RED DEAD REDEMPTION PC REVIEW - HIGHWAY ROBBERY HAS NEVER LOOKED SO PRETTY
Fourteen years. That's how long PC players have waited to experience John Marston's legendary tale, and Rockstar's finally decided to grace us with their presence... for the low, low price of your firstborn child (or $50, whichever hurts more).
WELL LOOK WHO DECIDED TO SHOW UP
Like that ex who ghosted you and suddenly slides into your DMs a decade later, Red Dead Redemption has finally remembered PC players exist. And just like that ex, it's expecting you to act like nothing happened and pay full price for dinner. The audacity is almost impressive.
PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A 14-YEAR-OLD HORSE
Let's give credit where it's due - Double Eleven has done some solid work here. The game runs smoother than a con man's sales pitch, with support for 144hz, native 4K, and ultrawide monitors for those of you who like your westerns extra panoramic. DLSS, FSR, and HDR support mean this aging cowboy can still clean up nice when he wants to.
Performance-wise, it's like they actually gave a damn. No janky emulator nonsense here - just straight-up proper PC port work. Though let's be real, if they'd botched running a 14-year-old game on modern hardware, we'd be having a very different conversation.
THAT PRICE TAG THOUGH
Here's where things get more painful than a rattlesnake bite to the ass. Fifty. Freaking. Dollars. For a game that's old enough to be starting high school. Sure, you get Undead Nightmare thrown in, but that's like getting free fries with your $50 hamburger from 2010.
Don't get me wrong - this is still one of the greatest western games ever made. The story hits harder than moonshine, the atmosphere is thicker than thieves' honor, and shooting mechanics still feel better than half the stuff coming out today. But charging full 2024 prices for a straight port? That's the kind of move that makes loan sharks look reasonable.
OH, AND ONE MORE THING
Want to play offline on your Steam Deck? Better have an internet connection ready, partner, because Rockstar's launcher needs to verify you're not some kind of digital desperado. Nothing says "authentic western experience" quite like always-online DRM for a single-player game from 2010.
CONCLUSION
Red Dead Redemption on PC is like finding a perfectly preserved antique revolver - beautiful, still works great, absolute classic. But Rockstar's trying to sell it at modern gun prices while making you jump through hoops just to use it. The port itself? Chef's kiss. The price tag? More tragic than the game's ending.
If you've never played it before, this is absolutely the best version available... when it inevitably goes on sale. For returning players, maybe wait until the price matches the game's age. Or at least until it doesn't cost the same as a brand new release.
8.0/10 - An excellent port of a masterpiece, trapped behind a price tag that would make even Dutch's "one last score" look reasonable.