Red Dead Redemption Next-Gen Upgrade Set To Be Huge Downgrade On Xbox

An upcoming Red Dead Redemption update is set to bring better graphics and performance to next-gen consoles, though not all is as it seems to be.

In case you missed the news, Rockstar Games is bringing a free Red Dead Redemption next-gen upgrade to all PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One owners.

The 2023 remaster of the game was criticised at the time for not launching on current-gen consoles, instead only launching on PS4 and Nintendo Switch while skipping Xbox altogether.

Instead, Xbox players had to play the Xbox 360 version via backwards compatibility, while PS5 users would have to play the PS4 version.

That’s all changed now, with native PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 versions of Red Dead Redemption launching on 2nd December, 2025. There’s even a mobile version coming to iOS and Android.

However, there does remain a small caveat that may bother you if you’re an Xbox player, as the upcoming Xbox Series X/S version does come with a rather massive change.

Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption on Xbox Series X/S won't have multiplayer

It appears that the new Xbox Series X/S version of Red Dead Redemption is the same port as the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC versions which have all launched in the last two years.

This means that players who decide to convert from the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility version will lose access to multiplayer, which is a feature the original Red Dead Redemption had but was removed from the remaster.

This was likely done so Rockstar would not divide the playerbase between Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Online, the multiplayer component of Red Dead Redemption 2.

This was another criticism when the remaster first launched for PlayStation and Nintendo players in 2023, as Red Dead Redemption’s original multiplayer modes were quite popular at the time.

It’s not an isolated incident though, as there seems to be a trend of modern video game remasters and remakes completely dropping multiplayer components in favour of the single-player story modes.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, The Last of Us: Part 1, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, various Assassin’s Creed remasters, plus the upcoming Halo: Campaign Evolved are some examples of remasters or remakes where the multiplayer modes have been removed from the content on offer.

So, if you’re a Red Dead Redemption fan who plays on Xbox Series X/S, you may still want to hold onto that Xbox 360 copy if you enjoy the multiplayer.