Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThere is no official final dollar budget for Red Dead Redemption 2 in the cited reporting. Published estimates range from $170 million for development alone to $540 million or $944.2 million when estimated marketing is added. Those totals are models, not Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive disclosures.
What are the published cost estimates?
The figures differ partly because they do not all measure the same thing. Some estimate development labor alone; others add an assumed marketing budget.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Brand New Factory Sealed | $23.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Red Dead Redemption - PlayStation 5 | $24.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Silent Hill 2 (PS5) | $29.50 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Nt8yEvQpL._SL160_.jpg)
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Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game] | $25.79 | Buy on Amazon |
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Marvel's Wolverine PS5 | $69.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| Estimate | Scope | How it was calculated |
|---|---|---|
| $170 million — Michael Pachter, Wedbush analyst, quoted by Dean Takahashi in GamesBeat in 2018 | Development only | 200 full-time-equivalent workers × 8.5 years × an assumed $100,000 annual cost per worker. Pachter cautioned that contributors were not all assigned exclusively to the game. GamesBeat, October 26, 2018 |
| $540 million — Dean Takahashi, GamesBeat, 2018 | $240 million estimated development plus $300 million assumed marketing | The follow-up model assumes 300 people over eight years at an average $100,000 cost per person per year, then adds $300 million for marketing. It is not an audited or company-reported total. GamesBeat, October 31, 2018 |
| $944.2 million — Dean Takahashi, GamesBeat, 2018 | $644.2 million estimated development plus $300 million assumed marketing | The original column derives development labor from an assumed 6,442 employee-years and $100,000 annual cost per employee-year. Takahashi said he did not know whether those assumptions were close. GamesBeat, October 26, 2018 |
GamesBeat’s original and follow-up columns were updated June 19, 2025, but the estimates themselves were published in 2018.
Why do the numbers vary so much?
Estimating the cost of a long game production requires choices about how many people worked on it, for how long, what labor cost is counted, and whether marketing is included. Different inputs produce different totals.
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- From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption
- The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
- Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
- Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
- Interact with every character in the world with more than just your gun;Engage in conversation with people you meet. Your actions influence Arthur's honour;Horses are a cowboy's best friend, both transport and personal companion;Bond with your horse as you ride together to unlock new abilities
Staffing and time are assumptions, not a complete payroll record
The original GamesBeat column reported that production had been underway for seven years and that the team reached more than 1,000 people. Its $644.2 million labor model, however, assumes five fully staffed years after an initial ramp-up. The follow-up uses a different assumption: 300 people for eight years. Neither figure is a disclosed company headcount history.
The follow-up also reported about 2,800 credited contributors. That is a count of people receiving credits, not evidence that 2,800 people worked full time throughout development.
Rank #2
- When federal agents threaten his family, former outlaw John Marston is forced to hunt down the gang of criminals he once called friends.
- Experience Marston’s journey across the sprawling expanses of the American West and Mexico as he fights to bury his blood-stained past in the critically acclaimed predecessor to the 2018 blockbuster, Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Also included is Undead Nightmare, the iconic horror story that transforms the world of Red Dead Redemption into an apocalyptic fight for survival against a zombie horde.
The estimates use different cost boundaries
Pachter’s $170 million model estimates development labor and excludes a separately estimated marketing budget. Takahashi’s $540 million follow-up adds an assumed $300 million in marketing to its $240 million development estimate. His original $944.2 million total also adds $300 million in assumed marketing, but starts from a much higher development estimate.
Accounting treatment can also affect a reported development-cost figure: Takahashi noted that companies make choices about which software-development costs to capitalize and which to expense. The cited articles do not provide an audited accounting breakdown for the game.
Rank #3
- Fully Remade to terrify modern audiences
- KONAMI's intense psychological horror masterpiece SILENT HILL 2 is made exclusively for PlayStation 5
- The main protagonist James Sunderland searches for clues in the namesake town, after receiving a mysterious letter from his wife Mary… who has long been dead
- Experience the eerie monsters and other manifestations of James' consciousness reworked after 20 years
- Made with state-of-the-art technology to play on modern entertainment systems in 4K
What does Rockstar’s employee-weeks figure tell us?
Rockstar’s head of publishing, Jennifer Kolbe, said the company logged 67,000 employee-weeks “this year,” as reported by Takahashi in 2018, in the context of discussion about overtime. Takahashi calculated that as 1,288 employee-years by dividing by 52. That is a one-year figure and the author’s conversion; it is not total labor across the project or a budget disclosure. GamesBeat’s report quotes Kolbe’s statement about weekly hours, but the employee-weeks figure cannot establish the game’s total cost.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did Rockstar confirm that the game went over budget?
Dan Houser, Rockstar co-founder and lead writer, later recalled: “We were over budget so much I didn’t want to think about it.” GamesRadar reported the remark. It indicates budget pressure, but Houser did not state a dollar amount, so it does not confirm any of the published estimates.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Marvel’s Wolverine is a new action-packed adventure from Insomniac Games
- Play as Wolverine and Ravage enemies with explosive brutality and unleash razor-sharp adamantium claws to deploy fast, fluid attacks and overcome impossible odds
- An Original, Emotionally Charged Story. Beneath Wolverine’s gruff exterior and violent temperament is a man fighting for a cause greater than himself
- A Global, Adrenaline-Fueled Journey where you slice into enemies across detailed locales such as the frosted Canadian Wilderness, the narrow streets of Tokyo, and the high and low districts of the island nation of Madripoor
Rank #4
- From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption
- The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
- Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
- Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
