The Red Dead Redemption PC port isn't a GTA Trilogy-style disaster, it's now the best way to play the game

GamesActionThe Red Dead Redemption PC port isn’t a GTA Trilogy-style disaster, it’s now the best way to play the gameWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Rockstar)

A US marshal rides his horse while looking into the camera, a hogtied criminal slung across the horse�s back.

But as alternate universes go, this is a pretty good one. Don’t worry, folks, Rockstar hasn’t repeated the tragedy of theGTA Trilogy Definitive Edition. In the couple of hours I’ve spent with the game since launch—mostly on my PC, but a little on Steam Deck—this is easily the best way to play the classic.

(Image credit: Rockstar)

John Marston looks disconcertingly cheery.

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Or, you know, it’s GTA with horses. It really is a lot more GTA than its sequel, mind you. This is the Rockstar of 2010: It took a stab at weighty, emotional stories with 2008’s GTA 4, sure, but it was still a studio you associated more with ludicrous pastiche—San Andreas, Vice City—than serious attempts at capital-S Storytelling.

That’s one of the things that made RDR1 such a surprise; John Marston was an interesting, layered character in a morally complex setting. He was not Carl Johnson donning a jetpack and beating people to death with a dildo (although now it’s on PC, anything is possible with mods). But there is stillsomeof that: mad, off-the-wall characters who consist pretty much of one joke repeated ad nauseum, like your graverobbing ally Seth or pathetic race scientist Harold MacDougal.

(Image credit: Rockstar)

John Marston takes cover in a gunfight.

They’re characters who could slot neatly into the most outlandish GTA tale. That stuff’s still in the sequel in bits and pieces, sure, but it’s louder and more concentrated here. This is a rougher, less refined story than RDR2’s, but it’s still very much worth hearing.

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But enough about the story we likely all know already. How does the thingrun? The short answer is: like a dream. Rockstar and Double Eleven took a light touch with the game, in contrast to the disastrously thorough tinkering that Grove Street Games gave the GTA Trilogy for its Definitive Edition, and the result is a game that I imagine will run on pretty much any device you have to hand. Hell, this thing runs on Switch, which produces roughly as many teraflops as an early modern water wheel.

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But there are some pretty-fications. For one thing, there’s proper HDR now, which looked absolutely gorgeous as I roamed across the open plains around Armadillo. The sky turned such a luscious orange that, when I had to turn the setting off to take screenshots for this article, the game’s colours-as-they-looked-before seemed downright drab in comparison.

(Image credit: Rockstar)

Racing horses.

Plus, of course, the whole thing now runs at modern resolutions, avoiding the muddy, ugly experience we got with the pre-2.0 Metal Gear Solid Master Collection. John Marston is sharper than ever, spread luxuriously across every pixel of both my 4K TV and 1440p monitor. At whatever framerate he likes, too, because this is still fundamentally a game designed for the technology of 2010.

John Marston was an interesting, layered character in a morally complex setting. He was not Carl Johnson donning a jetpack and beating people to death with a dildo.

My only quibble, and it’s a real minor one, that I’ve run into so far? The DLSS. Not even the whole thing. 95% of the time, keeping DLSS frame generation (which is in itself a bit absurd to turn on for a game so old) active just makes the game run at even more obscene framerates, which is exactly what I want. But it does sometimes run into some issues with the UI, especially indoors.

(Image credit: Rockstar)

A deputy lounges against the wall of a jail cell.

As for the Steam Deck? Runs perfectly even at high settings, as far as I can see. I’ve only noodled about on my Deck for 10 minutes or so—maybe there’s some later mission or graphicalthingthat will trip Valve’s handheld up for some reason—but I feel pretty confident recommending it if you’re looking to pick it up for on-the-go howdy’ing.GTA Online might be busted on Deck, but who needs that when you have the classics?

(Image credit: Rockstar)

John Marston takes cover against an outhouse.

Jailbreak

So, yeah, RDR1 is finally free (properly this time) of console prison, and the best way to play it is now the best way to play pretty much anything else: on PC, which you’d certainly hope for givenhow much they’re charging for it. It’s great to see, although it does make me feel even grumpier about the still-very-much-lacklustre state of the GTA remasters. You’ve proved you can knock it out of the park with this one, Rockstar, fancy going back and making good onthoseneglected classics? Just remember to put Video Killed the Radio Star back in.

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Frontier spirit

The Lone High Dynamic Ranger

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Jailbreak