the Gatling Gun Get at least 70% accuracy with the Gatling Gun Complete the mission without taking any health items |
That's Murfree Country | Deliver Meredith to her mother within 2 minutes Get 15 headshots Complete with at least 85% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
A Fork in the Road | Complete within 3 minutes 5 seconds |
Chapter 6 mission checklists
Chapter 6 mission | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
Icarus and Friends | Keep the balloon at the correct altitude for the entire journey Get 5 headshots from the balloon Complete with at least 70% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Visiting Hours | Get headshots on both Prison Guards when sniping from the tower Escape to the boat within 2 minutes 45 seconds Complete within 9 minutes Complete within 9 minutes Complete with at least 80% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Just a Social Call | Headshot 3 mounted enemies After killing Cornwall, reach the horses within 2 minutes 45 seconds Complete the mission without taking any health items |
A Rage Unleashed | Knock out 2 soldiers on the boat Round up the horses and reach shore within 1 minute 30 seconds |
Archelogy for Beginners | Recover the relics without being detected Recover the relics within 1 minute 30 seconds |
Honor, Amongst Thieves | Recover the vaccine without being detected Complete within 5 minutes |
The Fine Art of Conversation | Kill a pursuers horse during the escape Complete within 9 minutes 30 seconds Complete with at least 75% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
The Delights of Van Horn | Headshot 5 soldiers with a long scoped rifle Complete with at least 85% accuracy |
Goodbye, Dear Friend | Find Colm's back up within 45 seconds Get 8 headshots with a long scoped rifle Complete within 6 minutes 30 seconds |
Favored Sons | Kill the soldier on the cannon within 45 seconds Get 35 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
The Bridge to Nowhere | Plant the dynamite within 1 minute 35 seconds Escape the oncoming train within 19 seconds |
The King's Son | While infiltrating Fort Wallace, headshot every soldier blocking your way to Eagle Flies Kill 15 enemies while escaping in the canoe Complete with at least 80% accuracy |
Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow - II | Headshot the sniper in the barn Secure the barn without taking any damage Complete within 5 minutes 30 seconds |
My Last Boy | Save Paytah Get 30 headshots Complete with at least 80% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Our Best Selves | Get a headshot in Dead Eye after jumping from Dutch's Horse Complete within 11 minutes Fight through the train with at least 80% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Red Dead Redemption | Get 7 headshots while covering Sadie from the lighthouse After Sadie is captured, reach Abigail and Sadie within 1 minute Complete with at least 70% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Do Not Seek Absolution - I | Complete within 1 minute 20 seconds |
Do Not Seek Absolution - II | Find Edith Downs within 1 minute 10 seconds |
The Course of True Love - V | Headshot 5 of the Braithwaites as they pursue the train Complete within 7 minutes 30 seconds |
Epilogue - Part 1 mission checklists
Epilogue - Part 1 | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
The Wheel | Reach Pronghorn Ranch without dropping any supplies Reclaim the wagon within 1 minute |
Simple Pleasure | When milking, fill a bucket within 10 seconds Complete within 5 minutes 15 seconds |
Fatherhood, for Beginners | Tire Out Jeremiah within 45 seconds Feed Jeremiah a treat Teach Jack to ride without his horse bucking him off Win the race back to Pronghorn Ranch |
Farming, For Beginners | Fix the first section of fence in 1 minute 30 seconds Avoid being hit by the bull |
Old Habits | Defeat the Laramie without taking a hit Defeat the Laramie within 25 seconds |
Fatherhood, For Idiots | Kill all 3 enemies in Dead Eye After the confrontation, return to Pronghorn Ranch within 1 minute 30 seconds |
Jim Milton Rides, Again? | Get 10 kills while dual wielding sidearms Get 15 headshots Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Motherhood | Complete within 1 minute 30 seconds |
Home of the Gentry? | Complete within 2 minutes 30 seconds |
Gainful Employment | After arriving in Strawberry, locate the bounty within 30 seconds After mounting your horse, catch and hogtie the bounty within 1 minute 15 seconds |
Epilogue - Part 2 mission checklists
Epilogue - Part 2 | Gold medal checklist |
---|---|
Bare Knuckle Friendships | After arriving in Saint Denis, find Charles within 1 minute 50 seconds Kill all of Guido Martelli's men within 10 seconds |
Home Improvement for Beginners | Complete within 18 seconds |
An Honest Day's Labors | Kill all of Langton's men during the horseback escape After choosing your approach, escape with Shane Finley within 5 minutes Complete with at least 70% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
