Red Dead Redemption's free Xbox Series X upgrade is currently broken with fans baffled after being asked to buy the whole game again, but Rockstar is "working with Microsoft to resolve it"

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Red Dead Redemption's free Xbox Series X upgrade is currently broken with fans baffled after being asked to buy the whole game again, but Rockstar is "working with Microsoft to resolve it" News By George Young published 3 December 2025

Don't pay full price, the free version is on its way

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Rockstar Games launched a free current-gen update for digital owners of the original Red Dead Redemption, but Xbox players noticed they were unable to make the leap from the Xbox 360 version to the Xbox Series X|S. The company has now released a statement acknowledging the issue, and says it's "working with Microsoft to resolve it."

Owners of both Red Dead Redemption and the Undead Nightmares DLC on both PlayStation and Xbox are – or at least will be able to – play the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S thanks to a new compatibility upgrade. Xbox fans immediately noticed that they were unable to play their 360 game on the Series X|S for free, and were wondering how to complete the upgrade.

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.December 2, 2025

When visiting the store page to download the game on their current systems, players were prompted to buy the game again, and were unsure how to, or if, they could play their old game. Rockstar has now acknowledged that it's not you, it's Xbox, and the game should be available to upgrade for free shortly.

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Rockstar Support writes 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."

Some Xbox players claim (via PureXbox) that their store page has already been updated to offer the free upgrade, while others say the page only offers access to the free update for the next two weeks. This limited-time message is likely another issue with the store page that will be fixed when the issue is addressed for everyone.

If you're trying to update your Xbox game, the general message is to remain patient; you'll be able to ride through the desert on a fancy big TV soon enough.

Red Dead Redemption 2 modders unveil "ambitious recreation of the Mexican territory from RDR1" that "stays true to the canon" of Rockstar's sequel – and it's basically "a full-fledged DLC."

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Rockstar Games Rockstar CATEGORIES Nintendo Switch 2 Xbox Series X Xbox One PS5 PS4 PC Gaming Nintendo Switch Platforms Nintendo Xbox PlayStation George YoungSocial Links NavigationFreelance News Writer

Freelance writer, full-time PlayStation Vita enthusiast, and speaker of some languages. I break up my days by watching people I don't know play Pokemon pretty fast.

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