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Red Dead Redemption 2 is beating GTA 5 on Steam, but Rockstar is done

Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam sales are suddenly surging, putting it above Grand Theft Auto 5, but Rockstar has abandoned RDR2 for GTA 6.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam sales: A man in a cowboy hat, Arthur Morgan from Rockstar sandbox game Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam sales are surging right now, as the Rockstar western leaps up the charts for Valve’s store, overtaking Cyberpunk 2077 and even Grand Theft Auto 5. Nevertheless, while the tale of Arthur Morgan and John Marston is clearly still popular, updates to RDR 2 seem increasingly unlikely, as Rockstar shifts all its development efforts towards GTA 6. Based on sales and player statistics, there is still life left in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online, but it seems all attention is on Grand Theft Auto 6.

The Grand Theft Auto 6 release date is definitely coming, one day, but an official Rockstar announcement for the new sandbox game is still absent. The developer says it has shifted focus onto GTA 6, and recently re-released the Halloween Pass 2 for Red Dead Redemption 2, marking the third year in a row that players have been offered the same downloadable material. It seems unlikely that RDR 2 will get a real, new update now, but nevertheless, the open-world shooter just jumped up the Steam charts, overtaking GTA 5, Cyberpunk 2077, Elder Scrolls Online, and other big hitters as players keep Red Dead Redemption 2 alive.

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On the Steam sales chart for the United States specifically, Red Dead Redemption 2 has jumped 75 places to number 16. GTA 5 meanwhile sits at number 42, with Dead by Daylight at number 18, and the superb Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty at 21. On the Steam global chart, Red Dead Redemption 2 is performing even better. It’s currently number nine in the world, above Cyberpunk 2077 at number ten, new city-building game Cities Skylines 2 at number 11, and GTA 5 at number 31.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam sales: A comparison of GTA 5 and RDR 2 on Steam

Red Dead Redemption 2’s Steam player base is also still healthy. RDR 2 hit an all-time peak of 70,914 players around nine months ago. In the last 24 hours, 57,300 people have played Red Dead Redemption 2 on Steam, relatively close to its lifetime record. Grand Theft Auto 5 is still winning the player base battle, though, with more than 151,000 Steam players in the last day.

A former Rockstar developer recently explained to PCGamesN their hopes for the GTA 6 map, and how it should be similar to the Liberty City of Grand Theft Auto 4.

You can also keep Los Santos alive with the latest and greatest GTA 5 mods, or look to the future with all the GTA 6 cheats we’re expecting to see.