The Tool Box | Headshot all Skinner Brothers hiding up trees Find Mr Wayne within 2 minutes 15 seconds Complete using only sidearms Complete the mission without taking any health items |
A New Jerusalem | Hammer the nails in with 80% accuracy Complete within 3 minutes 35 seconds |
A Quick Favor for an Old Friend | Force Cortez's men to flee from Rhodes within 30 seconds Get 5 headshots while covering Sadie with a long scoped rifle Get 4 hip fire kills Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Uncle's Bad Day | Get 5 headshots using the bow After freeing Uncle, return to Beechers Hope within 3 minutes 10 seconds Complete with at least 80% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Trying Again | Catch a fish Complete within 5 minutes 20 seconds |
A Really Big Bastard | Shoot the bear 4 times as it charges Headshot both the rival bounty hunters in Dead Eye Complete within 7 minutes 15 seconds |
A New Future Imagined | Complete within 7 minutes 30 seconds |
American Venom | Help Sadie catch Cleet within 35 seconds Headshot the sniper who shoots Charles Complete with at least 85% accuracy Complete the mission without taking any health items |
Red Dead Redemption 2 guides
As well as the above in-progress walkthrough, here's other Red Dead Redemption 2 guides:
Side-quests:
Treasure Maps:
Collectables:
Upgrades:
System explainers:
And more:
Other things to know about Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out, and the above guides give you an idea of the many systems in place. But there are other things to know about, too, that don't quite fit into the above so easily:
Red Dead Redemption 2 map
Shortly ahead of release, the map for the game was leaked. Spoilers are below, if you're worried about that sort of thing - thanks to tomcruise_momshoes on reddit for putting the following together:
:: PS5 specs, confirmed details, possible PS5 games and more
Compare that to the original leak from 2016, which Eurogamer sources verified as accurate. The new areas are almost exactly the same, with one major difference being, at the time, less of the Red Dead Redemption 1 map was to be included.
Red Dead Redemption 2 PC version - is it coming?
Unfortunately for PC players, there's been no noise out of Rockstar so far with anything on a PC release. It's a strange one. Red Dead Redemption still hasn't released on PC itself - although you can play it there via PlayStation Now subscription - whilst Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar's most recent major title, released late on PC but to enormous commercial success.
The expectation - and hope - is that Rockstar will follow the GTA model, rather than the Red Dead model, for releasing on PC after the console versions have had a little time breath.
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Forgotten your details? Will we ever see Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC? Rockstar's open-world Western game Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on console to huge acclaim last October, with Red Dead Online now in beta alongside the epic-sized single-player campaign. So far, however, the game is only available on Xbox One and PS4.
While that's not exactly a restrictive release, committed PC players have been left twiddling their thumbs in the vague hope of a Red Dead Redemption 2 PC port coming down the line.
Players hungry for a high-spec or 4K experience can opt to play the game on the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, but there's nothing quite like a souped-up PC rig to bring out the finer details and see what Rockstar's game engine can really do.
So if you don't have a console from Sony or Microsoft, what are your prospects for getting Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC any time soon? We've run through all the latest rumors pointing to a PC release, and made our best guess as to when we'd expect it to land.
Will we see Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC?
Rumors kicked off in mid-October about a possible Red Dead Redemption 2 PC release, after the online retailer MediaMarkt listed a PC version of the game on its website, with a placeholder date of December 31, 2019. The listing has since been pulled, however.
Things heated up again after a LinkedIn profile for a Rockstar employee appeared to list credits as a programmer on the PC version of the game – though this, again, was amended after the media attention that attracted.
The firmest clues we have appeared when Rockstar released a mobile / tablet companion app alongside the new Red Dead game, mainly as a hub for viewing in-game stats, journal entries, and map locations (see image below).
Why No Red Dead Redemption For Pc
Some savvy or 'CommandIsPcVersion(void)'. You can see the full list on Rockstar Intel.
