Rockstar's New PC Launcher Gives You A Free Game Before Red Dead 2 Arrives

Update: You may suddenly have an even better reason to download the Rockstar Games Launcher. Rockstar has announced Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC in November. It will be available to pre-order first from the company's launcher first, and doing so will net you a variety of bonuses like story mode and Red Dead Online content. You can also claim two free games beyond the GTA: San Andreas freebie outlined below by pre-ordering Red Dead Redemption 2 between October 9 and October 22. If you'd prefer to shop elsewhere, pre-orders will go live on October 23 at places like the Epic Games Store and Humble Store. A Steam version will come later, releasing in December. A Google Stadia version of Red Dead 2 was also confirmed and releases as a launch title with the service in November. Check out our Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-order guide or the official press release from Rockstar Games for more info.

The original story follows.

The world of PC gaming has gotten a bit more crowded. Publisher Rockstar Games announced a new PC launcher, and downloading it nets you a free copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for a limited time. You have until October 8 to claim your freebie.

The Rockstar Games Launcher is a one-stop-shop for everything Rockstar Games, from launching titles like L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 to purchasing Shark Cards, Grand Theft Auto V's premium in-game currency. Rockstar's new PC launcher will feature cloud saves, automatic game updates, support for disc-based and digital games (even if they're bought from another storefront), and more. San Andreas is offered for free as a limited-time offer when you download the launcher, which is free to do as well. It's unclear how this launcher will impact Rockstar's games on Steam. It's also unclear if Red Dead Redemption 2 will debut on PC via the Rockstar Games Launcher.

Rockstar isn't the only video game publisher to dive into the PC launcher scene. Fortnite publisher Epic Games introduced the Epic Game Store in December 2018 and has quickly garnered both praise from developers regarding Epic's generous revenue split and complains from some gamers over Epic acquiring exclusives like Metro Exodus and Untitled Goose Game.

The company was accused of tax evasion earlier this summer. According to a report by investigative thinktank Tax Watch UK, the whole of Rockstar paid zero corporation tax in the UK from 2009 to 2018, despite Grand Theft Auto V reaching an estimated total $6 billion USD in its lifetime.