Red Dead Redemption 2 – a masterpiece in the world of computer games. The console release was back in 2018, and there were long rumors that it would remain an exclusive for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But Rockstar Games announced the release of the PC version, set for November 5, 2019. The system requirements for Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC are already known, so there's time to prepare.
The community is going crazy, fans are taking unpaid leave, enthusiasts are quitting their jobs, while skeptics grumble that they'll have to exit GTA 5, where they've only been hanging out for 4 years.
The second part of RDR is a prequel, telling the story that happened before the events of the first part, which few remember. You'll play as a notorious bandit, the scourge of the Wild West. Shooting, robbery, pursuit, hunting, survival – just a shortlist of what you'll experience here.
The game was developed over seven years, so the open world is very well detailed, with every bush and ravine worked out. However, this did not greatly affect the system requirements in RDR 2. The game will even run on very old gaming cards. Like GTA 5, the optimization is top-notch.
Setting and Atmosphere
The atmosphere of the game is best conveyed by Quentin Tarantino's movie "The Hateful Eight". It all starts in the snowy mountains of North America. The first "feats" of the gang will happen with our participation. As you progress, the number of gang members will grow, as will your authority in it.
Due to the special lifestyle, you'll have to avoid civilization, so major cities will be closed to visit. That is, not literally, you can enter them, but be prepared for desperate resistance from the local population and law enforcement. The gang's camp is always located in the forests, so in case of detection, you can quickly pack up and set off.
Base
Having your own base in RDR 2 slightly changes the gameplay: here you can rest, change or replenish ammunition and first aid kit, change your appearance. Food, first aid kits, ammunition, and weapons run out; supplies constantly need replenishing. This aspect resembles classic survival games, where you constantly need to find useful things for existence. Although no one will die, even if you do not carry food for a year.
The camp can be upgraded! This requires money, no additional materials need to be sought.
Customization
There are extensive customization options; you can even change your horse. They all differ from each other, including size, characteristics, and temperament. Decorations and hair can be chosen from dozens of options.
Weapon modification also deserves special mention – almost any rusty Colt in the game can be turned into a glittering weapon of robbery. In addition to purely cosmetic changes, the gunsmith can change the barrel, handle, loading system, and sight.
Clothing now affects not only appearance, as the open world is quite large – there are very hot territories, and there are eternally white mountains. Warm clothes need to be removed and something lighter worn if the temperature outside the horse is high.
Gameplay
In addition to robberies and shootouts, you'll have to engage in hunting. The game features a variety of game, from small birds to large grizzlies, which can severely beat up the main character up to a lethal outcome.
The hunting process is as close to reality as possible and is divided into three conditional stages: tracking, preparation, and confrontation. Skinning is surprisingly realistic and vividly bloody.
System Requirements for RDR 2 on PC
The game is built on the modified RAGE engine, Rockstar Games' proprietary engine. It was also used for GTA 5. In general, RDR 2's requirements are very similar to GTA 5. In terms of software, they are almost twins: euphoria – a real-time animation tool, and Bullet – a physical engine.
Due to good optimization, the minimum system requirements for Red Dead Redemption 2 can be taken seriously. Usually, developers clearly understate the system on which the game will run stably. But Rockstar immediately indicated the hardware on which players can get stable performance without critical FPS drops.
This game came to us from PlayStation 4, so the system requirements for Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC are quite accessible, as the console hardware does not get updated, and games are constantly released for many years after creating a specific configuration of a particular console version. That is, developers deliberately try to fit the best graphics, physics, and more features into weaker hardware.
Minimum System Requirements
The minimum requirements for RDR 2 on PC are very low, and even with such equipment, you can play the game at minimum settings in FullHD resolution with 40-50 frames per second. This is enough for the offline version, and even at the minimum, it looks stunning, the graphics here are excellent. But for online, it's better to use a more powerful system.
- OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10;
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K;
- RAM: 8 GB;
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770;
- Disk Space: 150 GB.
Recommended System Requirements
With such hardware, you can set the settings to maximum at FullHD resolution. RDR 2 PC is demanding on the storage. Such a volume of occupied space means that the game will constantly have to load and unload data into RAM. A high-speed SSD will help make the passage seamless and do without long loading waits.
- OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10;
- Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K;
- RAM: 12 GB;
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060;
- Disk Space: 150 GB.
