Red Dead Redemption 2 new-gen remaster could skip a major feature

Red Dead Redemption 2’s rumoured next-gen remaster is set to skip a major feature, if recent reports are to be believed.

Last week, we reported that Rockstar Games had seemingly leaked the existence of a potential next-gen refresh of Red Dead Redemption 2, presumably for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, or Nintendo Switch 2.

We’re not sure what exactly the remaster could feature, but I’d assume better graphics, higher framerates and resolutions, and some additional content to entice players to switch over.

The prospect of playing the game in 60fps on console alone should be enough for a lot of fans though. As someone who played it on PS4 when it came out, then later switched to PC, the difference is night and day.

Another feature fans may be hoping for is the inclusion of Ray Tracing, which decks out the game’s lighting and reflections to make everything appear more natural and realistic.

The original release did not have this, as it was made for hardware that didn't support these features.

Tech experts Digital Foundry have weighed in on the discussion, reckoning that Ray Tracing may not be possible for a Red Dead Redemption 2 remaster.

“It’s easier said than done for a lot of reasons,” says Digital Foundry’s Alexander Battaglia. “The differences we saw between Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 5 were monstrous. Like, it was so much better in every aspect. The entire rendering paradigm changed between the years of that game releasing and Red Dead Redemption 2 coming out."

They continued, “So I think if they did add it, it would be a bigger scope challenge than what we saw. Just the world diversity in terms of so much more vegetation, something that isn't so much of an issue in GTA 5's most areas of that game. But also the visual return would be different.”

Honestly, considering how beautiful Red Dead Redemption 2 looks on a PS4, I don’t necessarily need to see Ray Tracing in this game.

It already feels like we’ve hit the peak of how realistic and authentic the game can look, and the extra work to bring Ray Tracing to it would probably give minimal returns.