50 million is no small sum. If the game was worth $1 dollarydoo (and it's not), in today's climate versus 1899 when it was set, 50 million would be $1,787,933,734.94.

Just some fun maths to amplify the news. Not that it needs it, because one of the most heralded games of this generation has cemented itself now as a true staple of success, longevity and what it means to be indelible.

Revealed in Take-Two's quarterly earnings report, Rockstar's open-world sequel to the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption is now one of the best performing titles within the Take-Two fold, though 50 million is a far cry from the some 175 million copies of GTA V that have been sold, as reported in the same earnings report.

In our own review of Red Dead Redemption 2 we wrote:

Watching either a sunrise or sunset over Flat Iron Lake -- never the same hue twice -- or a flash storm off in the distance with lightning strikes, delayed rolling thunder and unfurling clouds of torrential rain engulfing the Heavens above, is something you’ve simply never seen in games -- I guarantee it. And all of this shapes the mood of everything you’re doing at any given moment, and it’s accompanied by arguably the best soundtrack to grace a videogame ever. This is no longer Ennio Morricone-esque, this is now pure Red Dead Redemption -- a symphony of banjos, violins, harmonicas, guitars, drums and more not trying to emulate the Spaghetti Western. A soundtrack that dynamically works to fill the player with mood and purpose, to relay a sense of romanticised proprietary.

Currently there are no plans or details on any further development for the single-player portion of Red Dead Redemption 2, something this journalist is sad about. But Red Dead Online continues to exist alongside its much more popular cousin, GTA Online, and so hopes of the series enjoying more development into the future remain strong.

(Source.)

Red Dead Redemption 2 made its way to PC back in 2019 (our full review), bringing one of the most impressive and detailed Rockstar game worlds to the platform for the very first time. As with anything Rockstar it has legs, from Red Dead Online updates to the recent NVIDIA DLSS implementation. In terms of mods though things have been a little light, but one fan has begun to put together a detailed map editor that certainly looks promising.

Assuming of course it remains online and isn't issued a take-down warning or some such -- you can grab it here.



As per the video above it's pretty powerful and as per its creator Lambda it allows for the creation of "new maps, game modes or anything you like". In addition to placing objects entire maps can be imported in addition to scripting inside the editor itself - so no need to compiling code.

Take-Two has been known to, well, take-down GTA mods in the past -- especially when they deal in proper editing so time will tell if this sticks around for long. That said, a readily available tool like this would no doubt pave the way for more in the way of Red Dead Redemption 2 mods and maps -- of which there are already quite a few out there via Nexus Mods.

Using the raytracing Reshade mod and various other lighting tweaks this look at Red Dead Redemption 2 running on PC in 8K (with NVIDIA DLSS on an RTX 3090) is certainly something. Ray-traced screens-space global illumination to add a natural and often warm look to the lighting is what's happening, with the results being stunning vistas and some incredible night scenes.

Especially the one at the 7 and a half minute mark that shows a nighttime stroll bolstered by moody bloom effects and the warm glow of street lamps. Check it out.



This video comes from Digital Dreams who recently gave the ray-tracing Reshade treamtment to Skyrim. Of course, no matter the platform Red Dead Redemption 2 looks incredible - on PC it's still one of the most beautiful games no matter the lighting mods or tweaks. That said some of the outdoor shots of wide-open plains here look damn near photo-real.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most visually impressive games you can fire up on PC, and with that it's also one of the most taxing when it comes to pushing the detail settings and resolution. Enter NVIDIA DLSS, the impressive AI-based rendering that improves performance whilst maintaining that visual quality.

Here's a look at it in action.



As per the chart below, anyone with an RTX card can enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K. With all cards from RTX 2060 and above able to hit 60fps at 1080p.

The DLSS update arrives in time for Red Dead Online’s Blood Money update - which you can read about here.

And finally, on the DLSS front NVIDIA notes "we’ve got many more implementations waiting in the wings to be announced and released in the coming weeks and months". Very cool.

When it was announced that Red Dead Redemption 2, and Red Dead Online, was set to get NVIDIA DLSS support the question was... when? Well, the answer is next week on July 13 alongside the arrival of the Red Dead Online: Blood Money update. Which is all about high-stakes robbery played solo or as a part of a Posse.

