Red Dead Redemption 2 on Game Pass: Why It Left and If It Returns

If you are opening Xbox Game Pass in 2025, typing "Red Dead Redemption 2" into search, and wondering if you are losing your mind because everyone online talks about it like a must play, you are not crazy.

Here is the simple answer up front: Red Dead Redemption 2 is not on Game Pass right now. Not on console, not on PC, not on cloud. If you want to play it today, you have to buy it.

The part that confuses people is that it really did show up on Game Pass once, then vanished. So you might be remembering an old library, not a glitch.

Is Red Dead Redemption 2 on Game Pass Right Now?

Right now Red Dead Redemption 2 sits in the Xbox store as a normal paid release. There is no "Play with Game Pass" badge, no special banner. The only Game Pass line you will see is about needing a subscription for online multiplayer, which is just about the service, not the game being included.

On PC it is the same deal. It is not part of PC Game Pass. If you want Arthur Morgan on your desktop, you are buying it from the Microsoft Store, Rockstar, Steam, or wherever you like during a sale.

So if you are scrolling the Game Pass library thinking "it has to be here somewhere," it does not. The service is working. The game really is missing.

When Red Dead Redemption 2 Was On Game Pass

Red Dead Redemption 2 has a short, oddly quick history with Game Pass.

• It was added to Xbox Game Pass for Console on May 7, 2020.

• It left again in early September 2020, after roughly four months.

That is the whole run. One short stay, then back to full price.

Rotations like that are normal for Game Pass. Licenses end, deals are timed, and big third party games often dip in for a few months instead of staying forever.

What makes Red Dead Redemption 2 sting a bit more is the kind of game it is. It is not a quick weekend blast. It is a slow burn that wants you to ride, hunt, talk to people in camp, and take your time.

If you want the long version of why I think it is worth that kind of time, I broke it down separately as "the slowest game I ever loved". That piece is all about how it feels to live in the game for hours, not sprint through it.

Now imagine discovering that kind of slow burn through Game Pass, only to have the game pulled four months later while you are halfway through chapter four. That is the experience a lot of people had, which is why so many still hope it comes back.

Could It Return, Or Should You Just Buy It?

Right now there is no official sign that Red Dead Redemption 2 is returning to Game Pass. Microsoft has not announced anything, and Rockstar is not hinting at a Game Pass deal.

Could the game come back someday? Yes. Rockstar has moved its games in and out of subscription services before, and RDR2 is exactly the kind of "big name drop" that makes a Game Pass month look good.

If it does return, it will probably be tied to some bigger moment, like:

• A technical update or next gen style upgrade for Red Dead Redemption 2.

• A limited push to get more people back into Red Dead Online.

• Cross promotion around a massive Rockstar release like GTA 6.

That is just common sense guessing, not secret info. The only safe assumption is that if Red Dead Redemption 2 ever does ride back into Game Pass, it will probably be temporary again.

So what do you do if you want to play it now?

• On Xbox, grab it digitally or on disc and watch for sales.

• On PlayStation, same story, minus any talk of Game Pass.

• On PC, wait for a big seasonal sale and pick it up where you prefer to play.

It is a big game in every sense. The install is chunky, and the story takes its time. That is also why I think it is one of those rare games where buying it once makes more sense than waiting years for the right subscription logo.

I would love to see it come back to Game Pass one day. It is the perfect kind of "try it, get hooked, suddenly it is your main game for a month" experience.

Until then, though, the only way to saddle up is to own it. And if the way it plays ends up working for you, you probably will not regret that you did not wait around for a deal between Microsoft and Rockstar to tell you when it was worth your time.