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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