It’s only taken all of 14 years after it first appeared on game consoles but it’s nice to finally see a PC version of Red Dead Redemption (RDR) out for folks who have yet to fire up the much-heralded action game.
For quick recall, RDR is a third-person, open-world action adventure game set in the wild west during the early 20th century, where guns, horses and lawlessness rule the land. Developed by Rockstar Games of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) fame, RDR plays like GTA set in the wild west but with less silliness.
Released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, RDR has the look and feel of spaghetti Western movies. Despite the way the franchise is named, RDR follows the events that happened in RDR 2. In RDR, you play John Marston, an outlaw who was part of the van der Linde gang, and is coerced to persuade his former gang members to give themselves up.
After the disappointing PC port of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy, I was concerned that RDR might suffer a similar fate. Thankfully, RDR is a much better PC port and didn’t feel as drastically lacking as the remastered GTA trilogy.
Comparing a scene in town on the Xbox Series X (left) and the PC version (right). SCREENSHOTS: Yap Hui Bin
RDR for the PC supports modern graphics features, including Nvidia DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 3.0 upscaling technologies as well as Nvidia DLSS Frame Generation.
The game also supports native 4K resolution at up to 144Hz refresh rates on compatible hardware, while folks with ultrawide (21:9) and super-ultrawide (32:9) monitors can also enjoy the bigger view. This is good news for PC purists who have invested in a high-end gaming rig and monitor but never had a chance to play RDR.
To be honest, I was hard-pressed to see any obvious visual quality difference between RDR on my Xbox Series X and the PC.
That said, even with an Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics card that is rather long in the tooth, the shadows do look more dynamic and realistic, and the draw distance is much further, allowing for more details to be seen from far.
In other words, RDR for the PC is by no means a remaster, but more like a PC port that takes advantage of the newer technology offered by modern graphics cards and displays.
Retro rodeo
Despite the visual updates there’s no escaping that you’re playing a 14-year-old game. The dated user interface and rough-looking graphics on the menu remind you that this had come out more than a decade ago.
Playing the RDR PC version, I had to remind myself that it was out before the likes of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and GTA V, so for eyes that are spoiled by the beautiful graphics of today, it can be rather jarring.
Some quality-of-life features that we are used to in modern games are missing, and things we take for granted seem unnecessarily cumbersome. For instance, saving games and fast travelling requires setting up a campsite instead of simply hitting a button or selecting a point on the map.
Comparing a cutscene in the Xbox Series X (left) with the PC version on the (right). SCREENSHOTS: Yap Hui Bin
Despite its vintage feel, RDR is still great fun to play, with plenty to explore and lots of random encounters. For such an old game, RDR is astoundingly detailed and interactive, rivalling some modern games of today. For instance, the mist on John’s breath can be seen in the cold of the nights, and dust clouds can be seen when the wind picks up.
I particularly enjoy seeing how the animals and NPCs (non-playable characters) react to John’s antics. Horses will rear and stampede when firing a gun near them, while cows will run away and moo in fear. Fellow travellers and folks in town greet John while passing by, random campers invite John to share their campfire and some gossip, while others hurl insults at him.
RDR offers plenty of random encounters simply by walking around, even in the seemingly empty wilderness. There are often random bandits, those feigning helplessness to lure John into a trap, or strangers who genuinely need help. These can either boost or bring down John’s fame and honour scores depending on how you play them out.
RDR is still a blast to play and a true classic — definitely worth playing for those who haven’t had the chance to experience it. It offers some nostalgia for retro gamers who enjoy charming but dated games, and those who played the game on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and want to relive John Marston’s adventures on a modern PC.
RDR for the PC includes the DLC (downloadable content), Undead Nightmare, which adds a dash of supernatural, zombie-killing action to the game. It’s a pity that there is no multiplayer mode for the PC version, as this limits the game’s replayability after you are done with the main story campaign, side quests, DLC, challenges and treasure hunting.
Specs and decks
Apart from the ability to take advantage of the latest gaming hardware and displays on a modern gaming rig, another big advantage is that shooting is a lot more accurate using the keyboard and mouse rather than a controller. That said, I didn’t have any issues shooting or hunting using thumbsticks on a controller.
To get the most out of RDR for the PC, here are the recommended system requirements for playing on 1080p, 60 frames per second and High settings:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-8500/AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
- Memory: 8GB
- Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 2070 / AMD RX 5700 XT
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Storage: 12GB solid state drive
Since the specs are not too demanding, I fired up RDR on the Steam Deck to see how it runs. Apart from the inconvenience of having to log into Rockstar Games Services when launching the game, RDR plays perfectly well and looks great on the Steam Deck.
What’s more, cloud saves are enabled, which is great so I can just pick up from where I left off on the PC when I’m away from home with the Steam Deck.
TL;DR
If you are happy playing the Xbox or the PlayStation version, there really isn’t much incentive to get the PC version. The graphics look marginally better and you have more options in tweaking the display settings for your modern screens.
The lack of a multiplayer mode for the PC is also rather disappointing. Even with the inclusion of the Undead Nightmare expansion, the PC experience is purely limited to single-player campaigns.
If you have a top-of-the-line PC gaming rig or if you are a PC purist who has never played RDR before, or if you have a Steam Deck, do consider getting it.
I feel that the price is rather high at launch for such an old game, so if you have already waited 14 years, maybe you can hold your horses and wait for a sale. Otherwise, Red Dead Redemption for the PC is available on Steam and Epic for S$64.99.
