When you think of the gritty realism of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2, you might not immediately associate it with the bombastic battle royale gameplay that the cartoonishly-coloured Fornite has popularised. But, nonetheless, those two things have now been mashed together: today’s update to the Red Dead Online beta has added a battle royale game mode, which is going by the moniker Gun Rush.
Red Dead Online launched in November 2018, allowing players to roam the digital wilderness in posses of up to 16 players. At the time of this launch, numerous challenges and events were available to any gamers with internet access, the appropriate game pass and a copy of Red Dead Redemption 2. The lack of a battle royale mode was notable when Red Dead Online first went live, but now Rockstar has decided to add one in.
Gun Rush, we’re told, will “put your survival instincts to the test”, tasking players with “gathering weapons and ammunition while the play area shrinks”. Up to 32 players can partake in a game, either as solo contenders (in a ‘Free For All’ battle) or two rival groups (in a ‘Team’ battle).
Although this may sound like a rather full-on online offering, Rockstar insists that Read Dead Online is still very much at the beta testing stage. The developers are still open to feedback, and promise that further updates are on the way. These future updates will apparently include new Races and Showdown modes, Daily Challenges, Parley Changes, Proximity-Based Player Blips, Law and Bounty Upgrades, new emotes and clothing, and all-new Story missions for A Land Of Opportunities.
That stuff is all coming soon, but Gun Rush is available today. Happy battling!