Rockstar’s controversial Red Dead Redemption port makes a huge upgrade

Red Dead Redemption’s port can achieve significantly higher resolution when played on a PS4 Pro or PS5, giving the controversial release one notable benefit.

The announcement of a Red Dead Redemption port for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch raised eyebrows when it was announced earlier this month.

While the 2010 game has long been stuck on old hardware, save for Xbox’s backwards compatibility, the prospect of paying $50 for a decade-old game with no meaningful enhancements rubbed fans the wrong way.

Now that the port is out, players are finding that there is one impressive improvement, though it’s certainly not going to be enough to turn any skeptics.

Red Dead Redemption port on PS4 Pro & PS5 can run in 4K

Rockstar noted in its press release for the Red Dead Redemption port’s release that, when running on the PS4 Pro or PS5, Red Dead Redemption can even achieve 4K resolution. In contrast, the game runs at 2160p on Series X.

After testing the ports, Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry found that Red Dead Redemption is visually better and more stable on PlayStation than it is on Xbox, even compared to the Series X. While it generally does look the same – this is a port and not a remaster, after all – things like shadows are higher quality and less messy.

As for the Nintendo Switch version, it runs at 1080p when docked, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the far less powerful hardware. All versions of the game run at 30fps.

Though this is good news for anyone who really wants to play the original Red Dead Redemption, it doesn’t really soften the blow of Rockstar’s $50 price point. The resolution is the only significant upgrade here, and it’s limited to those playing on PS4 Pro and PS5. Adding 4K and including the Undead Nightmare DLC is good, but it’s still a far cry from what the iconic game deserves.