And in keeping with the tone of Red Dead, it looks impressive



Starting off in the city of Saint Denis a new mission type called Crimes will be introduced, which then lead into Opportunities. According to Rockstar,

Crimes will range from cloak-and-dagger coach holdups to multi-stage robberies — including kidnapping, brutal debt collections, and more.

Embark on Crimes either as a lone gun or with a full Posse of cutthroats alongside you. During each outing, keep a keen wit and search high and low for signs of Capitale to return to Guido Martelli — including from hidden chests or on the remains of those who’ve crossed your path. As you traverse the plains in Free Roam, you may hear of unlocked Homesteads and vulnerable Camps, ripe for the picking and begging to be relieved of a Capitale stash.

Accumulating enough Capitale for Guido Martelli will reveal Opportunities. These are dispatched by Martelli in a scheme to stifle a rising Lemoyne senator who is disrupting Bronte operations throughout the region. Each Opportunity can reveal various approaches to the task at hand — listen into nearby conversations or look out for important targets to uncover new paths to completion and weaken this politician’s position by bringing each of the three Jewels of the West to Martelli.

And now with added DLSS support those with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX card will benefit from improved performance without sacrificing visual quality. With Red Dead Redemption 2 being one of the most visually impressive games out there, this is great news for those looking to play at 60-fps with those detail settings cranked -- even on an GeForce RTX 2060.

As voted by players, Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption II won the 2020 Game of the Year award edging out DOOM Eternal, Hades, Fall Guys, and Death Stranding. Making its Steam debut in December 2019 the Western epic was eligible for 2020 Steam Awards where it also won the 'Outstanding Story-Rich' award.



Here's the full list -- with the 2020 Steam Awards winners in bold.

Game of the Year

---

DEATH STRANDING
DOOM Eternal
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Hades
Red Dead Redemption 2

VR Game of the Year

---

Half-Life: Alyx
Phasmophobia
The Room VR: A Dark Matter
Thief Simulator VR
STAR WARS Squadrons

Labor Of Love

---

Among Us
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
No Man's Sky
Terraria
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Better With Friends

---

Borderlands 3
Deep Rock Galactic
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Risk of Rain 2
Sea of Thieves

Most Innovative Gameplay

---

Control
DEATH STRANDING
Noita
Superliminal
Teardown

Outstanding Story Rich Game

---

Detroit: Become Human
Horizon Zero Dawn
Red Dead Redemption 2
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Metro Exodus

Best Game You Suck At

---

Apex Legends
Crusader Kings III
EA SPORTS FIFA 21
Ghostrunner
GTFO

Outstanding Visual Style

---

Battlefield V
Black Mesa
Marvel's Avengers
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
There Is No Game: Jam Edition 2015

Best Soundtrack

---

DOOM Eternal
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Helltaker
Need For Speed Heat
Persona 4 Golden

Sit Back and Relax

---

Factorio
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Satisfactory
The Sims 4
Untitled Goose Game

Of course we're still in the midst of award season, and on that note be sure to keep an eye on our own AusGamers Top 10 Best Games of 2020 list that is currently being updated daily.

Rockstar's western opus Red Dead Redemption 2 is set to arrive on Xbox Game Pass for Console on May 7. As per our review of the original release it more than deserved the 10/10 score we gave it thanks to its measured pace, stunning detail, and truly immersive world.

Watching either a sunrise or sunset over Flat Iron Lake -- never the same hue twice -- or a flash storm off in the distance with lightning strikes, delayed rolling thunder and unfurling clouds of torrential rain engulfing the Heavens above, is something you’ve simply never seen in games -- I guarantee it. And all of this shapes the mood of everything you’re doing at any given moment, and it’s accompanied by arguably the best soundtrack to grace a videogame ever.

And now the winner of over 175 Game of the Year Awards (including our own) will be there ready and waiting for Xbox One owners with Xbox Game Pass to experience next month.

The arrival of Red Dead Redemption 2 will also see the arrival of Red Dead Online, and the many updates the game has seen since its late 2018 debut. The game's debut on the service though means that Grand Theft Auto V will be leaving on the same day - swapping out a modern day epic for one steeped in tumble-weeds and cattle.

With Halo: Reach and Halo: The Master Chief Collection topping the Steam charts the same weekend as the long-awaited Red Dead Redemption II made its way to the platform. Although it has been available for about a month via the Epic Game Store and Rockstar's own store-front - it's player count still seems pretty low.

