Published Jul 12, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT
Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.
Whether or not you liked Red Dead Redemption 2 will probably shape how excited you are for GTA 6, as there is already an incredibly high likelihood that the latter will inherit the former’s emphasis on realism in gameplay. And while we have yet to receive a genuine gameplay reveal for Grand Theft Auto 6, it looks like Red Dead Redemption 2 has gotten one of its best upgrades ever.
Many gamers adore Red Dead Redemption 2’s realism, while others ironically find it less immersive, especially when ‘realistic’ animations or mechanics become unrealistic within the context of gameplay (being unable to cancel mounting and dismounting a horse, for example). Horses, in particular, can be a great source of tedium, and one new ‘upgrade’ that Red Dead Redemption 2 has received allows players to alleviate that.
Over on Nexus Mods, fans will never again need to experience the agony of horse stamina in Red Dead Redemption 2. Dubbed Unlimited Horse Stamina, user OhCorby’s mod ensures that horses no longer drain stamina or require a break to regenerate stamina:
A QoL mod that removes stamina drain from your horse, meaning it will always be full and never require you to slow down to regenerate.
This is a perfect example of how realism can sometimes be considered a detriment in games. It may be less realistic for a horse to have unlimited endurance and gallop endlessly, but players having to stop or slow down periodically arguably isn’t a fun way for games to balance that. Thanks to mods for Red Dead Redemption 2, these sorts of issues can be mitigated.
Some gamers despise stamina in every way, shape, and form, no matter which game it is implemented in, for this same reason. Plus, you’d probably be hard-pressed to find a gamer who would legitimately prefer to be stalled or interrupted by the inauthentic friction of stamina demands, rather than simply being able to travel freely to their destination in an open world like Red Dead Redemption 2’s.
Red Dead Redemption 2’s realism will be blamed wholly if Grand Theft Auto 6 plays similarly and fans decide they dislike it. However, there are obviously going to be plenty of Red Dead Redemption 2 fans who are praying that GTA 6 plays like a modern-day crime sim with a sandbox that doubles the number of opportunities for realism that Red Dead Redemption 2 had in the American frontier.
Systems
Released October 26, 2018
ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Engine RAGE
Multiplayer Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play N/A
Cross Save N/A
English (US) ·