Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Major Redfall patch adds 60 fps performance mode, a stealth overhaul, and more

By Tomas Franzese October 6, 2023

Xbox exclusive Redfall just got a major patch. The update adds a long-awaited 60 frames per second (fps) mode to the game, as well as a heap of quality of life upgrades and an overhaul to stealth gameplay.

Among lots of other problems, the dame infamously only ran at 30 fps at launch on Xbox Series X and S. While Arkane Studios promised a performance mode patch was in the works prior to release, it didn’t arrive until today.

Redfall Cover — Bethesda

On October 6, Arkane Studios and Bethesda dropped Update 2 for Redfall. The most notable addition is Performance Mode, which lets players prioritize frame rate over resolution to finally get the game to run at 60 fps on consoles. Simply navigate to the Video tab within Redfall’s settings menu to activate it. The patch notes for this update claim it brings improved stability on PC, in addition to solutions to memory-based crashes and AMD GPU-related graphics corruption. The update also contains some new gameplay tweaks to hopefully make the experience better.

Redfall will now encourage stealth more, as Arkane added the ability to sneak up on and do stealth takedowns on enemies and made it clearer which weapons are silenced in menus. It also added more options for players to fine-tune aim assets and dead zones while aiming, increased the number of enemies wandering the game’s open world, and added unique ping colors for each player in a multiplayer squad. You can check out the full list of patch notes to see the additional tweaks and bug fixes made.

Redfall had a notoriously rocky launch this year, so it was hard for anyone outside of Microsoft to truly know whether or not improvements to the game would actually be delivered. Bethesda’s Pete Hines had previously claimed it wouldn’t abandon the game, and this update is our first real indication that it’s true. While this isn’t a Phantom Liberty-level rework for Redfall, it certainly seems like the game is now in the best condition it’s been in since launch.

Redfall is available now for PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Redfall: file size, release time, and preload options

A screen capture from the Redfall gameplay reveal.

The co-op vampire hunter Redfall from Arkane is about to rise from the grave on Xbox consoles and PC. After some delays, those eager to jump into the titular town as one of four unique survivors won't have to wait long before getting a taste of the action. Aside from loading your guns and sharpening your steaks, arm yourself with the knowledge of when Redfall is coming out, how big it is, and what preload options there are so you can put these undead monsters back in their coffins as soon as possible.
Redfall release time

Redfall will release at slightly different times depending on where you live on May 2, 2023. An official image was released with a full breakdown of when the game will unlock in your region. In fact, if you're in North America, you can start playing as early as 5 p.m. on the West Coast, or at 8 p.m. if you live on the East Coast.
Redfall file size
Want to know if you need to make some space for Redfall? Thankfully, this isn't that big of a game compared to some others. Here's how much storage you need on each system:

Gaming

Redfall won’t get its 60 fps Performance Mode until after launch

Players approach a vampire in Redfall.

Most games for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S let players choose between a Quality Mode that emphasizes resolution and a Performance Mode that ups the frame rate. While Redfall will eventually have both of those, it's only launching with one of them, and it's not the one you'd hope for from a fast-paced shooter.
Arkane Studios took to Redfall's official Twitter account to explain that the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions of the game will only have Quality Mode when the game comes out next month. The Xbox Series X version will run at 30 frames per second at a 4K resolution, while the Xbox Series S version shares that framerate at a lower 1440p resolution. Thankfully, the tweet does confirm that a 60 fps performance mode will come at a later date via an update.
https://twitter.com/playRedfall/status/1646158836103880708
This announcement is disappointing for console players who prefer higher framerates for their fast-paced action games. As Redfall is an intense open-world shooter with lots of combat with flashy effects, the game will potentially feel more sluggish than it should be to play at only 30 fps.
WB Games Montreal's Gotham Knights and Focus Interactive's A Plague Tale: Requiem got into similar hot water last year when they only supported 30 fps on consoles. While those games have not gotten 60 fps updates since their October 2022 launches, Redfall fans can take respite in the fact that the game will eventually get a Performance Mode patch post-launch. If only being able to play Redfall at 30 fps is that big of an issue for you, maybe put off playing it on Xbox Game Pass until that Performance Mode update releases.
Redfall will launch for PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on May 2. The post-launch Performance Mode update does not have a specific launch date yet.

Gaming

Redfall isn’t just a fun vampire shooter. It’s a takedown of the ultra-rich

A screen capture from the Redfall gameplay reveal.

Right before I got to go hands-on for 90 minutes with Redfall, Xbox’s big spring exclusive, creative director Harvey Smith set the stage by introducing a new trailer focusing on the first-person shooter’s story. All I knew about the narrative up until then was that there was some failed experiment that turned a small Massachusetts fishing town into a vampire’s paradise. I’d soon learn that the real catalyst is much more politically charged: A group of ultra-rich elites working at a pharmaceuticals company called Aevum created the vampire disease in a selfish quest for immortality.

Redfall - Official Gameplay Deep Dive