Red Dead Redemption Is Officially Switching Genres In October

Published Sep 25, 2026, 11:47 AM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

Red Dead Redemption is still alive and kicking after all these years, even as Rockstar Games remains silent on the next chapter in the acclaimed Western franchise. The original Red Dead Redemption officially expanded to PC in 2024 before getting dedicated PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 versions in December 2025, alongside its debut on mobile as well.

Those newer console editions introduced improvements including 60 FPS gameplay, enhanced image quality, HDR, and resolutions reaching 4K, and gave players an excuse to dive back into the original adventure again.

While Red Dead Redemption 2 still hasn't been given a proper current-gen console upgrade as of 2026, Red Dead Online continues to get regular support through rotating bonuses, returning content, and events, including newer additions such as Strange Tales of the West and ongoing monthly activities throughout 2026. However, players can almost certainly count on Red Dead Redemption 2 returning in October with what will constitute a major shift in genre.

Red Dead Fans Will Be Shaking In Their Boots This Fall

Red Dead Redemption 2 may be best known as a sprawling Western, but this Halloween, it will almost certainly make another temporary switch into full-blown horror. Rockstar has yet to officially announce Red Dead Online's 2026 Halloween event, but the developer has established an incredibly consistent seasonal tradition over the past several years that basically assures an announcement is on the way soon.

Halloween-themed content has returned virtually every year, with 2023 bringing back All Hallows' Call to Arms, Dead of Night, Fear of the Dark, and The Halloween Pass 2. The 2024 celebration continued the trend while introducing new Bodyguard Telegram Missions, and Rockstar once again transformed the frontier in October 2025.

Last year's event leaned especially heavily into horror, with All Hallows' Call to Arms challenging players with waves of supernatural enemies across battlegrounds including Van Horn and Bronte Mansion, while Fear of the Dark and Dead of Night returned as part of the rotating Featured Series. The Halloween Pass 2 also came back with its collection of macabre cosmetics and rewards.

That makes another horror takeover in October 2026 a fairly safe bet. Rockstar is still supporting Red Dead Online with monthly events in 2026, including a new September event announced earlier this month, so there has been no indication that the seasonal rotation is ending. Even if this year's event largely revisits familiar content, Halloween should once again briefly turn Red Dead Redemption 2's Wild West into something closer to a supernatural survival-horror experience.

What About Red Dead Redemption 3 Though?

Red Dead Redemption 3 remains unconfirmed, but there are increasingly good reasons to believe Rockstar will eventually return to the series after Grand Theft Auto 6. Take-Two's May 2026 investor report described the company's upcoming slate as the strongest development pipeline in its history, including 15 projects based on existing core IP, eight of which are sequels. Importantly, those numbers cover Take-Two as a whole rather than Rockstar specifically, so they cannot be treated as confirmation that RDR3 is among them.

For now, GTA 6 remains Rockstar's only officially announced major upcoming game, launching November 19, 2026, in case you needed a reminder. Since Take-Two's August update doesn't list any other future Rockstar projects, that leaves a major question over what the studio tackles once GTA 6 and its post-launch support are firmly established.

Red Dead would make plenty of sense, even if it's pure hopium at this point. Take-Two reported that Red Dead Redemption 2 has now sold more than 85 million copies worldwide, while the wider series continues to rank among the company's biggest money-makers.

None of that confirms Red Dead Redemption 3, and another Rockstar property could easily come first. However, given Red Dead Redemption 2's extraordinary longevity and Rockstar's small pool of active blockbuster franchises, another trip to the Old West remains one of the most logical next stops for the studio after GTA 6.