The empire builders at Rockstar Games have a foolproof plan: build a critically acclaimed title, put it on most platforms, and then build a multiplayer game around it.
As GTA V pivoted into GTA Online, Red Dead Redemption 2 – currently enjoying a 97 on Metacritic – is about to get its own multiplayer mode: Red Dead Online. The beta, which begins tomorrow and builds to a full release on Friday, will bring the world of RDR2 online.
Rockstar Games has reportedly adjusted the campaign’s cities, towns, and inhabitants to make it “ready to be shared by multiple players”.
From the press release:
Built from the ground up for the latest hardware, Red Dead Online blends the classic multiplayer of the original Red Dead Redemption with the best of everything we have learned since then about creating deep multiplayer experiences. The result is something completely new and fun, and an experience that will continue to expand and evolve over time as we gain valuable feedback from our community in the Beta period.
The launch of the Red Dead Online Beta is the first step in what will be a continually expanding and dynamic world, and the beta period will allow us to deal with the inevitable turbulence of launching any online experience of this size and scale.
Explore the world solo or with friends. Form or join a Posse to ride with up to seven players; gather around the fire at your Camp; head out hunting or fishing; visit bustling towns; battle enemy gangs and attack their hideouts; hunt for treasure; take on missions and interact with familiar characters from across the five states; or fight against other outlaws in both spontaneous skirmishes and pitched set-piece battles; compete with other players or whole Posses in open world challenges and much more.
Here’s the release schedule for the Red Dead Online Beta:
Owners of RDR2: Ultimate Edition: you’ll get access tomorrow, Tuesday 11/27 at 8:30am EST.
If you played RDR2 on launch day: you’ll get access on Wednesday 11/28.
If you played RDR2 within the first three days: you’ll get access on Thursday 11/29.
For everyone else: Red Dead Online launches on 11/30.
However, Rockstar is using the beta as a server stress test, so be sure to report any bugs or issues!