There's also a reference to 'Oculus', which can only really refer to VR capability for the game. Given the option to play the entire game in an immersive first-person perspective, virtual reality would be a natural fit – and Red Dead 2 VR would be most at home on a dedicated Oculus or PC-bound headset.
Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC: release date
So when could we see Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC? At this point Rockstar is unlikely to make an announcement anytime soon, as the studio seems to be focusing on Red Dead Online.
While 2010's Red Dead Redemption never came to PC, previous Rockstar games like GTA IV or GTA V both took around six months to make the jump to PC after their initial console launch. So that means we could be looking at an April/May 2019 launch date this time around.
Given the scale of the the open-world game, it's not wholly surprising for a PC port to follow a few months after – it takes a lot of work to get the game running on different systems. But the longer PC gamers have to wait, the less likely they are to maintain their anticipation.
(Image credits: Rockstar Games)
- Red Dead Redemption2 easter egg guide: where to find the best kept secrets
Bottom line: For those who have been living under a rock for the last week: a little game called Red Dead Redemption 2 has been getting a lot of attention. It’s a console exclusive, meaning some PS4 and Xbox One fans have relished the chance to get one over PC owners. But, like GTA V, could the best version of RDR2 be the one that arrives on our favorite platform?
2010’s Red Dead Redemption was also a brilliant game, and it too could only be enjoyed by PlayStation and Xbox owners—though it can now be played on PC using the PlayStation Now service. With GTA V holding the title of ‘best-selling game of all time’ in the US, and it proving especially popular on the PC, we expected Rockstar to announce that RDR2 wouldn’t have the same platform exclusivity as its predecessor, but so far there’s been no mention of it coming to PC. So, are we being denied what’s been called one of the best open-world games of all time? Or do we just need to be patient and wait for the inevitable?
Evidence of an in-development PC version arrived last June, when the LinkedIn profile of an unnamed Rockstar dev, who previously worked on GTA V and L.A. Noire, listed the PC as one of RDR2’s platforms.
But the strongest indication of a PC version was recently discovered by Rockstar Intel, which reports that the game’s companion app contains files that reference the PC and its graphical settings. There are mentions of temporal anti-aliasing, water reflection resolution, and shadow and particle quality, along with files that include the words “pcversion.”
Adobe photoshop 2.0 free download for windows. With such a massive market eager to snap up the game, it should be a matter of when, not if, RDR2 will move beyond consoles. It might be that Rockstar wants to squeeze everything it can from GTA online, which continues to make a fortune for the company, before bringing Red Dead 2 and its upcoming online component to the PC.
GTA V didn’t arrive on the PC until two years after its launch on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Hopefully, and more than likely, we won’t be waiting quite as long for Rockstar’s newest flagship product. But for the impatient among us, RDR2 is one of the best reasons to buy a console right now.
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Rockstar has kept us waiting when it comes to news on Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to PC. This feels familiar, after the long, year-plus wait for GTA 5. RDR2 has launched on consoles, and Red Dead Online has launched too—it's inarguably one of the defining games of its era, particularly in the creation of its world. If Red Dead Redemption 2 is destined to come to PC, we're probably going to hear about it in 2019.
There's no official news yet, but there are reasons to be hopeful about RDR2 coming to PC. Shortly after the game's console launch, the official companion app was apparently datamined, and it strongly points towards Red Dead Redemption 2's eventual release on PC, with suggested graphics options and more. This remains the best evidence yet that the game will arrive on PC—scroll down for more.
In this article, we sum up what we know about the evidence pointing towards the game's possible PC release, plus we explore Rockstar's background of staggering ports on PC to see if we can make an informed guess on when Red Dead Redemption 2 will arrive on our PCs (assuming it does).
The latest relevant news item on Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC came in May 2019, when it was mentioned on a Rockstar staff member's LinkedIn page.
A PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 is mentioned on a former physics programmer's LinkedIn page
As picked up by Reddit, a former physics programmer from Rockstar Toronto mentions a PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 on LinkedIn. Could it be an oversight, or a sign that a PC version exists already?
