Red Dead Redemption Port Finally Gets A 60 FPS Toggle For This Game Console

One of the greatest games of 2010, Red Dead Redemption was stuck on the 7th-generation game consoles until very recently, when the game was re-released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 consoles. The release was controversial for several reasons including its high price, but the biggest was likely that it has almost no improvements over the original versions, including retaining the 30 FPS cap of the 7th-gen releases.

Well at least on one platform, you can officially enjoy Red Dead Redemption in glorious 60 FPS now after downloading the game's 1.03 update. That platform would be the PlayStation 5. Sony's current-gen system didn't actually see a release for the game, but you can play the PS4 version of the title on the PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility. If you do so, you'll have the option below, which allows you to raise the framerate cap from 30 to 60 FPS.


It's pretty interesting that Rockstar released an update like this. Changes like this to a game when it's running under backward compatibility are pretty rare, although not completely novel; the original Shantae used a richer color palette when played on a Game Boy Advance instead of its native Game Boy Color platform. Would that SEGA would add such options to its Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis action RPG, since it's only available for 8th-gen systems with considerably pared-back visuals compared to the PC version.

Besides the 60 FPS mode, Red Dead Redemption 1.03 also adds the option to enable subtitles immediately when starting the game the first time. Normally, the title proceeds directly into the game's introduction, which has protagonist John Marston stepping off of a train into the town of Armadillo. There's a fair bit of very important story dialogue in the intro cutscene, so hearing-impaired players were just out of luck.


Unfortunately, the 60 FPS update hasn't come to the Nintendo Switch, and probably won't given the relatively-meager hardware in that system, but it's not impossible if Rockstar wanted to make it happen. Besides the 60 FPS toggle, the patch also brings along "general bug fixes and improvements," although exactly what those entail, Rockstar didn't elucidate.

Whether this change makes the Red Dead Redemption re-release worth the $50 US asking price is a matter of debate, and probably depends on whether you've already played it. If not, it's still a fun game, and the age of the title really doesn't reduce its value; aside from slightly worse visuals than current games, it still plays great.

However, the price is a slap in the face for players who've already conquered the title, especially considering that the re-release strips the original game's extremely-fun multiplayer mode. Frankly, if you want to play Red Dead Redemption, just go find a used copy for Xbox 360 and play your legally-purchased disc on Xenia Emulator.