Xbox Game Pass gets Red Dead Redemption 2 – but it's not all good news

Red Dead Redemption 2
(Image credit: Rockstar games)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is galloping onto Xbox Games Pass for console on May 7, Microsoft has announced.

Rockstar’s blockbuster released in 2018, and made its way to PC a year later – albeit with a couple of teething problems. It’s got an impressive reputation, winning an astonishing 175 Game of the Year awards and over 250 perfect scores. 

It’s pretty good, then, but what’s it all about? You play as Arthur Morgan, a rootin’ tootin’ cowboy who’s part of a gang of outlaws that are on the run. You’ll have to evade the clutches of federal agents, rob, steal and fight your way across an absolutely stunning recreation of Northern America in 1899. 

Even though Rockstar teamed up with PS4 for the marketing of Red Dead Redemption 2, the game actually plays best on Xbox One X, offering players a native 4K resolution at 30fps. The PS4 Pro, meanwhile, runs the game at 1920x2160 and uses a reconstruction technique to bring it up to a full 4K. What that basically means is the game looks a little softer on PS4 Pro and a touch sharper on Xbox One X.

Red Dead Redemption 2 has received a fully-featured photo mode since launch. You can also wrangle up some friends and access the shared living world of Red Dead Online, but prepare to be hog-tied at some point. 

If you’re eager to ride with Arthur Morgan, you can head to the Xbox Game Pass mobile app or Xbox One console and pre-download Red Dead Redemption 2. We’d recommend getting a headstart on the download, as it weighs in at well over 100GB. Once you're in, you can take out your frustration with one of the bevy of Red Dead Redemption 2 cheats.

On the same May 7 date, Rockstar’s other big hitter GTA V will sadly be leaving Xbox Games Pass for the console. But you can get a 20% discount on the game and all DLC (like Shark Cards) until it leaves the service.

Impeccable service

If you don’t subscribe to Game Pass already, you can sign up to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1/£1. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, plus over 100 console and PC games as part of your subscription. 

Xbox Game Pass also gives gamers access to every Microsoft first-party title as soon as they release, which includes top titles such as Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5 and the upcoming Halo Infinite.

Via Xbox Wire

Adam Vjestica

Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.