GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption remasters reportedly cancelled

Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption were reportedly in line for major remasters before the GTA Trilogy flopped.
red dead redemption sequel

A new report claiming Rockstar Games was planning to remaster Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption ahead of the failure of the remastered GTA Trilogy has been given more credibility by a follow-up report from Kotaku. According to sources speaking to reporter Zack Zwiezen, Rockstar was indeed working on remasters of both games before the GTA Trilogy launched riddled with bugs and glitches.

The backlash against this game was so severe that Rockstar reportedly changed its plans, with Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption remasters scrapped in favour of developers solely focussing on the upcoming blockbuster, Grand Theft Auto 6. Anticipation for this game is at an all-time high, but so is pressure on the development team, and the need to get it right.

The poor quality of the GTA Trilogy has tarnished Rockstar’s reputation somewhat, despite the company being widely known for industry-leading successes like the entire Red Dead Redemption series, and Grand Theft Auto V – which continues to be one of the most popular and lucrative games around. A social media frenzy around the many issues with the game has led many to question Rockstar’s capabilities.

With enormous pressure on the team – and an alleged reputation for intensive crunch that should be corrected – it’s likely Rockstar chose to cancel these two rumoured remasters to better concentrate on GTA 6 to its fullest extent.

Read: Everything we know about Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 6

According to industry insider Tez2, known for their scoops on Rockstar Games titles, the remasters were firmly on the table ‘a few years ago’ with Rockstar now officially choosing not to go through with them. While these plans may return after the stink of the GTA Trilogy washes over, they remain ‘out of scope’ for now, according to Kotaku.

Red Dead Redemption feels particularly in need of an update, given it’s currently stuck on the PlayStation 3 (the Xbox 360 version is backwards compatible with the Xbox Series S/X, which also gives it a visual upgrade). The game itself remains an incredible experience, filled with a great story, memorable gunfights, and plenty of cowboy charm – but games age very quickly as technology changes.

For now, the Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto IV games we’ve got are the ones we’ll keep, with plans for remasters now firmly scuppered. While these games could be revisited in future, don’t expect them to land before GTA 6, if ever.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.