ESRB Leak Confirms Red Dead Redemption 1 and Undead Nightmare Are Coming to PS5 and Switch 2

Rumor Mill
Written By NLM Team

Well, well, well. What do we have here? A convenient, zombie-filled hole in the release schedule?

It looks like Rockstar is preparing to fill the massive, 12-month crater left by the latest GTA 6 delay with something we've been asking for for years. A new ESRB rating has just popped up, outing a native version of Red Dead Redemption for the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Of course, it's rated "M" for Mature. The rating lists "blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content and use of drugs". But it also mentions one other key word...

'Undead Nightmare' Is All But Confirmed

The rating also specifically mentions "zombies".

That's not in the base game. This means the beloved Undead Nightmare expansion is almost certainly being bundled in. This is fantastic news, but let's be honest, it's the bare minimum they could do.

The Elephant-Sized Hole in the Schedule

Rockstar hasn't breathed a word about this officially, but the timing is just perfect, isn't it?

GTA 6 is now pushed all the way to November 2026. That leaves a massive, 12-month gap in their fiscal year that needs to be filled with something. What better way to plug that hole than with a shiny, native port of one of the most beloved games of all time?

Yes, I know you can already play it. The PS4 version runs on PS5, and the Xbox 360 version runs on the Series X/S via backward compatibility. But this is a native release.

(Of course, we still don't have a native PS5/Xbox Series version of Red Dead Redemption 2, but hey, one thing at a time, right? )

Meanwhile, at the Rockstar Offices...

It's not all sunshine and zombie horses. This "surprise" re-release comes at a pretty ugly time for the studio.

Just last month, Rockstar was getting blasted by fans and its own employees after it fired more than 30 staff. The company claimed they had "leaked confidential company details".

The problem? The fired staffers were all believed to be members of the IWGB union, which led to an open letter signed by over 200 employees alleging this was just blatant union-busting. Workers even held a physical protest outside Rockstar's offices.

Now, the IWGB has confirmed it's filed a legal claim against Rockstar. Rockstar, for its part, has yet to respond.

It's a bad look. And it makes this whole "surprise! new port!" move feel a little less like a gift for the fans and a lot more like a desperate attempt to change the news cycle and plug a hole in their financials.

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NLM Team
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