Red Dead Redemption 2 players are still coping with the sudden announcement that Rockstar is winding down Red Dead Online's development, shifting resources to the next Grand Theft Auto game. It was always an inevitable conclusion given Red Dead Redemption 2's relative demure popularity next to Grand Theft Auto, but the news stung nonetheless. Unfortunately, there's more disappointing news to share, as one Rockstar insider is reporting that Red Dead Redemption 2's long-awaited PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports have been put on ice.

Rockstar reporter Tez2 recently shared that he'd heard that PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports of Red Dead Redemption 2 are no longer coming. Further, he says that the ports were in development, but have now been canceled/halted. Tez2 doesn't provide any further information about the Red Dead Redemption 2 ports, so it's unclear if they were canceled due to shifting resources toward Grand Theft Auto or if something else was at issue.

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To be clear, Rockstar has never officially announced that it was working on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S ports of Red Dead Redemption 2. It was only assumed by fans, given that Rockstar was routinely late with ports to new platforms of its games. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a very popular game, after all, even if it isn't as big as Grand Theft Auto. It makes perfect sense to port it to next-gen platforms. Rockstar may no longer agree, however.

Perhaps the issue is that Red Dead Redemption 2's PC port didn't perform as well as Rockstar hoped, or perhaps Red Dead Online's player base has shrunk significantly over the past year or two. Another explanation would be that Grand Theft Auto 6's development isn't progressing as smoothly as Rockstar wants, thus demanding more resources. Odds are it isn't just a matter of Rockstar not wanting to do it.

The veracity of Tez2's Red Dead Redemption 2 claim is questionable, however, to say the least. Just four days ago, Tez2 replied to someone on Twitter asking if PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports of Red Dead Redemption 2 were still in development. One would think they'd have provided the same answers, but that's not the case. Tez2 said at the time that "a RDR2 update for PS5 & XSX is planned at some point down the road." In other words, Tez2 appears to have contradicted himself just days ago.

It's certainly possible, and eminently believable, that Rockstar has canceled all plans for Red Dead Redemption 2 to be ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's also possible that Rockstar never seriously planned to deliver the ports in the first place. In the end, all that matters is Red Dead Redemption 2 players are in the same position they were before, lowering their expectations of Rockstar as has become routine.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.

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