Why Red Dead Redemption 2 never got an official GOTY release

Red Dead Redemption 2 is often considered one of the best video games of all time, something that hasn't changed despite its surprising lack of support for modern hardware. In fact, countless gamers would undoubtedly be willing to shell out an additional $10, $20, or even more for a current-gen version of Red Dead 2Rockstar has seemingly ignored such efforts and left the game more or less unchanged since its release in 2018.

But maybe the players should have seen this coming Red Dead 2 has never received a Game of the Year edition or similar re-release. Game of the Year releases, while not as common as they were during the 7th and 8th console generations, are still a prominent staple in the gaming industry. Typically, they are bundles of a game with post-launch content or Deluxe Editions, used to capitalize on the reputation or popularity of a successful title. Rockstar never released such an edition for Red Dead Redemption 2however, and there are good, if somewhat disappointing, reasons for this.

Not that it really matters, but Red Dead Redemption 2 never actually won game of the year

One can be quick to point out a seemingly obvious reason Red Dead Redemption 2 never received a GOTY release of any kind: it never actually won Game of the Year at the 2018 Game Awards. That honor would go to Sony Santa Monica's soft God of war restart instead. But this is somewhat of a moot point, because Red Dead Redemption 2 won a host of other Game of the Year awards from various stores and organizations. While Keighley's Game Awards is by far the most popular of its kind, it does not have a monopoly on the concept.

But regardless, there is no sacred code that dictates that a game must have won any particular award to receive a Game of the Year edition. Take a stroll through your local retro game store and you'll see evidence of this: countless video games from around 2005-2015 are emblazoned with the “Game of the Year Edition” title, even if they're relatively obscure or poorly received.

Game of the Year Edition is really just another term for “Legendary Edition” or something similar. It is intended to convey greater value than the original release, either through additional content or enhancements of some kind. With that said, Red Dead Redemption 2 never got a Legendary/Special/Anniversary Edition either. It follows that the presence or lack of any GOTY awards has little or nothing to do with why Red Dead 2 does not have a Game of the Year Edition.

Red Dead Redemption 2 never got any DLC to include in a GOTY re-release

The more likely and more depressing reason Red Dead Redemption 2 never received a Game of the Year Edition is its notable lack of single-player DLC. The only significant post-launch content the game ever received was for Red Dead Onlineand the nature of Rockstar's online ecosystem doesn't exactly lend itself to physical releases or specialized packs. This differentiates Red Dead Redemption 2 from its predecessor, which received a Game of the Year Edition in 2011, which included Undead Nightmare DLC.

It is worth noting that Red Dead Redemption 2s online content has had a mixed reception to say the least, making it even less suitable fodder for any sort of special edition or reissue.

Just as many Red Dead fans have long lamented, there is none Undead Nightmare corresponding i Red Dead Redemption 2and therefore there is nothing essential to include in a Game of the Year Edition, or any similar special edition. This is something that Red Dead 2 have in common with GTA 5which also received no single player DLC or a subsequent GOTY release. However, it was re-released twice, with the first next-gen upgrade bringing meaningful changes like a new first-person mode. DLC is probably out of the picture too Red Dead Redemption 2but maybe Rockstar could release a similarly enhanced edition, with some new bells and whistles, sometime down the road.