Rockstar Games has a reputation for creating rich, expansive worlds in their games.
Yet, one surprising decision still puzzles fans: they never released any downloadable content (DLC) for Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2).
While Red Dead Online brought some additional content, it’s hard to ignore the lack of single-player expansions for the highly acclaimed game.
Fans Still Long for a Sadie Adler DLC
The original Red Dead Redemption (RDR) gave players extra content, including the widely celebrated Undead Nightmare expansion.
However, even though RDR2 is over six years old, fans continue to hope for DLC.
A popular suggestion from the community is a DLC centered around Sadie Adler, one of the game’s standout characters.
On platforms like Reddit, threads asking Rockstar to create a Sadie-focused storyline appear regularly.
For example, in a thread from last September, one user shared:
“A Sadie DLC that takes place after the epilogue just makes perfect sense. The second one could’ve been a Charles or Javier DLC that also takes place after the epilogue,” said Redditor Denderf.
Despite this enthusiasm, Rockstar has yet to deliver any expansions for RDR2.
Why No DLC for RDR2?
The absence of RDR2 DLC is puzzling, especially given the game’s massive success.
As of June 2024, it has sold around 67 million copies, making it one of the best-selling games of the last decade.
With numbers like that, adding extra content seems like an easy way to boost profits.
So, what happened?
The answer may lie in the overwhelming success of another Rockstar title: Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V).
The GTA V Effect
Since its release, GTA V has become a juggernaut in the gaming industry, selling over 205 million copies as of September 2024.
Its online mode, GTA Online, continues to generate enormous revenue.
Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, likely prioritized the consistent income from GTA Online over creating DLC for RDR2.
Instead of investing resources into single-player expansions for RDR2, Rockstar doubled down on GTA Online updates, leaving Red Dead fans with little to look forward to outside of Red Dead Online.
Looking Ahead: Will RDR3 Bring DLC?
While it’s frustrating for fans of the Red Dead series, it seems unlikely that Rockstar will revisit DLC for RDR2.
Perhaps the hope lies in a future Red Dead Redemption 3 delivering the expansive content fans crave.
Until then, fans can only dream of what could’ve been—a Sadie Adler adventure, a Javier storyline, or even an epic post-epilogue expansion.
Maybe one day, Rockstar will surprise everyone and give this beloved game the extra content it truly deserves.
