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Rockstar Games has clarified that Xbox gamers should have been able to upgrade their copy of Red Dead Redemption after all.
They shared this message on Twitter:
We are aware of an issue where Xbox players are unable to upgrade their digital Xbox 360 version of Red Dead Redemption to the Xbox Series X|S version and are working with Microsoft to resolve it. Thank you for your patience.
What Was The Xbox Mix-Up?
As we reported yesterday, there was some confusion regarding the upgrade path for Red Dead Redemption on Xbox. Some Rockstar customer support agents apparently claimed that this Xbox 360 upgrade path does not exist.
Key to this confusion is the situation surrounding the older Xbox version of Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar did not make a native port of the game for the Xbox One.
Instead, they added it to the Xbox Backwards Compatibility Program. Under that program, the Xbox 360 version received enhancements handled by Microsoft themselves.
They then went as far as to resell the Xbox 360 disc version as an Xbox 360 and Xbox One version of the game.
We confirmed that the Xbox Series X|S version of the game also comes bundled with the “digital Xbox backwards compatible version.” In other words, this is the Xbox 360 version, which automatically gets Microsoft’s upgrades when played on an Xbox One.
As RockstarIntel reported, some Xbox users managed to download and install the new version of the game using the Xbox app, but some users were told to buy what should have been a free install.
They also found some fans were told that this turned out to be a technical issue that should be resolved by today, December 3, 2025.
When Rockstar and Microsoft fixes this issue, gamers who have the Xbox 360 version on disc, the Xbox 360 + Xbox One version on disc, or the “digital Xbox backwards compatible version” should be able to upgrade to the Xbox Series X|S version for free.
PlayStation Gamers May Not Realize They Got It Worse
Or, some of them may not want to admit it. When Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption on PlayStation 4 in 2023, PlayStation 3 gamers had no upgrade path and had to buy it again.
This is because Sony didn’t have a backwards compatibility program from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4. And this is ultimately because Sony made technical decisions on the PlayStation 3 that guaranteed you would need to hold onto your PS3 to keep playing your PS3 games.
In any case, some PlayStation 4 gamers also had trouble redeeming the free upgrade to PlayStation 5. If you had that problem, you can refer to Rockstar’s support page here.
While it’s all frustrating for fans, it’s probably a regular mistake and not particularly abnormal or suspicious. With Rockstar’s official word and promise, we should just wait for when they get these issues fixed.
