Skip to main content

Red Dead Redemption briefly appears on the Xbox One, is quickly pulled

red dead redemption appears on xbox one
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Over the weekend, Xbox One owners were surprised to find out that Rockstar Games’ open-world western, Red Dead Redemption, was available to download and play. They were surprised again when the game was pulled and they found they could no longer play online.

As it turned out, it hadn’t been Microsoft’s intention to release the game over the weekend. While some users reported that messages from Xbox support said the game would be re-released quickly, Microsoft’s Larry Hryb (aka, Major Nelson) said that this wasn’t the case.

Recommended Videos

“Microsoft tests all Xbox 360 games with our emulator to ensure a quality experience across a breadth of titles,” Hryb wrote in a post on Reddit. “Due to an error, some of the games currently in test were accidentally made available. We have since removed access to those games, and apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We will have more information on upcoming releases soon.”

There is no word on when — or even if — Red Dead Redemption will be officially available, but there is a small bit of good news for some users. Those who downloaded the game can still play it, at least offline (though saving is an issue).

Attempts to play the game online result in the game trying to download an update that isn’t available, GameSpot reports. Things get trickier when players try to save, as those with the game installed are reporting that game saves aren’t available offline.

Last year, Microsoft said it was in talks with Rockstar Games about bringing its 360 games to the Xbox One via backward compatibility, but that no agreements had been reached. Whether the game being in testing is a sign that the two companies have worked things out isn’t clear, but at the very least it’s a hopeful sign for those looking to revisit New Austin on their Xbox One.

Red Dead Redemption is currently in third place behind Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Skyrim among the most-requested games for backward compatibility.

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Studio behind one of Xbox’s biggest upcoming exclusives hit with layoffs, studio closures
The logo for Contraband. It has "Contraband" in physical letters inside a case lined with straw.

Approximately 50 people have been laid off from Avalanche Studios Group, the company behind the Just Cause series and the upcoming Xbox console exclusive Contraband, according to the studio.

In an official blog post published Monday, the company also announced that it will be closing two of its five locations: the one in New York and the other in Montreal. It's unclear of the exact number of layoffs, but the post says "around 50" workers were affected, or around 9% of the workforce.

Read more
You can play this 2018 open-world hit for free if you have PlayStation Plus
Arthur Morgan walks into a burning house in Red Dead Redemption 2.

If you somehow haven't played the 2018 open-world classic Red Dead Redemption 2 yet and you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, we have good news. PlayStation announced in a blog post Wednesday that the game will be available for free for the Plus program's Extra and Premium tiers.

Subscribers can play this massive hit, along with 12 other games, starting on May 21.  Users will also get access to Red Dead Online, the game's multiplayer experience that allows players to create their own character and mess around inside the world as they see fit -- from forming a group of outlaws to rob people on the road to hunting animals.

Read more
Red Dead Redemption on Switch is already discounted in holiday sale
A screenshot of Red Dead Redemption running on Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo is running a Switch sale for the holiday season -- and it's full of discounts. Chief among those is a 30% price cut on the recently released Red Dead Redemption port for Switch, alongside deals on new releases like Sonic Superstars.

Nintendo's annual holiday eShop sale features discounts on over 30 games. While new Nintendo games like Pikmin 4 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder aren't included, a lot of classic third-party games are available for a bargain.

Read more