Best Gameplay Mods For Red Dead Redemption On PC

Key Takeaways

• Modders have enhanced Red Dead Redemption 2 through mods like Unlimited Deadeye and Insta Loot.
• Blood Textures Overhaul adds realistic blood patterns for a more immersive experience.
• John Marston Enhanced and Reality Redemption mods improve character textures and overall gameplay.

Rockstar‘s Red Dead Redemption, the critically acclaimed Western shooter, finally made its debut on PC at the end of October after almost 15 years since its original release. Its successor, Red Dead Redemption 2, received several nominations at the 2018 Game of the Year awards and continues to be cited as one of the most impactful open-world titles in gaming history. Although it’s near-perfect as is, Red Dead Redemption 2 has been further enhanced by mods using a tool known as Lenny’s Mod Loader, which has improved upon the game’s graphics, mechanics, and broadened the horizons of its gameplay.

In just a few weeks, Red Dead Redemption received the same treatment after modders employed a tool called RDR Magic, which was originally used to add mods to the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Now, players are uploading to Nexus Mods daily with mods that are fresh out the fryer to commemorate Red Dead Redemption‘s PC debut. There are new mods being added constantly, but these are arguably the best gameplay mods for Red Dead Redemption.

8 Unlimited Deadeye

Removes The Time Limit For Deadeye Usage

As the name suggests, Unlimited Deadeye makes Deadeye unlimited. When John switches into Deadeye, instead of having a time limit for how long it lasts, he can remain in Deadeye for an infinite amount of time. This allows players to select their targets at a leisurely pace rather than feeling the strain of rushing in just a few precious seconds.

It takes away some of the challenge of Red Dead Redemption‘s gameplay, but it makes hunting a lot easier and overwhelming combat scenarios more manageable. Unlimited Deadeye allows John to shoot several bandits at once or hit a flock of birds out the sky in one sweep. Plus, it feels really cool to use.

7 Blood Textures Overhaul

Adds More Realistic Blood Patterns And More Blood At Once

Similar to the BloodLust mod used in Red Dead Redemption 2, the Blood Textures Overhaul not only adds more blood particles for injuries and executions, but it also makes the blood appear more vibrant and noticeable for more immersive gameplay. All the blood textures in Red Dead Redemption are replaced using this mod to give the game an overall bloodier experience, and even the bullet wounds themselves appear more realistic.

The Blood Texture Overhaul does not add more variations of blood splatters but instead enhances any existing ones, and it’s just a good mod to have for anyone who feels that Red Dead Redemption doesn’t quite abuse the 18 age rating standard to its full extent.

6 Insta Loot

Removes The Animation Of Looting Bodies

This mod is a fairly straightforward one, as Insta Loot does exactly what it says on the tin — it allows John to instantly loot corpses while skipping out on the tedious animation. By standing directly over a body and clicking the “loot body” prompt, John will simply pickpocket the corpse while standing instead of crouching down, and any valuables will be immediately deposited into his inventory.

It doesn’t drastically affect gameplay, but it’s a simple mod that takes some of the hassle out of one of the simplest ways to earn money fast in Red Dead Redemption.

5 John Marston Enhanced

Upscales The Textures Of John’s Complexion

The John Marston Enhanced mod not only upscales the existing textures of John’s complexion, but it utilizes AI-generated renders to replace any of the features missing from his face, such as details of facial hair, scars, and the shape and color of John’s eyes.

On the Nexus Mod page, there is a side-by-side comparison of John’s textures from the original version of the game versus RDR ReModded’s improved textures, which make hair particles more prominent, improve the render of John’s skin, and aims to remove that “grainy” appearance that’s still very reminiscent of an early 2010’s title. The John Marston Enhanced mod even separates each strand of John’s hair, giving it more clarity and making it look a lot less airbrushed.

4 Reality Redemption Overhaul Project

Reworks Textures, Models, Weather Cycles, And More

Overhaul mods usually rework a game’s textures, models, weather cycles, and continuity errors to improve vitality, as well as revitalize its gameplay elements for a more fluid and realistic experience. Although Red Dead Redemption remains one of the best Western titles ever created, a lot of its gameplay feels outdated in the modern era, even with its PC debut polishing the Xbox exclusive.

Reality Redemption has already worked to modify the aforementioned aspects of Red Dead Redemption‘s gameplay, but the creator has a whole list of projects planned, including improving secondary character textures, loading screen textures, tree textures, sky lighting and time cycles, and cliff and rock formation textures. This mod not only brings Red Dead Redemption up to current gaming standards, but it also makes the game easier on the eyes.

3 RDR Reimagined

Renders The Game Using Graphics Similar To RDR2

Similar to Reality Redemption, the RDR Reimagined mod completely remasters Red Dead Redemption‘s graphics to bring the visuals to the same level as Red Dead Redemption 2 using a combination of lighting, color grading, and post-processing tools. Some of the mod’s features include temporal anti-aliasing, global illumination, a sky color in the style of RDR2, improved color grading, and a greater depth of field.

The mod’s creator has informed users that RDR Reimagined will be properly updated for the PC version of Red Dead Redemption, but there are a few issues in need of ironing out with no current time frame for an update. That said, the mod will no doubt be operating at full capacity soon enough. Until then, players can still enjoy a complete overhaul of the game’s graphics to feel as though they’re experiencing everything that made Red Dead Redemption 2 so memorable.

2 PlayStation Buttons

Switches Out Default Xbox Icons For PlayStation Ones

For PC users who prefer to use a PlayStation controller, this mod will switch out the default Xbox icons for their PlayStation counterparts. For example, if John mounts his horse using the ‘Y’ button usually, it will prompt the player to click the triangle button instead. It’s a simple mod that mainly clears up any confusion for players who rely on controllers to make their gaming experience less strenuous.

It’s also a good mod to help console players transfer over to the PC without forcing them to learn the ropes with a keyboard and mouse immediately. This mod will allow players to ease in to Red Dead Redemption‘s gameplay style before stripping away the familiarity of controller settings.

1 No Grass Or Trees

Removes Almost All Foliage To Improve FPS

In Red Dead Redemption, rendering environmental details like rocky textures and foliage can drastically decrease the FPS for PCs that aren’t particularly equipped to run such demanding software for AAA games. With the No Grass or Trees mod installed, most of the greenery in the Wild West will be removed, which increases the FPS and allows the game to run smoother on computers that don’t have the capacity to run the Red Dead Redemption port with the visual settings maxed out.

By removing the grass and trees, less capable PCs should have less trouble running RE Reimagined and Reality Redemption, too, so even the slower systems can give players the best possible rendering.