Rockstar Games has implemented price increases for both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 on digital storefronts in several regions without any official announcement. The price hikes specifically target the console versions on PlayStation and Xbox platforms in countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil.
In the UK, Red Dead Redemption 2 has increased from £54.99 to £59.99, while the original Red Dead Redemption jumped from £44.99 to £49.99. Similar increases have been observed in Australia and Brazil, though the timing of these changes has varied between platforms.
The price adjustments seem to follow a pattern of regional increases that started earlier. In February 2023, Red Dead Redemption 2 prices were increased on Steam in countries such as the Philippines, India, Ukraine, Indonesia, and Vietnam. For example, in India, the price jumped from ₹3,199 to ₹4,999, while Ukrainian players saw a dramatic increase from 899₴ to 2,599₴.
Interestingly, the timing for these changes hasn’t been consistent. In Brazil, PlayStation Network prices went up on April 10, while Xbox prices didn’t change until May 1. The PC versions on Steam and Epic Games Store haven’t been affected by this latest round of increases, which makes it look like Rockstar is keeping things console-specific for now.
Physical copies of the games come in way cheaper than their digital versions. Some players report finding Red Dead Redemption for £23 and Red Dead Redemption 2 for as little as £20 in shops—less than half the digital price.
What makes these increases stand out is that they’re happening years after the games’ original releases (2010 for RDR1 and 2018 for RDR2), and there isn’t any new content, updates, or improvements coming with the higher prices. Usually, game prices go down over time, so this move is definitely not what you’d expect in the gaming world.
Howdy partner, got some extra cash?
The decision to hike prices on older games with zero explanation matches up with a trend among big publishers to keep prices high on digital storefronts for much longer than they used to. People in the industry are speculating that this might be about currency exchange rates, perhaps Rockstar is betting on a spike in interest before the launch of GTA VI, or they could simply be gauging how much fans are willing to pay for classics that continue to sell.
Rockstar hasn’t said a word about why these changes happened, so players are just finding out about the extra cost when they go to buy or browse online. For anyone watching their wallet, the takeaway is pretty obvious—physical versions are the best deal out there for now when it comes to these western epics.