With the Halo: Reach peak-player count being 93,305 players compared to Red Dead Redemption 2's 41,163. Which is less than half (figures obtained via Steam Carts). Compared to GTA V's launch on PC - which saw peak-players measured in the 250,000 range - it's hard to not view this as somewhat of a disappointment. More surprising is that it's currently not in the top 10 games played on Steam.

With two major franchises, Halo and Red Dead Redemption, coming to Steam in a big way this past weekend, the former looks to be the biggest success. Especially when you factor in the title's inclusion as part of Xbox Game Pass.

Red Dead Redemption II's PC launch issues are also reflected in Steam's current user reviews - which are Mixed due to several issues players are having with crashes. Something that we didn't experience in our own review of the PC version.

From out of memory crashes to other reasons for crashing to fixing a few visual bugs relating to lighting and fur. The latest 1.14 patch for Red Dead Redemption 2 (notes after the jump) arrives alongside the official Steam page for the game - as many out there mount up for the release later this week.

Here are the patch notes, which address more of the technical issues players have been experiencing with the game on PC. And yeah, they all seem to be around fixing crashes.

[December 2, 2019] General / Miscellaneous – PC

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in a crash when running out of memory

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in potential save corruption and permanent loss of progress if the player was signed out of their Social Club account while in Story Mode

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in partial lighting of hair/fur when the Resolution Scale graphical setting was set to higher than the native resolution

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in a crash when entering the Landing Page during game startup

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in a crash during initial startup for some specific hardware configurations

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in random crashes during gameplay on systems using a Nvidia GTX 970 graphics card

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in a crash when starting the Benchmark Tool on low-end systems

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in instability on some systems running Windows 10 Version 1090 (November 2019 Update)

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in audio stuttering/stalling when the game is running at high framerates

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in pixelated/blocky rendering artifacts on shadows during some cutscenes

Improvements to fix an issue that resulted in rendering and lighting artifacts when the Screen Space Ambient Occlusion graphical option was set to Ultra

Improvements to fix several issues that resulted in rendering and lighting artifacts on some systems during gameplay

Improvements to fix several issues that resulted in random crashes during gameplay in Story Mode and Red Dead Online

Stephen has been playing the game on his beastly Alienware rig and hasn't experienced any major issues relating to crashes. His review will be going up shortly. Playing on my NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti though, my big problem was getting the game to launch when it first arrived on PC. And since then have only experienced one crash and a few instances of stuttering, mainly in cinematic sequences. Outside of that though it's a stunningly beautiful game - especially when played in ultrawide (via the Benq EX3501R).

With the studio rolling out the first patch overnight that also updated the Rockstar Game Launcher - which has been linked to some of the issues people have been having - Red Dead Redemption II's long-awaited PC launch has been off to a somewhat rocky start.

It took me just about a full day to download and install the 120GBs or so of Red Dead Redemption II on PC, and it wasn't smooth sailing even with the patch. After the game forced HDR and was giving either a black screen or a washed out image I was treated to a number of crashes before it finally worked. But even then the texture quality no matter the detail setting was terrible. Nintendo 64 blur town bad.

Having fired it up again a few moments ago the textures now seem to be working after a switch to DirectX 12 from the default Vulkan API - but the performance looks to be a little all over the place. And this is with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.

Of course this is all anecdotal, and Stephen had no issues (outside of performance) in getting the game to load on his RTX 2080 powered Alienware laptop. But it's not a small thing either, with reddit now well into 'Day Two' of its launch issues mega-thread and Rockstar posting this PC troubleshooting guide.

Some people have been posting a number of fixes from CPU modification to messing about with BIOS settings. Now, we would advise against both and simply log your issues with Rockstar who are no doubt hard at work trying to get the story of Arthur and co. working as it should across the numerous PC configurations out there.

It's finally happening so-called race people of some sort of masterful thing -- Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to a desktop or gaming laptop near you, next week. And today, Rockstar dropped the series' PC launch trailer.

We're going to have some words on the PC release for you very soon, ahead of a review proper, so stay tuned for that. Otherwise, for now, we've linked our console review above, while the trailer is embedded below the official skinny from the mad-hatters at Rockstar:

Watch the official Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Launch Trailer that showcases the all new graphical and technical enhancements on display in the PC version, as Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang desperately try to outrun the law. After being hounded off the mainland, Arthur and the gang find themselves caught in a local conflict on the shores of a remote Caribbean island, disoriented and yearning to find a path back to their hidden fortune - and the dreams of a better future promised by their charming and increasingly erratic leader, Dutch van der Linde.

