Red Dead Redemption 2 sets the record for the biggest opening in entertainment
Eight years of development produce a $725 million weekend
Quick facts
- Released
- 26 October 2018, PS4 and Xbox One
- Opening weekend
- Over $725M in three days, called the biggest in entertainment history (Take-Two)
- Metacritic
- 97
- Lifetime by 2024
- Over 60 million units sold in
What happened
Red Dead Redemption 2 launched for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 26 October 2018, a sprawling, slow prequel about the outlaw Van der Linde gang in the dying days of the American West. Take-Two's earnings release two weeks later reported it: a 97 Metacritic score, over 725 million dollars in retail sell-through in its first three days, which the company called the biggest opening weekend in the history of entertainment, and more units sold in its first eight days than the original Red Dead Redemption sold in eight years. By 2024 it had sold in more than 60 million units.
Why it matters
RDR2 confirmed the pattern GTA V began: Rockstar releases rarely, but each release is an event on the scale of a blockbuster film opening. Its reported development span, roughly eight years, also set expectations for how long the studio's fans would now be asked to wait between games.
How we know
The release date, the 97 Metacritic score, the 725 million dollar three-day figure, and the eight-days versus eight-years comparison all come from Take-Two's own quarterly earnings release filed with the SEC on 7 November 2018; the 60 million lifetime figure comes from the fiscal 2024 annual report. IGN's review, published the day before launch, documents the contemporary reception.
Sources
- IGN. Red Dead Redemption 2 review (IGN, contemporary, 25 October 2018) (2018) · Reputable sourceign.com · The domain "ign.com" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.. Take-Two press release: second quarter fiscal 2019 results (RDR2 records), 7 November 2018 (8-K exhibit, SEC EDGAR) (2018) · Primary source (author-declared)sec.gov · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.. Take-Two Interactive annual report (10-K) for fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 (SEC EDGAR) (2024) · Primary source (author-declared)sec.gov · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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