Red Dead Redemption 2 Companion App May Hint At A PC Release

It looks like more evidence has surfaced that Red Dead Redemption 2 could end up on the PC sooner rather than never, unlike its predecessor Red Dead Redemption. The latest evidence to surface of a PC release comes from a companion app for the game.

The news comes courtesy of Rockstar Intel, which is a site dedicated to tracking information about Rockstar Games. The site is reporting that data miners who have been sniffing around inside the mobile companion app for Red Dead Redemption 2 picked apart the code and found multiple references to a PC version of the game.

The most obvious evidence is is a parameter string that tells the app to automatically connect to various devices, including the Durango, which was the codename used for the Xbox One, and the Orbis, which was the codename for the PS4. The third string in the autoconnect line is for PC.

Also, there's a memory address for a command on the PC version of the game, along with a line that mentions a sign-in for Android devices, iOS devices, and PC devices, which has led many to believe that not only will the game come to PC but that the companion app will also be available on PC.

Now if you think this is some kind of a mistake or a one-off, you might want to reconsider. Back in 2013 when Russian hackers leaked the code of GTA V from the Xbox 360 version of the game, it was discovered that there were strings in the source code for a PC version, along with code referencing both the Orbis and the Durango, which later was revealed to be cross-generational ports for GTA V to appear on the PS4 and Xbox One.

The code also revealed XML data sets for the GTA V online mode, which had not been activated at the time of release, but the data outlined the different modes that would be available and the different platform settings that would be enabled. For instance, the XML config files revealed that the PC version would support more than 16-players per instance, and some of the game modes that would later be included in the game, some of which were exclusive to PC.

Similarly to this situation, the iFruit companion app for GTA V bore fruit in the form of also confirming the PC version of the game.

Now this doesn't mean that Rockstar is going to release a PC version right now. It could still be in development, it could be code for platform testing, or it could be any number of things. What we do know is that some of the patterns that we saw leading up to GTA V appearing on PC is now popping up for Red Dead Redemption 2. And that's not including the retailer listings that have mysteriously popped up for the PC version of the game, as reported by GamingBolt.

For now you'll just have to keep biting your nails while you wait for the potential PC release, or take comfort in playing the Xbox One or PS4 version of the game and not have to worry at all.