Another Rockstar Launcher leak points to Grand Theft Auto 6 and Red Dead Redemption coming to PC
The addition of BattlEye anti-cheat to GTA Online delivered a little more than expected.
We assume that Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PC, although it's so far only been announced for consoles, and we've also recently seen signs that the 14-year-old Old West adventure Red Dead Redemption is finally headed our way too. Today we got more—not evidence exactly, but signs that it's happening courtesy of the new addition of BattlEye anti-cheat software to GTA Online.
The integration of BattlEye in GTA Online necessitated an update to the Rockstar Launcher, and that's where the latest secret morsels were found. Rockstar Games reporter Tez2 first noted that the update "accidentally included the metadata for RDR1 PC."
Rockstar accidentally included the metadata for #RDR1 PC with today's launcher update too.Steam App for RDR1 PC:https://t.co/BKGFQR1b1F https://t.co/Rd1WRoxFI5September 17, 2024
Red Dead isn't the only thing that slipped out in the launcher update. As noted by RockstarIntel, the update also included a folder called "Americas." Close followers (or those with access to Google) will know that Project Americas is, or was, an internal codename for GTA 6 that was first reported back in 2018. A PC version of GTA 6 is expected, but the presence of that folder could be a sign that it will finally be made official sooner rather than later.
A Red Dead Redemption folder also appeared in the immediate wake of the update, adding yet more fuel to the fire that a PC version is in the offing. In May, Tez2 found code in the Rockstar Launcher suggesting a PC port is in the pipe, and then in August Sony just came out and announced it, sort of, on the PlayStation Store of all places, before quickly dialling it all back and pretending nothing had happened.
So nothing is carved in stone at this point, but the signs are continuing to point to RDR and GTA 6 coming to PC at some point in the relatively near future. And Rockstar Launcher leaks have some history of being correct: A September 2021 update revealed that a remastered Grand Theft Auto trilogy was on the way, and just a few days later, bam, there it was.
I've reached out to Rockstar for comment and will update if someone decides to leak a response my way.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.