Red Dead Redemption 2 supports 4K and HDR on Xbox One X

By Asher Madan
last updated

Red Dead Redemption 2 should look stunning on Xbox One X.

A few days ago, Rockstar Games revealed Red Dead Redemption 2's long-awaited gameplay. While it was unclear what platform the footage was recorded from – as the same footage was shared by both console makers with varying button prompts – we now know more about the Xbox One X version. We reached out to Rockstar, but it seemed like the studio wasn't willing to comment on the enhancements Microsoft's new device would receive due to its marketing agreement with Sony.

Luckily, the list of Xbox One X Enhanced games on the Xbox website (opens in new tab) says Red Dead Redemption 2 is targeting "4K Ultra HD" and "HDR". Nier: Automata is the only major "AAA" game which utilizes checkerboard rendering on Xbox One X, but still offers a substantial boost over the PlayStation 4 Pro version. From what it seems, Red Dead Redemption 2 is most likely targeting native 4K resolution – or true 4K – on Xbox One X at 30 FPS. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more. The developers at Rockstar should be able to further boost the graphics on Xbox One X due to its 1.8 teraflops advantage over the competition.

Red Dead Redemption 2 tells a personal story. After a robbery goes wrong in the town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal, and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals or loyalty to the gang who raised him.

Red Dead Redemption 2 should launch on October 26, 2018 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 systems.

