Red Dead Online

Red Dead Online is the multiplayer component of the 2018 video game Red Dead Redemption 2. Played from a first- or third-person perspective, the game is set in an open-world environment featuring a fictionalized version of the United States. Player progression in the single-player story does not affect Online. Upon entering the game world, players customize a character and are free to explore the environment alone or in a "posse" group.

Players can participate in organized activities with or against members of their posse, or against other groups. As players complete activities throughout the game world, they receive experience points to raise their characters in rank and receive bonuses, thereby progressing in the game. Camps can be temporarily set up throughout the world, either for an individual player or a posse, where players can rest, access their wardrobe, craft, cook, and fast-travel.

The narrative takes place in 1898, one year before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. The player takes on the role of a silent protagonist who is arrested for murder and imprisoned in Sisika Penitentiary. Six months into their sentence and awaiting execution, their prison transport is held up by a band of hired guns. The group's leader, Horley (Larry Bull), escorts the player to his employer, the widow Jessica LeClerk (Lisa Datz), who reveals the player was unfairly accused of murdering her husband Philip, who she suspects was actually killed by his business partners: banker Jeremiah Shaw, landowners Amos and Grace Lancing, and Grace's brother, outlaw Teddy Brown (Daniel Stewart Sherman). Jessica enlists the player's help to avenge Philip's death in exchange for proving their innocence, and allows them to leave.

After the player is provided with a camp and some work, they meet with Horley in Blackwater; he advises them to work with the local sheriffs and earn some money while he investigates Philip's murder. Eventually, Horley tells the player to seek work with either U.S. Marshal Tom Davies (Mike Keller) or mercenary Samson Finch (Julian Rozzell Jr.), depending on the player's honor level. If the player has high honor, Davies enlists the player's posse to join the hunt for Mexican bandit Alfredo Montez (Emilio Delgado); with low honor, Finch has the player's posse prove themselves for an upcoming job by helping him rob a factory during a labor strike and exact revenge on his former partner, who is protected by a corrupt garrison.

Red Dead Online was developed by Rockstar Games in tandem with the single-player story; the development team considered both single-player and multiplayer while creating the world but focused on the former. Though Red Dead Online and Red Dead Redemption 2 share assets and gameplay, Rockstar views them as separate products with independent trajectories, reflected in its decision to launch the multiplayer title separately. The development team took lessons learned from the multiplayer of Red Dead Redemption (2010) and applied those with the best elements of Grand Theft Auto Online (2013), particularly in regards to introducing narrative elements to a multiplayer title. The team sought to translate elements of the single-player story to Red Dead Online, overhauling them for an online space. Producer Rob Nelson felt, while the team's experience on Grand Theft Auto Online helped with the foundations of Red Dead Online, the differences in direction, pace, and scale demanded a different overall approach, slowly leading the player into the world with smaller steps instead of the fast pace of Grand Theft Auto Online.

Red Dead Online's public beta opened for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 27, 2018, to players who owned a special edition of the base game, and then progressively opened to all owners. The progressive release was a choice by Rockstar to mitigate any major performance issues by the influx of players. Rockstar added and adapted several modes during the beta stage, and made changes to the balance and economy. Player progression in the public beta carried over when the beta ended on May 14, 2019. Alongside the base game, Red Dead Online became available for Windows on November 5, 2019, and for Stadia on November 19.

Red Dead Online received criticism at launch for its in-game currency rewards for activities, with players complaining they were too low for the cost of goods and upgrades. Some players calculated a single gold bar could take an estimated eight hours to earn in the game. Rockstar agreed to re-balance the game's economy following complaints. Similar complaints emerged about the griefing taking place in the game; Rockstar fixed these issues by making player visibility dependent on their proximity and behavior. The Verge reported several users who played as black characters had been targeted by griefers posing as Ku Klux Klan-inspired clans or slave catchers who often called them racial slurs.

GameStar's Christian Just felt Red Dead Online carried most of the strengths of the single-player, effectively fulfilling his childhood fantasy of cowboy life. VG247's Matt Martin criticized some balancing issues but attributed them to the beta status, overall finding the game more enjoyable than Grand Theft Auto Online from both a technical and gameplay perspective. The Verge's Andrew Webster found Red Dead Online's battle royale mode more tense than games like Fortnite due to the smaller player count and slower playstyle. Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) named King of the Castle the best game mode.