A fake rumor that Red Dead Redemption 2 would be announced in April was total nonsense
Earlier this year, a rumor started to circulate based on a 4Chan post that Red Dead Redemption 2 would be revealed on PC on April 22, with the game then releasing on PC on July 9. In addition to that, the post apparently said that it'll be an Epic Games Store exclusive. This same leaker also posted a day earlier to say that Super Mario Odyssey was being revealed for PC soon, too, so..yeah. It was a fake.
It doesn't mean Red Dead Redemption 2 won't come to PC, though. And given that games from both 2K (Borderlands 3) and Private Division (The Outer Worlds)—both owned by Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive—have exclusivity periods on the Epic Games Store, you can see why a fake leak might draw that link.
Red Dead Redemption 2's companion app datamine is still the best evidence we've seen of a PC version
A companion app that launched alongside Red Dead Redemption 2 apparently suggests that a PC version is in the works. As uncovered by Rockstar Intel, parameters in the app seemingly point towards PC graphics options, like anisotropic quality levels, TXAA, particle shadow quality, particle lighting quality, motion blur strength, grass quality, reflections, shadow distance and more. The most telling, though, is this line: 'CommandIsPcVersion(void) 000000000166A12C '.
Reference is also made to Oculus in the parameters, suggesting there might be some VR compatibility if the game comes to PC. Collectively, this is probably the strongest evidence yet that Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC. Fingers crossed we'll find out more about all this soon.
An alleged Red Dead Redemption 2 PC 'leak' with graphics options was posted to YouTube
An off-screen recording of what's allegedly Red Dead Redemption 2 running on PC and a graphics options menu was posted to YouTube, and discussed intensely on Reddit. It's since been deleted along with the original account by the user, but it was reuploaded shortly after—see above. The menu shows the option to adjust vsync, shader quality, texture quality, shadow quality, reflection quality and more. We've reached out to Rockstar to see if this RDR2 PC leak is real or not. Either way, it's not a bad effort—the fonts all look pretty correct. But some elements give away that it's probably not the real deal.
Where are the rest of the graphics options, for example? Why not show actual in-game footage? Why, when the resolution changes, isn't there a menu suggesting Where's GTA 5's video memory bar? There's the option for FXAA in the menu, but the companion app data dump below suggests TXAA will be one of the anti-aliasing options, while the console version's default is TAA—so it doesn't quite line up.
Almost a month later, it hasn't been taken down, and some outlets have noted the build number is of the day one version of the console game—so we're pretty certain it's a fake. That doesn't mean Red Dead Redemption 2 won't come to PC in 2019, though—read below for the best evidence suggesting its existence so far.
Take-Two is asked about Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to PC, but won't commit to anything
During an investor call in early November, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick was asked about the chances of Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to PC. The answer was a little disappointing, but predictable. 'In terms of ongoing releases, Rockstar will talk about what their intentions are going forward with regard to all upcoming products and that the same would hold true for platform. So, in this particular instance, I can't really give you too much clarity, apologies.' That means the app datamine leak below remains the best evidence RDR2 is coming to PC.
If Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC, then, we can be certain the news will come from Rockstar itself.
Red Dead Redemption 2 PC briefly appeared on LinkedIn, and a listing appeared on a retailer site
An anonymous Rockstar employee's LinkedIn profile used to list Red Dead Redemption 2 as coming to PC (via VG247), before it was changed. Before the leak above, this was the closest thing to a smoking gun on Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to PC so far. Then again, it could just be an error.
When asked about the possibility of Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to PC last year, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick only had this to say. 'Any updates about any of our titles will come from our labels.'
Elsewhere on the rumor front, a listing appeared for a PC version of the game on the Dutch retailer Media Markt. It was later revealed, though, that it's just a placeholder. It's hard not to admire their optimism.
Here's the Red Dead Redemption 2 launch trailer, but there's no sign of a PC version yet
It's Spring 2019 and there's still no news on Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC. Check out the console's launch trailer above, and imagine the game running on your lovely rig.
Meanwhile, below you can check out 4 minutes of Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay, if you've somehow not seen it in action yet:
Here's how long it usually takes Rockstar games to come to PC
- GTA 4 took about seven months to make the jump to PC.
- LA Noire took about six months to arrive on PC.
- Max Payne 3 launched just two weeks after console versions in 2012, but then it's fair to say this was historically considered a PC series.