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

44 Comments
  • Seriously, they need to stop pandering to 4k at 30fps. 60fps needs to be the benchmark. It's so noticeable going from a PC to an Xbox game. Takes some getting used to
  • But what is the % of PCs out there that can handle this game at 4k 60fps?? (Without sacrificing the graphics quality of course)
  • It doesn't NEED to be 4k. 1440p at 60fps beats 4k 30fps any day. This 4k chasing is BS. Someone needs to change the standard for consoles to 60fps and we can work from there. I'm tired of us getting treated like lower class citizens tbh.
  • Hey man, we get that your gay. You really don't need to push that agenda to everyone. Some people don't care or want to hear about that constantly. Just letting you know.
  • I play all my PC games at 1440p, antialiasing all the way up. It's gorgeous. And it beats 4k 30fps any day.
  • That's why the developers are now giving the choice to players on Xbox One X in some games. Either 4k 30fps or 1080p (1440p sometimes) 60fps.
  • They don't always. 30fps should not be acceptable. Ever. 60fps and If it's not 4k, then oh well.
  • I'm just glad we happy few is play anywhere. I can buy Xbox games (sometimes) and if I'm not happy with the framerate I can just play it on PC :)
  • tbh, I don't think majority care. 30fps is ok, as long as it's stable / fixed.
    People like to chat (or bixxxxxg) about games on the internet are the minority.
  • Yeah and that's sad. They don't care because they don't know any better. And the Devs take advantage of that to ship a wildly inferior performing product. :'(
  • I game since I was 6. I used to build my PC. And now I become the lead programmer in a major game studio / publisher. (in the past few weeks, 4 other studios just reached out to me). btw, I'm trilingual. Obtained my Japanese under a year.
    I think I know my ways around PCs. Well, now I game mainly on Xbox. PC is my sub (XPA on my Alienware and Surface Pro), and I store nothing on my PC (cloud save or version control) because I don't want to deal with PC issues. I'm not eager to spend my time on troubleshooting minor issues. I'd say console is better for consumers, platform (HW, OS) provider and devs because, with no exception, everyone on the planet use the same combination of HWs, drivers, OS version and background-services (no additional user install background services). It's easier for devs and platform provider to replicate an user's issue. The more customizable, the more potential troubles. Sad? It's pros and cons. I'd prefer to spend that troubleshooting time on my programming experiments, games and families. I can diagnose HW failure but OEMs should do their job managing drivers and windows update for me.
  • it's just a single player game. most console gamers aren't used to the difference to care.
    they just want their 4k tvs to show 4k content
  • The X CPU can't handle 60fps even at 1080p for some games. It all depends on the CPU load and if it can be offloaded to the GPU. There is no rule that it must be 60fps for every game... that's silly. It would be nice, but in no way should be required unless the CPU was far more powerful... you need to give devs leeway to use the processors as they see fit.
  • Sometimes it's way more easy for consoles to reach a higher resolution than a higher framerate. The bottleneck is the weak CPU im many cases. And a locked 30fps is still way better than unstable fps between 30-45. This console generation has a serious problem with their CPUs. But they won't make the same mistake with the next generation for sure. A GPU upgrade within the generation is always easy.
  • Uh-oh, we have the PC (wannabe) master race here! I'll take 4K 30fps any day, as to me it beats 60fps 1440p. It just drives some elitists nuts that some people can't really see a difference between 60 and 30 fps (I can't), but the average person with good eyesight can see a difference between 1440p and 2160p. This game will be phenomenal on Xbox one X. Then again, PC elitists can just play it on their rig instead. Wait....
  • you guys do know the way you adjust or aka calibrate your tv picture settings and if you know how to use color space to your tvs best ability..that plays a major role in graphic improvement...its half and half...meaning tv and console matter....i mean on my 78 inch samsung 7 series 120hertz graphics in games look jus like they do on pc but pc only beats me with the FPS...but yea people need to realize tvs play a major role...and this is coming from expierence not talking **** ..i went for a 720hd 32inch emerson 60 hertz tv to a 75inch samsung full hd 120hertz 6300 and then finally to a 78 inch samsung 7 series 4k curved tv...and. like i said i got 1000s of in gameplay screenshots that puts the proof in the pudding...but til this day uncharted 4 story gameplay has the best graphics with smoothest and most fluid movement outta any video game on consoles
  • How about you just stick to pc it's not our fault that your spoiled and your think 60 fps is the standard because it's not.. Obviously or the industry would be pushing for it.. like it or not the consumer pushed for visuals and that's what has been given.. most console gamers can't even tell the difference I've tried to show friends and family the difference between 30 and 60 fps on Witcher and other games like wolfenstein 2 or Halo.. and they can't even tell.. So for one your full of **** because their are games out there that def allow the choice.. secondly if your were so deeply engrained into gaming culture you world know these l consoles were gpu intensively built and cpu was not the focus so why complain about something that is not technically possible yet for most consoles.. No your just part of this culture that ******* for the hell of it..i love almost all my games on my x. No complaints .. Assassin's Creed looks great at 30 shadow of war etc .. Basically get a life
  • It’s not just PC games either. Going from BF1 at 60fps to Destiny 2 at 30 is unbearable. I don’t see a point in Xbox one x’s hardware if they’re going to keep everything running at 30 FPS. Gameplay over graphics.
  • It was confirmed by Sony that it was recorded on a PS4 Pro
  • Sure was, which means its gonna look EVEN BETTER than that on my X! Very exciting.
  • Bro my boy has both systems and i have the ps4 pro...you really cant tell a difference....and ps4 pro has the fps advantage over xbox x anyways....you know why? Cause ps4 pro compatible with the ps4 VR headset can run to a max of 120fps and xbox x is only 90...but yea like my last comment...your type of tv plays a major role in graphics...like i said on my 78inch 4k 120hertz 7 series curved tv graphics look everything they did on trailers and look jus as good as pc
  • Bro what the **** are you talking about? They both have the same weak CPU but the X is clocked higher and the GPU is way more powerful. The Pro has no advantage at all in the same games. The possibility of 120fps doesn't mean that the Pro can run at 120fps in normal games. In fact it doesn't. There's not a single game that runs better on Pro or looks better than on X.
  • The footage Microsoft shared had Xbox button prompts. This leads me to believe it was recorded on something else. I’m not going to quote Sony and say it was recorded on a PS4 Pro when the same exact footage has Xbox button prompts elsewhere. That statement wouldn’t be accurate.
