Red Dead Redemption just got a major upgrade

The Red Dead Redemption port might not have been well-received news, but despite its faults, there’s no ignoring that the game has experienced a substantial upgrade since it first released 13 years ago.

To say anything positive about the this game doesn’t just feel divisive, it feels like screaming your location to an angry mob. Before the port launched, fans were upset over its cost, which is currently set at $49.99 (though we’ve been assured it’s “commercially accurate”). However, now the game is out there fans are furious, arguably more so than they’ve ever been, because, in their opinion, they deserve nothing short of perfection.

Yeehaw! See RDR on Switch to whet your appetites

I, for one, am disappointed that this release isn’t the remaster we’d all been hoping for – after months of rumours, to see a version that Xbox players have essentially had access to for some time now, it cuts deep. Still, while it’s a wound that isn’t ready to heal yet, there are positives about the port that are undeniable. Primarily, image quality.

According to Eurogamer, the quality across the compatible PS consoles offers a “much more stable image” for RDR. Gamers won’t see fine details like they’ve enjoyed in Baldur’s Gate 3, or like we’ve seen during the countdown to Starfield, but “fine geometric elements and foliage seem sharp and solid.” This is reportedly in stark contrast to Xbox X, which, while the better of the two Series options, delivers “unstable resolve with obvious jagged edges”.

I’m currently playing the Switch version, and while it’s still early days for my second time around as John Marston, there are visual improvements to be found. That being said, the Switch isn’t nearly as powerful as the Xbox and PS, meaning it does struggle along in comparison.

If we keep this as a “battle” between the two big names in current-gen consoles, the differences in details are small, almost insignificant. Visually, there’s a lot more on offer than some might have anticipated, especially when looking at the higher resolution of shadow-maps for the PS port. Nonetheless, while major aesthetic upgrades have been attempted, what we’re given still falls short of what we’d hoped for.

You can download and play the Red Dead Redemption port on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox now.