Maximum System Requirements
This hardware will deliver 60 or more FPS on a 2K monitor at maximum graphics settings. Indeed, the developers of Red Dead Redemption 2 PC did not publish maximum level requirements, but this computer will handle the game at such resolution.
- OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10;
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9700F;
- RAM: 16 GB;
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER;
- Disk Space: 150 GB.
Ultra
The game's system requirements for RDR 2 are silent about configurations for 4K monitors or wide-angle monitors. However, the RTX 2080 Ti will handle it at “ultra” graphics settings and 4K resolution. At this setting, FPS will be around 60 frames.
- OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10;
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9900KF;
- RAM: 16 GB;
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti;
- Disk Space: 150 GB.
How to Choose a Computer for Red Dead Redemption 2
The most important component for a gaming PC has always been and will always be the graphics card. Even though the PC system requirements for RDR 2 tell us that high graphics settings are available for the GTX 1060, and that's good. If you have an outdated GTX 1050, you can compromise by setting anti-aliasing and lighting to medium level, the surrounding world won't change much. But you will get a good FPS boost.
The processor is not so important for this engine, but if you are using a dual-core stone, lags are possible during shootouts or movement of a large number of objects or character models. The CPU is responsible for calculating the movement of each object. There can also be longer loading times.
The storage and RAM work in tandem. The faster this pair, the better the game behaves. The presence of an SSD drive cannot go unnoticed, it will speed up the overall computer operation and make the game smoother, without hangs when moving from one game zone to another. Besides, the game requires a huge space on the disk - 150 GB! The SSD should not only be fast but also capacious.
Graphics Card
As indicated in the system requirements for RDR 2 on PC, the simplest graphics card for the game can be NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770. It was a pretty good card for its time, but its era is behind us. It is not worth buying such old things, moreover, it is dangerous, cards like to fail after long hard exploitation, and new ones like this are not made anymore.
GTX 1060 is already a good option, it is needed for the recommended system requirements for RDR 2 PC. But there are more powerful ones on the market now, for example, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or GTX 1660 Ti. They will give more FPS and in the case of the RTX series allow you to enable ray tracing in games that support it. These are optimal options for FullHD monitors with 75 or more hertz.
More serious options, like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, are already used for monitors with higher resolution or non-standard ones, combining, in essence, several screens, only without frames. This is already a very powerful card, which will allow playing all the new games for the next 5-6 years.
For extreme builds with 4K monitors and more, or a set of several screens simultaneously, it is better to buy an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, and even better - to get a couple of such and link them in SLI mode. You will get such performance that will allow playing all games on “ultra” settings with any screen resolution or screens.
Processor
The most budget builds will work with RDR 2 on minimum system requirements with the i5-2500K processor. It is a very old model, its modern analogue is Intel Core i5-9400F. It is a productive mid-level model, quite suitable for games on FullHD screen without aspirations to "ultra" graphics settings.
The recommended build features a very popular model in its time, Intel Core i7-4770K, this stone is a real legend of gaming builds of its time. Today its analogue is suitable for both recommended and maximum configurations. This is Intel Core i7-9700F has 8 cores with a frequency of up to 4.7 MHz, the best gaming processor of 2019.
If you are aiming for "ultra" requirements for Red Dead Redemption 2 PC, then for extreme builds the latest generation processor Intel Core i9-9900KF is suitable. It is an improved version of the i7-9700F with unlocked additional threads and improved frequency. Such a stone is suitable for those who professionally deal with video processing and streaming.
How Much RAM is Needed
From 8 to 16 GB will be enough, but it is always better to have at least a small reserve so that in case of a shortage the computer does not try to use the storage memory. This has a number of unpleasant consequences. If there is not enough memory in the computer, during the game there will be noticeable slowdowns or consistently low FPS. The second drawback - the game will use space on the hard disk for virtual RAM. If it is an SSD, the lags will not become less, but with such a heavy load, it will quickly fail.
Is SSD Needed?
The system requirements for Red Dead Redemption 2 are silent about the need for an SSD drive, but in fact, it cannot be dispensed with. The game weighs a total of 150 GB, this is a huge amount of data. To search for the necessary files and open them quickly, you need time. The faster this happens, the better, because in this case there will be no hangs in dialogs, when moving to game zones, when riding fast on a horse in a new location.
But SSD drives are not very capacious, it is better to have another HDD in reserve, in such a tandem the computer will work best. The system, games, and programs are sent to the SSD so that all this opens and works faster. And capacious files for long-term storage will be recorded on the HDD.