Red Dead Redemption 2 Fix John Marston’s Face for PS5 Edition
Nearly eight years after its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 remains a towering achievement in open-world gaming. With a 97 Metacritic score and over 82 million copies sold worldwide, Rockstar’s magnum opus is widely considered one of the greatest games ever made. Yet for all its meticulously crafted detail, one peculiar flaw has nagged at observant players for years: the face of John Marston in the epilogue.
As Red Dead Redemption 2 approaches its potential PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S debut, fans are hoping Rockstar will finally correct this lingering inconsistency .
The Epilogue Problem: Why Does John Look Different?
In Red Dead Redemption 2‘s epilogue, players take control of a younger John Marston, the beloved protagonist of the original 2010 game. However, sharp-eyed fans noticed immediately that something was off. His face shape, neck thickness, and even his posture seemed subtly wrong compared to his appearance in the main story .
The explanation, uncovered by data miners and modders, is surprisingly simple: Rockstar used Arthur Morgan’s character model as the base for epilogue John, applying John’s textures over Arthur’s frame . The result is a John Marston who looks like a close cousin rather than the iconic gunslinger fans remember. His neck is thicker, his face is broader, and his signature hairstyle behaves differently than intended .
In the main game’s earlier chapters, when John appears as an NPC, his model is correct—leaner, with a more defined jawline and properly scaled proportions. The discrepancy has fueled years of modding efforts, with creators building entire restoration projects to give John back his intended appearance .
What a Next-Gen Edition Could Fix
If the rumored PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions arrive in 2026, players are hoping Rockstar will address this long-standing issue .
“I am expecting the bare minimum with a full price tag,” admitted one Reddit user in the original article. “If I am proven wrong, I’ll be delightfully surprised.” Another added: “I’m expecting absolutely nothing besides a 4K mode and 60fps patch. But my hope tells me it’s taking so long because the game wasn’t complete on release, and the cut content is being partially restored.”
Beyond the character model, a proper current-gen upgrade could deliver features the community has craved for years:
- Native 4K resolution and stable 60fps performance, finally freeing the game from its 30fps cap on consoles
- DualSense controller features, including adaptive triggers for weapons and haptic feedback for horse riding and gunfights
- Enhanced 3D audio to fully immerse players in the sounds of the Wild West
- Bug fixes and stability improvements, addressing lingering glitches that have persisted since the last major update in March 2024
If the rumours are true and rdr 2 is getting a ps5 upgrade are you expecting them to also fix epilogue johns character model?
by u/Dude_788 in reddeadredemption
Is the PS5 Edition Actually Happening?
The rumors have persisted for years, but recent insider reports suggest movement behind the scenes. YouTuber and insider Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly claimed he knows “eight different developers at Rockstar Games who have worked on Red Dead Redemption 2 next-gen” and is confident “it will come at some point” .
More recently, prominent leaker NateTheHate responded to a fan question about the game’s release window with a succinct but promising answer: “As far as I know, RDR2 is this year” . This contradicts other speculation that the enhanced edition might slip to 2027 as Rockstar focuses on Grand Theft Auto VI .
Rockstar itself has remained silent, as always. But the company’s recent release of a native PS5 version for the original Red Dead Redemption in December 2025 has only intensified speculation that its sequel will receive similar treatment.
Also, Read
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Next-Gen Update Rumors Have Fans Hopeful
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Hidden Detail? How Honor May Shape a Pivotal RDR2 Moment
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Gets Official Mod Support, Paving the Way for a New Era
For now, fans of Arthur Morgan and John Marston wait—just as they have since 2018. But with each passing rumor, the hope grows that when the definitive version of Red Dead Redemption 2 finally arrives, John will look like himself again.