- GTA 5 arrived 17 months after the PS3/Xbox 360 versions, and five months after the more comparable Xbox One and PS4 versions. It was originally meant to launch about three months earlier, however, in January 2015, and was originally announced alongside the 2014 console versions at E3 2014.
- LA Noire took about six months to arrive on PC.
- Max Payne 3 launched just two weeks after console versions in 2012, but then it's fair to say this was historically considered a PC series.
- GTA 5 arrived 17 months after the PS3/Xbox 360 versions, and five months after the more comparable Xbox One and PS4 versions. It was originally meant to launch about three months earlier, however, in January 2015, and was originally announced alongside the 2014 console versions at E3 2014.
If we were to make an informed guess on when Red Dead Redemption 2 does come to PC, then, history tells us it'll probably be a wait of about five-to-seven months. That would be a release date of summer 2019. Dare we hope? It's nearly summer 2019 already, though, and we've still heard nothing more about it—so maybe the wait will be a little longer this time.
A decision on whether to bring Red Dead Redemption 2 to PC has probably already been made. When we spoke to Rockstar North about GTA 5's PC release back in 2015, they said they planned for it from day one. 'We were always going to bring GTA 5 to PC.'
Why did Red Dead Redemption never come to PC?
Red Dead Redemption never came to PC after its original release in 2010, and Rockstar answered (vaguely) as to why that was the case back in 2011. 'All we can say is that whenever it is viable (technically, developmentally and business-wise) for us to release a game for PC (or any other particular platform)—we will and we usually do; unfortunately, that is just not the case 100% of the time for all platforms.' That was a long time ago, though, and even at the time the company was bringing LA Noire, GTA and Max Payne 3 to PC.
You have to go back 10 years to find another major Rockstar console game that skipped PC (Midnight Club: Los Angeles).
GTA 5 sold a bucketload on PC, so it's unlikely Red Dead Redemption 2 would skip our platform
GTA 5 has sold over 90 million copies in total, which is an incredible feat. On Steam, it's sold 12,604,123 copies according to recent data released about player counts on Valve's platform. This doesn't include copies sold in physical form or through third-party resellers, however, where the game redeems through Rockstar Social Club, so the actual player count is likely to be a fair bit higher than that. This makes a pretty good case for Red Dead Redemption 2 to come to PC.
There is an entirely legal way to play the original Red Dead Redemption on PC
Strangely, in lieu of a proper PC release for 2010's Red Dead Redemption, you can stream it through Sony's PlayStation Now service. It's no substitute for having the game in your Steam library, of course, but it's an option if you decided not to drop several hundred pounds on a console eight years ago. It's arguably Rockstar's second or third best game ever after RDR2 and GTA 5, and still holds up pretty well.
We’ve had another tantalizing hint that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be coming to the PC after some enterprising soul rifled through the guts of the game’s companion app and found references to a PC version.
Rockstar Intel highlighted this particular bit of detective work, peeking inside the files of the Red Dead Redemption 2 companion app and spotting several references to a PC version and related settings. These include the following bits of technical jargon:
- PARAM_companionAutoConnectIpPC
- PARAM_Oculus
- CommandIsPcVersion(void) 000000000166A12C
So yes, there’s also a mention of Oculus in here, pointing towards potential VR excitement. Various other references to graphics details that could pertain to a PC port are also abound.
Of course, we’d be foolish to jump to conclusions based on a few mentions of PC here and there in the app. And, it’s true that in places there are other references to a PC version of the companion app for desktop computers, for example a mention of a sign-in for the ‘PC_app’.
Which could mean that all these references simply point to a PC version of the companion app, rather than an actual full-blown port of the game for the platform. Although equally, it could be the case that both of the above are in the pipeline.
Hopeful hints
We can but remain hopeful for a PC incarnation of Red Dead Redemption 2, and we’ve certainly seen a number of hints that it is indeed in the cards – from the LinkedIn profile of a programmer who previously worked at Rockstar showing that he’d been working on a PC port of the game, to a leaked retail listing suggesting a 2019 launch.
So, Rockstar might move faster than it did with Grand Theft Auto V, which eventually came to the PC after its console release.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One just a few short days ago, on October 26.
Via PC Gamer