Fans of Red Dead Redemption 2 know all too well the level of detail Rockstar Games has woven into its cowboy-western sequel. Compared to its predecessor Red Dead Redemption, and other open world Rockstar titles such as the Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead Redemption 2 comes out on top with its awe-inspiring backdrops and incredibly attentive detailing.
This level of detail is not limited to ground level. Rockstar’s attempt at replicating a twentieth-century western world in the wilds of America also extends to the stars, displaying a realistic star map of the Northern hemisphere that rotates with the night. Rockstar sure has come a long way from the ridiculously over-sized static moons of early GTA titles, which filled almost a quarter of the night sky.
The Night Sky in Early GTA Titles
The early 2000s Grand Theft Auto titles were far from the realistic environments of modern Rockstar games. Plastered across the stratosphere in garish fashion, the early GTA moon was something fans grew to love, despite its inability to progress through the phases of a natural lunar cycle. Instead, it would fade in and out of view, always fixed to the same position. A beloved gimmick was that if a player used a sniper rifle to shoot at the moon, the size would increase. After shooting multiple times, the moon would then decrease, resembling a more accurate size.
The Night Sky in GTA 5
Evolving from the earlier installments, Grand Theft Auto 5 introduced an improved moon that has enough detail to describe it as realistic. This upgraded moon also follows the natural lunar cycle that was absent from previous games, rewarding players with atmospheric shots of a waning crescent moon fading into a back-drop of midnight blue. Rockstar also added light pollution to the environment of GTA 5, making stars more visible to players once they head out of Los Santos and venture into the hills of Blaine County. Light pollution wasn’t as much of a problem during the cowboy era, however there is still a touch of it in Red Dead Redemption 2’s Saint Denis.
The Night Sky in Red Dead Redemption
The original Red Dead Redemption, released in 2010, showed improvement in its night sky from the early Grand Theft Auto titles. With a similar sized moon to the one found in GTA 5 with a sporadic dusting of faint stars, Rockstar does create a lonesome atmosphere that can be felt by its players, encompassed by a cacophony of background crickets. However, compared to its successor, RDR1 barely scratches the surface on how realistic an open night sky can be.
Most Red Dead Redemption 2 fans have looked up at the night sky during gameplay and admired the beautiful detail of it. Throughout New Austin, Ambarino, and other regions across the map, Rockstar includes shots of the milky way and real star constellations that appear in the night sky throughout the Northern hemisphere. An easily identifiable one is Orion’s belt, marking an elongated cross with five bright stars that sits low to the horizon. The sky in RDR2 also rotates, following the diurnal motion of star constellations as they slowly edge across the sky in real life.
As previously mentioned, light pollution does have a role to play in how well players can see details of the night sky. Around the city of Saint Denis, as well as the air being smoggier than other areas of the map, the stars are less defined, and the milky way is difficult to see. Moonlight also drowns out the shine of surrounding stars, as it changes through the eight lunar phases introduced by Rockstar in GTA 5.
Rockstar has achieved a greater level of realism with each new title released, with Red Dead Redemption 2 taking the reins. Players really can get a feel of what it was like to wander about a vast wilderness under clear mountain stars, listening to the distant howling of wolves. It is interesting to see how Rockstar’s approach to night sky detail has changed so drastically over the years, and fans can be sure to expect something equally impressive in future titles.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.