Why Red Dead Redemption 2 never received an official GOTY edition

Red Dead Redemption 2 is often considered one of the best video games of all time, something that hasn't changed despite its surprising lack of support for modern hardware. In fact, while countless gamers would no doubt be willing to pay an extra $10, $20, or even more for the current-gen version Red Dead 2Rockstar has seemingly ignored such efforts, leaving the game largely unchanged since its 2018 release.

But maybe the players should see it Red Dead 2 never got a Game of the Year edition or similar re-release. Game of the Year editions, while not as common as they were during the 7th and 8th generation of consoles, are still a significant staple of the gaming industry. These are usually bundles of games with any post-launch content or Deluxe Edition content used to boost the reputation or popularity of a successful title. Rockstar never released such an edition Red Dead Redemption 2however, and there are good, if somewhat unsatisfying, reasons for this.

Not that it really matters, but Red Dead Redemption 2 never really won game of the year

One might be quick to point out the seemingly obvious reason why Red Dead Redemption 2 never received a GOTY edition of any kind: in fact, it never won Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2018. That honor would go to Sony Santa Monica God of War reboot instead. But that's kind of a moot point because Red Dead Redemption 2 won numerous other Game of the Year awards from various outlets and organizations. While Keighley's Game Awards is by far the most popular of its kind, it does not have a monopoly on the concept.

But regardless, there is no sacred code that dictates that a game must receive some special award to win the Game of the Year edition. Browse your local retro game store and you'll see the proof: countless video games from around 2005-2015 are emblazoned with the title of “Game of the Year Edition”, even if they're relatively obscure or poorly received.

Game of the Year Edition is really just another term for “Legendary Edition” or something similar. It is meant to convey more value than the original release, either through additional content or some enhancements. with that Red Dead Redemption 2 she never even got a legendary/special/anniversary edition. It follows that the presence or lack of any GOTY awards has nothing to do with why Red Dead 2 does not have a Game of the Year edition.

Red Dead Redemption 2 never received any DLC to include in the GOTY re-release

A more likely and depressing reason why Red Dead Redemption 2 never got a Game of the Year Edition is its notable lack of single-player DLC. The only substantial post-launch content the game ever received was for Red Dead Onlineand the nature of Rockstar's online ecosystem doesn't exactly lend itself to physical releases or specialized packs. This separates Red Dead Redemption 2 from its predecessor, which received the Game of the Year edition in 2011, which contained An undead nightmare DLC.

This is worth noting Red Dead Redemption 2The online content has received mixed reception, to put it mildly, making it even less suitable fodder for any kind of special edition or re-release.

Like many Red Dead fans have long lamented, it isn't An undead nightmare equivalent in Red Dead Redemption 2and thus there is nothing substantial to include in the Game of the Year edition or any similar special editions. That's something that Red Dead 2 has to do with GTA 5which also received no single player DLC or subsequent GOTY releases. However, it has been re-released twice, with the first next-gen upgrade bringing meaningful changes such as a new first-person mode. DLC is probably out of the picture Red Dead Redemption 2but maybe Rockstar could release a similarly enhanced edition with some new bells and whistles at some point.