You can pre-load the game now with a pre-purchase, and at over 100gb in size, it might be a good idea.

Enhanced for PC, the release of Red Dead Redemption II is coming up very soon - November 5. And today we've got our first look at the visual enhancements with a stunning trailer that showcases the game's vast open world. With increased draw distances, improved lighting, shadows, grass, and fur effects, it looks incredible.

Check it out.

Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC brings the epic story of Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang to life in breathtaking new ways – with no shortage of dazzling technical enhancements that deliver deeper immersion. These include increased draw distances, improved shadows and lighting, new grass and fur textures, and much more – complemented by a host of exciting new content additions for the game’s Story Mode.

Watch the new trailer above to see Red Dead Redemption 2 in stunning 4K/60 frames per second and see how packed full of new details and greater fidelity every corner of this vast open world is. From the claw marks of a passing bear at the base of a tree in Big Valley and the individual spines on a cactus in New Austin, to a train passing on a far horizon and embers sparkling in the New Hanover night sky.

As per the description above the footage also pushes the frame-rate to 60 fps for that additional layer of smoothness. Yeah, if you've got the right hardware Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC will be something to behold - and really, the fact that this looks as good or better than a pre-rendered cinematic speaks volumes.

The day has finally arrived, with Rockstar announcing overnight that the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming November 5. Though its release will be a little staggered, with the game arriving on the newly launched Rockstar Games Launcher with a stack of bonuses in addition to the Epic Games Store first. The Steam release will arrive a month later in December.

As per our review of the game when it made its console debut last year, Red Dead 2 is a masterpiece. Which is why the PC version has been something people have been waiting quite some time to hear more about.

Although the announcement didn't come alongside a trailer, Rockstar has confirmed that the PC release will feature graphical and technical enhancements alongside new "Bounty Hunting Missions, Gang Hideouts, Weapons and more" at launch.

Without having to share revenue no doubt Take-Two and Rockstar want players to purchase the game via the Rockstar Games Launcer - with all pre-orders automatically upgraded to Premium Editions and the company offering the choice of two free Rockstar games from a selection of titles. These being: Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Bully: Scholarship Edition, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, Max Payne 3: The Complete Edition.

Red Dead Redemption 2 has also been confirmed as a launch title for Google Stadia.

Or some form of major update coming to Red Dead Online. The listing for Red Dead Redemption 2, which you can view here, is dated August 20 and gives the title an MA 15+ rating for "Strong Violence, Strong Themes, Online Interactivity" under the Computer Games category. With the title already rated for its console release last year this could mean a PC version is coming sooner rather than later.

A surprise PC release for Red Dead Redemption 2 in the coming months would most certainly be a very good thing leading up to the holidays. And it's an experience we'd love to play in Ultra-Wide 21:9 for that true cinematic Western look - on the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX hardware.

As per our review, it's stunning.

Whether it’s day or night; sun or shower; wind or thunder -- Red Dead Redemption 2’s game-world is simply breathtaking at every direct and peripheral point. You’ll find yourself shaking your head in disbelief, gasping for air or just stopping whatever it is you’re doing to take in the view.

With the recent debut of the Rockstar Game Launcher, we now patiently wait for the official Red Dead Redemption 2 PC reveal.

It's all sitting in the back of our collective minds, a PC release for Rockstar's western opus Red Dead Redemption 2. The original game never got a PC release but with Grand Theft Auto V still one of the most played games out there, odds are this is happening. Hopefully soon. And now thanks to some source code sleuthing we've got a mention of something called "RDR2_PC_Accomplishments".

As part of the Rockstar Social Club source code, noticed by JakoMako51 who shared the find on Twitter.

The fact that Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC is now quite evident. #RDR2 #reddeadredemption2pc #RedDeadRedemption2 #rdr2pc #reddeadredemption
RDR2_PC_Accomplishments:"Accomplishments"
You can search for "RDR2_PC" in the following link: https://t.co/hmtRJGKmoa pic.twitter.com/4kJAd5u58r

— JakoMako51 (@JakoMako51) July 4, 2019

As this reference sits right next to "RDR2_PS4_Trophies" we can assume it's all about PC achievements. With Red Dead Redemption 2 topping our Game of the Year list for 2018 - we now go back to waiting for the inevitable Red Dead Redemption 2 PC port announcement.

