The recent Red Dead Redemption PC remaster finally brings the beloved western game to the modern age with graphical updates and PC-exclusive features like ultrawide support. With this PC release, Red Dead Redemption is available on Steam – and is therefore officially available on the Steam Deck.

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Red Dead Redemption: How To Use Dead Eye (All Levels Explained)

Here's how to use the Dead Eye in Red Dead Redemption, which makes it easier for players to precisely aim at enemies and land hits on them.

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But despite overall good performance out of the box on the Steam Deck, there are some ways to optimize Red Dead Redemption on Valve's portable gaming PC system. This guide explains just how Steam Deck compatible Red Dead Redemption, and what the best settings are to get the best performance out of Red Dead Redemption on the Steam Deck without sacrificing fidelity.

Does Red Dead Redemption Run On Steam Deck?

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On launch, Red Dead Redemption was not Verified on Steam Deck. Instead, it was listed with the "Unknown" tag for its Steam Deck Compatability rating. In time, it will likely get the "Playable" Steam Deck Compatability rating because of its use of the external Rockstar Launcher and its required Rockstar Account.

Games released on the Steam Deck, Red Dead Redemption included, there are a lot of factors that go into whether a game becomes Steam Deck "Verified" – in Red Dead Redemption's case, the you need to input account information and agree to a series of Terms using the on-screen keyboard.

However, once you get past this initial step, you never need to interact with the Rockstar Launcher again when launching Red Dead Redemption on the Steam Deck. It will automatically log you into your account in the background and boot up the game as normal.

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Red Dead Redemption: How Long to Beat (& Main Mission List)

There are 57 main missions in Red Dead Redemption, and it will take players at least a few dozen hours to finish the story.

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And after the initial set-up step, the game runs pretty much perfectly on the Steam Deck. Red Dead Redemption plays well in both docked and handheld mode, and using system settings you can upscale the resolution to beyond 720p if playing on a large monitor or TV.

But for the best Steam Deck performance, keep RDR at 720p (or even lower, then upscale to Native) and use the settings recommended below.

Best Steam Deck Settings For RDR1 Performance

Red Dead Redemption Steam Deck Deputies Armadillo

Depending on your preferred FPS value, you can play with most settings on their near-highest option at around 30 FPS, or use these optimized settings to run Red Dead Redemption at 60 FPS on the Steam Deck.

You can also run Red Dead Redemption at 40 FPS using Steam Deck system settings. If you reduce your FPS limit, you can turn up some of the Graphics settings listed below without losing frames.

These recommended Red Dead Redemption settings are split into in-game Graphics recommendations and Steam Deck settings you must adjust from the main system menu before launching the game.

How To Get Lasso In Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption: How To Get The Lasso

Players can get the lasso very early on in Red Dead Redemption, which is helpful since it opens up a number of activities.

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Red Dead Redemption In-Game Graphics Settings

  • Screen Type: Windowed
  • Resolution: 1280x800
  • V-Sync: Off
  • Triple Buffering: On
  • HDR: Off
  • Shadow Quality: Medium
  • Shadow Softness: High
  • Shadow Blend: Smooth
  • Anisotropic Level: x8
  • Anti-Aliasing/Upscaling Method: AMD FSR 3
  • Super Resolution: Quality/Dynamic
  • DRS Target Framerate: 60fps
  • Motion Blur Strength: None
  • Geometry Level of Detail: 100%
  • Terrain Level of Detail: 50%
  • Tree Level of Detail: 50%
  • Tree Draw Distance: 100%
  • Grass Level of Detail: 50%

Steam Deck System Settings To Optimize RDR1

  • Frame Limit: 60 FPS
  • Disable Frame Limit: Disabled
  • Allow Tearing: Disabled
  • Manual GPU Clock: Enabled, 1200w
  • Scaling Filter: FSR
    • FSR Sharpness: 2

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Red Dead Redemption
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8 /10
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Released
May 18, 2010
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
Developer(s)
Rockstar San Diego
Engine
rockstar advanced game engine
Franchise
Red Dead Redemption
Genre(s)
Open-World, Adventure
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