Xbox Game Pass adds Red Dead Redemption 2, loses Grand Theft Auto V

By Tyler Treese April 23, 2020

Xbox Game Pass gets a significant shake-up to its Xbox One library as it swaps out Grand Theft Auto V for Red Dead Redemption 2 on May 7.

GTA V’s exit comes suddenly, as it was only added to the subscription service on January 3. Players will have two weeks to wrap up any dirty work that Trevor, Franklin, and Michael have to finish in Los Santos. Alternatively, they can purchase a copy of the game, which is still a top-selling title nearly seven years after release, to continue their Grand Theft Auto Online adventure. Game Pass members can get GTA V for 20% off, putting it at $24 for the base game. Premium bundles and Shark Cards for its multiplayer mode are similarly discounted.

Softening the blow of GTA V’s departure after just four months on Game Pass comes with the addition of Red Dead Redemption 2 on the same day. Players can explore the Wild West on horseback as troubled outlaw Arthur Morgan attempts to define his legacy. Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can play Red Dead Online as well, which allows players to carve out their own path with many lawful and illegal career opportunities.

Red Dead Redemption 2, which came out in October 2018, is the latest Rockstar release followed a month later by a beta of its online multiplayer mode. The full Red Dead Online experience came out in May 2019, and recent updates to the open-world action game include an in-depth photo mode and several story mode missions. Those that sold their copies after completing the game might want to jump back in to take on new bounty hunter tasks and its “To the Ends of the Earth” mission.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the latest high-profile game to join Xbox Game Pass, which includes over 200 Xbox One titles and all of Microsoft’s first-party offerings. A standard subscription for console or PC costs $10, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles Xbox Live Gold, costs $15 a month. A single month of Ultimate is available for $1, but the price jumps back up after the discounted trial period ends.

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When not playing or writing about games, Tyler Treese serves as the Senior Editor at Wrestlezone. An experienced writer that…

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Xbox Game Pass kicks off 2024 by adding an all-time great remake

Mr.X pulling open a door in Resident Evil 2.

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First released nearly five years ago on January 25, 2019, Resident Evil 2 set a new standard for horror remakes. It completely reimagined the original fixed-camera PlayStation 1 horror game as a tense third-person shooter with an intimate over-the-shoulder camera, while still retaining the core elements that made the original great. The influence of Resident Evil 2's remake can be felt not just in subsequent Resident Evil games, but in titles from other developers, like Alan Wake 2, Dead Space, and the upcoming Alone in the Dark remake.

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The hacker who leaked Grand Theft Auto VI has been sentenced

Key art for Grand Theft Auto VI.

The Rockstar Games hacker responsible for the September 2022 leaks of Grand Theft Auto VI has been sentenced in the U.K. Arion Kurtaj, the 18-year-old Lapsus$ member behind the hacks of Rockstar Games, Uber, and Nvidia, was just sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, according to the BBC.

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Gaming

Grand Theft Auto VI didn’t need The Game Awards

Woman at a rooftop pool party.

This past week was one of the most crowded for video game news because of two events: The Game Awards 2023 and the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer. Initially, I was surprised the two weren’t one and the same. GTA 6’s reveal is the most significant game announcement of the year, after all, and Geoff Keighley always seems to be searching for big Elden Ring- or GTA 6-level moments for his show, even if he doesn’t always get those. After taking a step back and looking at how each performed independently of the other, I think both were better off staying separate.
Taking center stage
When it first teased the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer in November, it said the trailer would be released “in early December.” Like many others, I assumed that this meant it would show up at The Game Awards because that tends to be the case when game developers tease an announcement for that window. For example, Focus Entertainment also said a release date for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 would be confirmed “in early December,” and that ended up happening during The Game Awards.

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