Fans so sick of waiting for Undead Nightmare in Red Dead 2 they made it themselves

Arthur faces off against some zombies in a Red Dead 2 mod.

(Image credit: Rockstar North)

In the annals of great DLC, and from a time when Rockstar still made singleplayer DLC, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare holds a proud place. This 2010 expansion re-jigged the game's world as a zombie apocalypse story, with John Marston now out to save his wife and son from the virus while liberating towns from the brain-munching hordes. It was simply fantastic and so, ever since Red Dead Redemption 2's release, players have understandably been wondering: please Rockstar, can we have some more?

Unfortunately Red Dead Online's post-launch support has been somewhat more, well, barebones than players may have been hoping: it largely follows the GTA Online model of re-jigging cosmetics and sales and adding in minor quests. Every Halloween without fail the cry goes up: Rockstar does drop the occasional hint but, so far, doesn't seem to be interested in revisiting that rich, juicy vein.

So: modders have done it for them.

Undead Nightmare II—Origins (was this thing named by Ubisoft?) follows in the line of a plague hitting Red Dead 2's world, and reconfigures certain of the game's towns (currently Armadillo, Blackwater and Coot’s Chapel) to feature zombie hordes and civilians fighting them off (thanks, PCGamesN). The above video shows Arthur and certain armed NPCs running around on the ground while residents hide on the roofs or in certain buildings.

An impressive aspect here is the different lighting systems the modders have implemented to give it that whole 'hell's a-comin' vibe. The mod also adds its own music and some new sartorial choices for the discerning zombie-hunter.

The mod's description reads "the dead have risen, a number of settlements have fallen, and some still stand a chance—it's up to you to either lend a hand, or let them perish" while the 'origins' moniker suggests this is an ongoing project. You can download the mod and find instructions for how to install it here.

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."