Picture Credit: Rockstar Games
John Marston’s time on Netflix is almost up. Red Dead Redemption, one of the biggest games Netflix has ever landed, is leaving the Netflix mobile games library on December 2nd, 2026, a year after it was added.
The game was confirmed for Netflix in November 2025 and arrived on December 2nd, 2025, complete with the Undead Nightmare expansion and a new mobile-friendly control scheme, though no multiplayer. It also marked the game’s mobile debut.
We’ve Been Down This Trail Before With Grand Theft Auto
If a one-year stay for a major Rockstar game sounds familiar, that’s because Netflix has already been through this with Grand Theft Auto.
The trilogy of Definitive Editions landed on Netflix in December 2023 as a big exclusive mobile release. Just a year later, Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City left the service, becoming the first major departures from the Netflix Games library. San Andreas, Netflix’s second-most-played game at the time, hung on for another year before it left in December 2025, just days after Red Dead Redemption arrived to take up the Rockstar mantle.
| Rockstar game | Added to Netflix | Leaving date | Time on Netflix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto III | December 14th, 2023 | Last day to play: December 13th, 2024 | 1 year |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | December 14th, 2023 | Last day to play: December 13th, 2024 | 1 year |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | December 14th, 2023 | Last day to play: December 12th, 2025 | 2 years |
| Red Dead Redemption | December 2nd, 2025 | Leaving December 3rd, 2026 | 1 year |
That puts Red Dead Redemption on the shorter track, at least for now. Netflix could still strike a last-minute deal to keep it around, but as we noted with San Andreas, that has only happened once before, and it only delayed the game’s departure by a few months.
Why Is Red Dead Redemption Leaving Netflix?
Netflix hasn’t said why the game is going, but licensing is the most likely explanation. When we asked about the GTA departures, a Netflix rep told us: “Just like with series and film, games will be removed from Netflix as licenses expire.”
It doesn’t look like a question of popularity, either. Appmagic estimated the Netflix edition had around 3.3 million installs after just over five weeks, while a later Sensor Tower estimate put the mobile game past 10 million downloads by February, with most coming through Netflix. On the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call, co-CEO Greg Peters said the game was delivering the “same kind of performance that we saw in GTA.”
Still, the removal fits a pattern we’ve been tracking for almost two years. Netflix has removed more than 50 games from the service since December 2024, and the last few weeks alone have brought news of Shadow and Bone: Enter the Fold shutting down and Farming Simulator 23 leaving after three years. Meanwhile, the company’s focus has shifted toward cloud games on your TV and kids’ titles.
That said, Netflix hasn’t stopped chasing big names on mobile entirely. Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise is on the way, following the same big-IP playbook as the Rockstar deals.
Where Can You Play Red Dead Redemption After It Leaves Netflix?
As with other Netflix Games removals, the app will stop working once the date passes, even if it’s still installed on your device. If you’re partway through Marston’s story or still fighting off the undead, aim to wrap up by December 2nd to be safe, as the last day to play on recent removals has fallen the day before the listed departure.
The game isn’t leaving mobile altogether. Rockstar also sells a standalone version on the App Store and Google Play, which launched at $39.99 (or £39.99 here in the UK!). There’s the same significant caveat we saw with San Andreas, though: don’t expect your Netflix save to come with you.
For everything else on its way out, see what’s leaving Netflix in December 2026, and for what’s left to play, check out our full list of games on Netflix.
Are you disappointed to see Red Dead Redemption leaving Netflix after just a year? Let us know in the comments.
