Rockstar
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on PS4 and Xbox One but it has launched missing one key component of the game.
Red Dead Online is notably missing from the official launch of the game. The online mode, if Grand Theft Auto Online is any indication, will probably end up being pretty big so Rockstar is going to want to have that released sooner rather than later.
GTA Online was developed in tandem with Grand Theft Auto V and came out very shortly after the launch of the game. All these years later and GTA Online is still thriving so Rockstar definitely struck gold with that one.
While Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode isn’t out right now it’s not very long until we can get our hands on it.
Red Dead Online Beta Launches in November
According to Rockstar Games, Red Dead Online will have a beta sometime in November but there isn’t much else to share. Here’s what Rockstar writes:
Red Dead Online is planned for launch in November 2018, initially as a public beta, with more news to come soon. As with most online experiences of this size and scale, there will inevitably be some turbulence at launch. We look forward to working with our amazing and dedicated community to share ideas, help us fix teething problems and work with us to develop Red Dead Online into something really fun and innovative.
It’s unclear whether the beta will carry directly into the launch of the online mode so we’ll just to wait and see what happens on that end.
Why Isn’t Red Dead Online Available at Launch?
In a Q&A with IGN, Rockstar spoke on why the online mode isn’t available at launch.
There are a few reasons for this. The first is that even though Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online share the same gameplay mechanics and geography, we see them essentially as separate products that will grow and evolve independently of each other.
We love story-based, single-player games and they are the foundation of everything we do. Red Dead Redemption 2 is an absolutely massive story-based game that we hope people will be lost in for a long time and we want people to experience everything that world has to offer before we build on that with the Online experience. Not to mention, playing through the story and getting to know the controls and mechanics of the game is the best way to get ready for playing inside the world of Red Dead Online.
Also, as we have learned from experience when launching Online games at this scale, there are bound to be a few issues and we want to ensure that we have time to gradually roll out the game and make the experience as smooth as we possibly can for everyone. We believe this way of rolling out will give people the best overall experiences with both single player and multiplayer.
Will Red Dead Online Be Free?
Red Dead Online will be available free of charge to players, provided they own Red Dead Redemption 2. This isn’t a huge surprise but it’s worth mentioning for those who might think the online mode will be standalone.