  • Fact.
  • Only Rockstar has confirmed it was on ps4 pro. Further, Rockstar created a blog on the playstation website. The Official Sony YouTube channel description -
    "Captured entirely from in-game footage on PlayStation 4 Pro, watch this introduction to Red Dead Redemption 2’s gameplay in 4K. Vs xbox description.
    "Captured entirely from in-game footage, watch this introduction to Red Dead Redemption 2’s gameplay in 4K." Not sure why you can't just accept that the trailer was running on the Pro and looked that good. You should be happy, the X will look that good as well with the slight difference in clarity that is undetectable unless you're standing still in the game and actually looking for the difference thanks for motion blur and other factors.
  • Xbox x is only a lil better than the pro...its like saying i have 100 dollars in my pocket and my friend has 103 dollars in his own pocket...not much difference...but pro has the FPS advantage since compatible with the ps4 VR the.pro runs at a max of 120fps so that means they can make video games run at 120fps for the pro but choose not to...cause you will need a 120hertz tv at least to enjoy the 120fps...and xbox x is only.90fps
  • I'm not sure what's your talking about when you're saying 90 FPS. Standard games are capped to 60 FPS on both Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. The Xbox One X doesn't support VR. The Xbox One X has a 1.8 teraflops advantage over the PlayStation 4 Pro. That's the same power as a standard PlayStation 4. So technically, by spending only $100 more you're getting an additional PlayStation 4 worth of power. That's worth it in my book.
  • Cause games running with 120fps on Pro would look like **** and would run at 720p max and no open world. The X is way more powerful. In many cases it can push double the amount of pixels than the Pro when both have dynamic resolution.
  • OneX has 120hz support.
    https://www.techradar.com/news/xbox-one-may-2018-update-adds-120hz-suppo...
  • That’s just the menu. No games will run at 120 Hz.
  • Once the new consoles with upgraded CPUs reach market, i really think we will be at the limit of what games can look like. Once the fps and resolution hit 4k/60 as a standard thats it. The only improvements over time will be based on new formats like 8k TVs and consoles that can push 8k gaming. I havent be blown away on how a game looks in a long time. Only incremental tweaks(more fps, more resolution, higher quality assets). Most everything looks near photo realistic as it is, yes to varying degrees.
  • 4k is a gimmick. HDR is the true difference maker and easily detectable to the untrained eye.
  • I don't know, I definitely notice when a game isn't blurry on my 4K TV.
  • More pixels on a screen is a gimmick? Wow.
  • When the image no longer makes a noticeable difference (4k) you got to ask yourself what you are paying for. I had a 32" 1440p 120hz monitor hooked up to my xbox one and now my one X until I recently upgraded to to a 4k television set (65" Q6F not 2018s Q6FN too much.) and the only difference I'm seeing in my games is with the HDR settings. 4k looks just like 1440p on my monitor did. Time and time again these comparison shots come out in games and you know what they show? See those blades of grass off in the distance? See how clear and not blurry they are? No? Here let us zoom in for you so you can see it. There see now, see how after we zoomed in and focused on that detail how big of a difference that makes? It's a little more clear in 4k. That's worth the money? Or is vibrant colors popping out and looking more realistic in your game and making things stick out more?
  • Its a fact the bigger the tv you have the more pixels it has....i went from a 32inch 720hd emerson 60 hertz tv to a 75 inch full hd samsung 120hertz 6300 series then to a 78 inch samsung curved 4k 7 series 120hertz tv...from the 720hd to the full hd i saw a 60 percent difference in graphic improvement and movement then from the full hd to 4k i seen about 40 percent difference...but i noticed with auto motion plus on which i always use cause video games look and play and feel more realistic with it on...trees building and structures look more 4d like with it on...no blur either...no lag either...but also you need to learn and know how you adjust your tv picture settings makes a huge difference in visuals...since i know how to calibrate those settings..video games look jus as good as PC....and another thing i noticed was 60fps games play way more consistent and more fluid on 120hertz tvs or higher especially with the auto motion plus on
  • Meh 4K is old news, all games must run at 8K now.
  • I think all xbox one x games should include a 4k 30/60fps (60 when possible) and a 1080/1440p 60fps.
  • How will this work with a 1440p monitor? Will the game run at 1440p instead?
  • It'll supersample to 1440p.
  • I've owned pretty much every display in the market, 1080p, 1440p, 4K, ultra-wide, 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, IPS, TN, VA, HDR, FreeSync. If I had to pick between 1080p 60Hz and 4K 30Hz, I would always pick 4K 30Hz. Developers should give the options between resolution and framerate.
  • What type of tv you have plays a major role also and how you adjust or aka calibrate your tv picture settings and use color space to your tv best potential...and yea xbox x is only a lil better than ps4 pro...i have the ps4 pro but my boy has both ..and honestly you see no difference....but saying xbox x is better than the pro is like me saying i got 100 dollars in my pocket and my friend has 102 dollars in his pocket...yea he got more money than me but barley has more than i do...and also you xbox x heads...i saw your commentz on the last of us part 2 actual gameplay...every xbox x owner said why cant i get these kind of graphics on my xbox x...thats cause the last of us part 2 graphics will be wayyy better visually and movement game than any xbox x game for a real long time...i mean til this day uncharted 4 gameplay story has the best graphics with smoothest most fluid movement outta any video game out on consoles...and video games on my 78inch samsung 120hertz 7 series 4k tv video gsmes look everything they do on trailers....if you disagree i got 1000s of in gameplay pictures that shows the proof is in the pudding or also if you disagree get a better tv
  • First of all, I'm pleased that you're pleased with your TV, but mentioning it three different times in the comments makes you seem like a bit of a douch. Secondly, if the PS4 Pro is $100 in your pocket, the Xbox One X is $150. I own both, there's a difference. Down playing this huge difference when the 900p Vs 1080p difference between OG PS/Xbox was shouted about so often at the start of the generation is ridiculous.
  • To be fair it's literally the roles reversing, Playstation gamers are just saying now exactly what Xbox gamers were saying at the start of the generation, and vice versa. Everyone in this visuals debate is a hypocrite. But don't worry, I'm sure when the PS5 comes out, it'll likely be more visually advanced than the Xbox whatever, and the roles will reverse once again until the next switch in graphical fidelity. In the grand scheme of things BOTH systems look amazing and I don't think anyone should have an issue with either.