An oddity in our usual features, today we've got something a bit different. You see, I only finished Red Dead Redemption 2 this week. I also had the game for almost two weeks before it hit retail, and in that time, I barely ever stopped playing, but I did deliberately choose not to complete it. Here's why...

Not too many games have impacted me the way Red Dead Redemption 2 has and did. So much so, that the physical act of completing the game brought out a lot in me. Enough to get a bit esoteric and caught up in my own head, but as a writer, words are my friend and so I found myself spewing forth content around this entire experience.

Here's a snippet:

Prior to my snowy mountain assault on the turncoat, I’d been spending time in Tall Trees trying to feed Evelyn Miller, the struggling writer whose cabin sat at the north-western end of the area, but right in Skinner territory. We run into him as Arthur, too, but that’s a lifetime ago. Miller’s refusal to eat or drink until his latest draft is completed sits as a poignant metaphor for how I’ve chosen to play Red Dead Redemption 2. I’m not playing it as a completionist -- I have myriad tasks yet to complete. Rather, I’ve been playing the game as a denizen. A main character, yes, but one at peace with the game-world around me. Living in a “microcosm of romanticised period media”, as I also wrote in my review.

Never has a game done this to me.

The full piece is one I'm really very proud of, and if Red Dead Redemption has struck you at all in a similar way, or you just want to read up on how a grown person can become so infatuated with an interactive experience, click here to read my full exodus from Red Dead Redemption 2.

And that's clothing, in case you didn't realise. Available exclusively through the Barking Irons Online Store, these Arthur Morgan inspired duds are what every good hipster or diehard fan of the game needs.

And while I'm no hipster, I am partial to button-up shirts with style.

We've teamed up with Barking Irons to create this limited edition collection of items inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2 - featuring exceptional quality and authentic, heritage materials and subtle nods to in-game designs.

Modeled on the apparel worn by Arthur Morgan, the Red Dead Redemption 2 Collection by Barking Irons combines a commitment to period era detail with contemporary Americana styling. Waxed cotton and leather, Japanese denim, and weighty workwear pieces highlight the collection’s unyielding commitment to high-end, authentic materials, while clever design touches ground the collection in a style that feels wearable every day.

Now available in sizes ranging from Extra Small to XXL at https://www.barkingirons.com. And look for t-shirts to be added to the collection soon.

Gunslinger Jacket: Water-resistant waxed cotton and leather, bound buttonholes, A. Morgan collar print, Van der Linde Gang inside pocket print, and Rockstar insignia print.

Denim Chore Shirt: Soft-washed, Japanese denim work shirt, antique brass shanks, A. Morgan collar print.

Railroad Shirt: Weighty workwear shirt with railroad stripes, A. Morgan collar print, red Rockstar embroidery on front pocket, and western Rockstar insignia on shirt hem.

Everyday Shirt: Authentic western ticking fabric, bi-swing shoulder, A. Morgan collar print, western Rockstar insignia on shirt hem.

Union Henley: Soft-washed, American cotton, 3-button closure, A. Morgan collar print, made in the USA.

Riding Duffel Bag: Hefty 18 oz. twill cotton, antique brass hardware, cowhide shoulder strap, Rockstar logo print.

Saddle Bag: Water-resistant waxed cotton and leather, antique brass hardware, lined interior, cowhide shoulder strap, two large exterior pockets, Red Dead Redemption 2 print and Rockstar branding.

RDR2 Beach Tote: Sturdy, large capacity, 18 oz. natural canvas tote, antique brass rivets, and Red Dead Redemption 2 stencil print, Made in the USA.

And as topical as that sounds in this day and age, nope, it's not a real-life sentence, in the physical sense. Rather, players have found a crack in the invisible digital wall in Red Dead Redemption 2 and have started wandering into Mexico, which featured as its own content and story-heavy biome in the original game, but exists seemingly in the prequel as either DLC placeholder, or as North Korean-like proof of place through player binoculars.

As originally reported by Eurogamer, and shared by YouTuber ZacCoxTV, it's not really anything other than a barren desert with a single building left in from the original game, though something could be taken from this in regards to a true remaster of the first Red Dead being wholly in the works, and now hopefully PC-friendly. But please acknowledge right now, that's us clutching at very invisible straws.

