Red Dead Redemption Free New-Gen Upgrade Excludes Major Console

The newly released Red Dead Redemption free new-gen upgrade is not available on one major console, kind of.

This week, the new-gen update for Red Dead Redemption, originally released in 2010, is available today on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. What’s more, this upgrade is free to everyone who purchased the 2023 re-release, well, almost everyone.

Red Dead Redemption takes place after the events of 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2, starring Arthur Morgan, a leading member of the infamous Dutch van der Linde gang. I know, that sounds a little confusing if you’re new to this beloved Rockstar Games series.

In Red Dead Redemption, you play as John Marston, taking place roughly 12 to 13 years after the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. Our beloved and complicated protagonist is attempting to live somewhat of a normal life with his wife, Abigail and his son, Jack.

As you might imagine, John’s attempts to live a normal family life don't go quite according to plan, especially when not only the law catches up with him, but so does Dutch van der Linde and his band of not-so-merry outlaws.

If you’re new to Red Dead Redemption, now is the perfect time to see what all the fuss is about with the new-gen update. If you are new, it’s currently discounted across all available platforms to £24.99.

This new version of Red Dead Redemption not only includes a super-crisp 4K resolution at 60 frames-per-second, but also the fantastic expansion, Undead Nightmare.

Not Everyone Gets the Free New-Gen Upgrade

If you already own the 2023 re-release, this upgrade is totally free. Unless you’re a specific Xbox gamer. So why can’t Xbox gamers claim the free new-gen upgrade, I hear you ask?

The problem is that the 2023 re-release only launched on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, then on PC the following year. Red Dead Redemption already had a backwards compatible version available to play and buy from the Xbox 360 version.

As such, seeing as Red Dead Redemption was already available to play on Xbox Series X/S, Rockstar Games felt no need to re-release it at that time, and with this new-gen upgrade being based on the re-release, this is why it's not possible to upgrade the Xbox 360 version.

“Red Dead Redemption free upgrade doesn't apply to the Xbox 360 version,” confirmed Reddit user Frequent_Health_8113, sharing an email from Rockstar Support.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, because the excluded free new-gen upgrade is for the physical Xbox 360 version of Red Dead Redemption. If you own the digital version, you will get the free upgrade.

“Current owners on PS4, Nintendo Switch, or the digital backwards compatible version on Xbox One will be able to upgrade digitally for free,” reads an update on the official Rockstar Games website.

Another silver lining is that if you purchased the digital Xbox 360 version of Red Dead Redemption, you’ll get this new-gen version of the game for an absolute steal.

That being said, arguably the biggest snag about the remastered version of Red Dead Redemption is that it doesn't include its fun multiplayer. I jumped into this multiplayer about a year ago on Xbox 360, and the lobbies were surprisingly active.

So it’s perhaps worth keeping that in mind.

The Red Dead Redemption new-gen upgrade is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. It’s also included with PS Plus Extra and Premium at no extra cost.