I treated myself to the Red Dead Redemption mobile port, but there's one thing I should've picked up too

Red Dead Redemption playing on an Android phone, with a PS4 and controllers in the background. — (Image credit: Future)

As someone who wasn’t old enough to play it when it came out, I naturally have fond memories playing the original Red Dead Redemption – so when the remaster was announced I was naturally ready to download it on day one.

That’s right – if you somehow missed the news, Red Dead Redemption was remastered for modern consoles, but it’s also available on Android or iOS. It’s a fair bit more expensive than your average mobile game, but it’s free to Netflix subscribers, who can download it from the service's app on phones or tablets.

However, having tried to drag myself through Undead Nightmare’s opening few missions, one problem with the port is making me wish for the ole’ PS3 I first played it on. Thankfully, it’s a problem easily solvable with one little extra that you can pick up first.

Keeping in control

That little extra is a mobile game controller, so that you don’t need to rely on touch controls for mobile titles.

There are loads of options out there, including ones which hold your phone like a dock, ones which you pair with your phone via Bluetooth to hold it separately, and then standard console controllers which you can also use on mobile. You can visit our list of the best mobile controllers to see various picks we’d recommend.

Our favorite currently is the GameSir G8 Galileo, which is comfortable to use and works seamlessly with a range of mobile gaming services. I haven’t personally used it on Red Dead… but I wish I had.

Touchy controls

Naturally for a mobile game, Red Dead Redemption relies on on-screen controls for you to direct John Marston. There are different buttons to aim, shoot, movie, jump, duck down behind cover; anyone who’s played mobile games gets the picture. But Red Dead isn’t a mobile game, it’s a console one ported to mobile, and so it has far more different controls than can feasibly be shown on a phone screen.

My few hours with Undead Nightmare were… well, a nightmare. So many different icons pop up that it’s hard to work out which each would be, or remember where each will show up when you’re needing to press them in a hurry. And it’s almost impossible to aim and shoot at the same time due to where the buttons are placed. I spent an hour stumbling around like a drunkard, missing almost every shot and repeatedly getting swarmed by zombies.

If I’d have bought a gaming controller for my phone before trying to play Red Dead Redemption, I would’ve bypassed all these issues. When I’ve used controllers on other games, it’s been such a fluid and easy experience that I felt like I was playing a handheld console – and that’s how Red Dead should be experienced.

As an experiment I also tried Red Dead on a tablet, and the experience was, if anything, worse. The awkward controls were spread out over a larger area, and I had to contort my hands into some weird positions to do anything. I would’ve loved a controller even more then – although it’s worth noting that most mobile controllers don’t work on tablet, since they act as a cradle for the deve too.

Christmas is coming up and if you’re wanting to use the break to enjoy the new mobile port, I couldn’t recommend enough buying a controller to make the most of it.

See all mobile controllers at Amazon

We're also rounding up all the best Xbox Series X controllers and the best PS5 controllers for something more traditional, or check out the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers for more portable play.

Tom Bedford is a contributor who's been writing about tech, gaming and entertainment for over 7 years. He was on the team at TechRadar and WhattoWatch, two of GamesRadar's sister brands, before becoming a freelance writer in late 2025.

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