Either way, the fact that true in-game geometry for the space exists is something we can clutch at, and we'd certainly love to see more content rise from this unique discovery, but since Rockstar is always so tight-lipped about its games and plans, we'll just have to glitch and wait and see.

If you're playing Red Dead Redemption 2, chances are you've fallen in love with its audio accompaniment. The musical soundtrack alone is a dynamic wave of emotion ranging from heart-pounding to serene to mischief to trepidation, all of whch can change on-the-fly, dynamically, based on what you're doing.

Rockstar has today revealed in-depth details around how they built this sonic swoon, which features a number of big names working exclusively on what is one of the best soundtracks ever created for games.

Here's what Rockstar officially revealed:

Red Dead Redemption 2 features an interactive, dynamic score composed by Woody Jackson. Rockstar fans will already be familiar with Woody’s work on the original Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Grand Theft Auto V with Tangerine Dream, The Alchemist and Oh No.

The score features additional production and arrangement by Jeff Silverman (Truth and Soul, Aloe Black), with additional musical score and orchestration provided by Colin Stetson (Bon Iver, Hereditary), David Ferguson (Johnny Cash’s engineer), David Ralicke (Beck, Sons of Anarchy), Gabe Witcher (Punch Brothers, True Detective), Luke O'Malley, Mario Batkovic (of Geoff Barrow’s Invada), Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Prince Billy), Rabih Beaini and Senyawa, as well as contributions from over 110 other musicians including Arca (frequent Bjork, Kanye West, Frank Ocean and Kelela collaborator), Duane Eddy (Lee Hazlewood protégé), Jon Theodore (former drummer of Mars Volta and current Queens of the Stone Age drummer), Michael Shuman aka Mikey Shoes (Queens of the Stone Age, Mini Mansions) and more.

All of the vocal moments in Red Dead Redemption 2 are produced entirely by Grammy Award-winner Daniel Lanois, known for producing albums for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Willie Nelson as well as collaborating with pioneering musician Brian Eno to produce several albums for U2 including the multi-platinum The Joshua Tree. In addition to Lanois' production, the soundtrack features additional vocal performances from a range of award-winning artists including D’Angelo, Willie Nelson, Nas, Rhiannon Giddens, Josh Homme, plus an additional track written, produced and performed by David Ferguson. All songs for both the score and soundtrack were created exclusively for Red Dead Redemption 2.

Stay tuned for more information including on the forthcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 official soundtrack release.

In our own Red Dead Redemption 2 review we wrote of the soundtrack that "This is no longer Ennio Morricone-esque, this is now pure Red Dead Redemption -- a symphony of banjos, violins, harmonicas, guitars, drums and more not trying to emulate the Spaghetti Western. A soundtrack that dynamically works to fill the player with mood and purpose, to relay a sense of romanticised proprietary..."

Rockstar has also promised that more details will be revealed at a later date regarding a standalone release for the game's soundtrack, and I honestly can't wait.

Which was to be expected if you look at the continued success of each major iteration of Rockstar's now two major titles in Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Grand Theft Auto V still holds the retail sell-through record for its first three days at over $1 billion, however, its release fell on a Tuesday, while Red Dead Redemption 2's fell on a Friday, with the open-world outlaw epic raking in more than $725 million in its first three days.

So, technically Red Dead Redemption 2 does have the biggest "opening weekend", if you're taking into account when each game was released at retail. But no matter which way you look at it, those numbers are astronomical.

The game is also the highest ever pre-ordered game on the PlayStation Network, has the highest day one sales and the highest sales over three days on Sony's digital store. No data from Microsoft was provided by the team (likely due to an agreement keeping the PlayStation brand front and centre of the game's internal data, despite it looking best on Xbox One X for running in native 4K).

An epic tale of honor and loyalty set in the dying days of the outlaw age, Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. Following a botched robbery in the western town of Blackwater, the gang is forced to flee and, with federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, leaving Arthur to make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.

Told across the deepest and most expansive Rockstar world to date, Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar’s first game built from the ground up for new generation hardware, and seamlessly blends gameplay and storytelling in a completely new way to deliver the experience of living as an outlaw in a notorious gang.

Click here to read our own epic review. Otherwise, just get out there and buy what is arguably one of the best games of the past decade.