Rockstar has released the first details about Red Dead Redemption 2‘s online mode.
First off, it doesn’t sound like you’ll be able to access Red Dead Redemption 2‘s online mode when the game launches on October 26th. Instead, a public beta for the mode will launch sometime in November. This is similar to what Rockstar did with Grand Theft Auto V‘s online mode.
Additionally, it sounds like Rockstar is going to treat this mode as a pure beta. That means that they expect some “turbulence at launch” (according to a press release) and plan to work with the first group of players when it comes to perfecting the game as well as fixing any tech problems that might linger. In case you are wondering, you will be able to access Red Dead 2‘s online beta – and presumably the full mode – for free of charge as long as you own a copy of the game.
As for what Red Dead Online is… well, that’s still something of a mystery. Rockstar describes it as “the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative gameplay in fun new ways.” It will use Red Dead Redemption 2 “as a foundation” and will constantly be updated with new content that will allow it to “grow and evolve this experience for all players.”
It’s not much new information, but it does tell us quite a bit. First off, the original Red Dead‘s online mode was seen by many as a kind of predecessor to GTA Online. If this new online mode will indeed emulate the “classic multiplayer experience” of the original game, that means that it just might resemble GTA Online in many ways while, perhaps, placing a greater emphasis on its individual competitive modes. We also fully expect that you’ll be able to form a gang at some point during the online mode’s development.
Now that we know the online mode’s vague release date, we fully expect to hear more about this mode in the next few weeks.