Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC: Editions, Tips & System Requirements (2026)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an open-world western action game for PC from Rockstar Games, available on Steam, Epic Games, and the Rockstar Games Launcher.

You play Arthur Morgan, a senior member of the Van der Linde gang, as a robbery gone wrong forces the group to flee across the American frontier in 1899. Buying the game also unlocks Red Dead Online, Rockstar’s ongoing multiplayer mode set in the same world.

The world reacts to how you play more than most open-world games attempt. Your Honor level, built from small choices like greeting strangers or robbing them, changes how people treat you and even alters parts of the story. Skip a shave for a few days and Arthur grows a beard. Leave your horse out in the rain too long and it gets spooked and harder to control.

Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on console in 2018 and arrived on PC on November 5, 2019, with a Steam release following a month later. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, with mouse and keyboard as the default control scheme and partial controller support.

Already riding with the gang? Tell us your Honor level in the comments. Got questions before buying? Reach out to us directly.

What You Need to Know

• Steam, Epic Games, and the Rockstar Games Launcher all sell Red Dead Redemption 2 for the same $59.99. Buying the base game includes Red Dead Online too.
• The Ultimate Edition ($99.99) adds bonus outfits, exclusive horses, extra weapons, and cash bonuses. If you only care about Story Mode, the Standard edition has everything you need.
• You can also buy Red Dead Online on its own for $19.99 if you only want the multiplayer mode and have no interest in Story Mode.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is sold on Steam, Epic Games, and directly through the Rockstar Games Launcher, all at the same $59.99. Whichever store you buy through, the game still installs the Rockstar Games Launcher, since that handles your Rockstar account and Red Dead Online.

1. Step 1. Go to the Steam page or the Epic Games Store page and click Buy or Get.
2. Step 2. Sign in to your Steam or Epic account, or create one for free.
3. Step 3. Install the Rockstar Games Launcher when prompted, then sign in to or create a free Rockstar Games Social Club account. This step is required no matter which store you bought through.
4. Step 4. Wait for the 150GB download. This is a large install, so make sure you have the space free before you start.
5. Step 5. Launch the game once the download finishes and sit through the opening credits, they cannot be skipped the first time.
6. Step 6. Choose Story Mode to play as Arthur Morgan, or jump into Red Dead Online from the same main menu.

💡 Your PC is too weak? Cloud gaming is an option. Try Boosteroid.

Rockstar sells three separate purchases for Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC. Here is what each one actually includes.

Note: Rockstar previously sold a separate Special Edition, it has been discontinued and its content is now bundled into Ultimate Edition instead.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption, set eleven years earlier as the Van der Linde gang’s criminal empire starts to fall apart. You play Arthur Morgan, Dutch van der Linde’s loyal enforcer, collecting debts, robbing trains, and holding the gang together while federal agents and rival outlaws close in from every direction.

The open world is built to reward slowing down. Hunting, fishing, and simply riding across the map are treated as real activities, not filler between missions. Weather changes naturally, animals behave like animals instead of spawn points, and NPCs in towns remember how you have treated them. Dead Eye, the game’s aiming mechanic, lets you briefly slow time in a gunfight to tag multiple targets before firing.

The game runs on Rockstar’s RAGE engine, the same in-house engine behind Grand Theft Auto V. On PC, it supports NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR 2.0 upscaling (both boost frame rate by rendering at a lower resolution and sharpening the image back up), plus a dedicated Photo Mode for capturing screenshots mid-game.

🎮 Our Take

Red Dead Redemption 2 still holds up years after launch. Arthur Morgan’s arc and the slow collapse of the Van der Linde gang remain the benchmark other open-world games get compared against. The pacing is deliberately slow, long rides, long cutscenes, a tutorial that takes hours before you get full freedom, and that will frustrate players who want to be in control immediately. DLSS and FSR 2.0 support mean it still runs well on current hardware years after launch.

If you want a story-driven open world and have not played it yet, buy the Standard Edition, you lose nothing by skipping Ultimate. If Red Dead Online is your main draw, know going in that Rockstar has shifted its attention to GTA Online and GTA 6, and Red Dead Online now only gets seasonal events rather than major new content. If your PC cannot hit the minimum spec, Boosteroid lets you stream your copy instead.

The biggest reason to play Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC instead of console is mods. Nothing on PlayStation or Xbox comes close to what the community has built on Nexus Mods. Here are six of the most popular mods right now.

• Higher Framerates: Console versions cap out around 30 to 60fps depending on mode. A mid-range PC can push well past that.
• DLSS and FSR 2.0 Upscaling: Both technologies boost frame rate on supported graphics cards without a major hit to visual quality, an option consoles do not have.
• Mouse and Keyboard Precision: Dead Eye targeting and free-aim gunfights both feel sharper with a mouse than with a controller stick.
• A Growing Mod Scene: The six mods above are just a start, Nexus Mods hosts thousands more, covering everything from graphics to gameplay overhauls.

Red Dead Redemption 2 FAQ

• Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam Discussions
• r/RDR2 on Reddit
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Nexus Mods hub
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Update History on Steam