Skip to main content

Will ‘Red Dead Online’ release this week or will it be delayed?

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Updated 11/25/18 to reflect that the image found was from an intro sequence, not a trailer.

Red Dead Redemption 2 continues its reign as one of the best selling games of the year, as well as one of the best reviewed. Fans have been waiting impatiently for the release of the online multiplayer mode, called Red Dead Online, which is supposed to be opening in beta mode in November. However, the lack of announcement of a date for the beta release means that some are skeptical whether the multiplayer mode will actually be made available this month.

Recommended Videos

The multiplayer mode was announced as a large free expansion that would be made available to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players, and would be playable either alone or as part of a party. A trailer for the mode was expected to drop to give players a first look at the action, based on an image that was found by snooping around Rockstar’s website which appeared to be a still from an intro sequence according to rockstarintel.com. Other tidbits found in the game’s companion app were that Red Dead Online will feature anniversary modes, which are probably similar to Grand Theft Auto Online’s player-versus-player challenges, and that private sessions and seamless PvE will be possible.

Although developers Rockstar Games haven’t given a beta release date yet, they also haven’t officially announced a delay to the multiplayer mode. So it isn’t yet clear whether the mode will be arriving in the next week or not. It could be that Rockstar hasn’t shared an announcement because of the Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday sales, which have been dominating the news and the attention of many technology fans and gamers.

Another theory is that because the game has sold so well, being the second best-selling game of the year so far despite its late release date, the sheer number of players wanting to join the beta has required Rockstar to iron out server issues ahead of time before allowing players in.

More specific details about Red Dead Online were uncovered by the site RockstarIntel and suggest that the first mission will be jailbreak-themed and that once you complete an online mission, you’ll get an award image which will appear on your social club.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
GTA Online players can set up a bounty hunting business in huge summer update
Two GTA Online characters in body armor standing in front of a jail cell with a person in it.

GTA Online is getting a huge update this summer that includes plenty of quality-of-life improvements. More importantly, it's giving players even more to do if they want to play around with their own definition of morality and justice.

While the update doesn't have a release date or window yet, Rockstar Games introduced some details in a blog post published Wednesday. Arguably, the biggest addition is the ability to set up your own bounty hunting and bail enforcement business. You'll also be able to help Vincent out with a bunch of off-the-books missions across Los Santos.

Read more
3 new PS Plus games to play this Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27)
Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Memorial Day is coming up, so you're probably wondering what games you should play on your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 over the holiday weekend. Lucky for you, a new batch of games were added to the PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra game catalog earlier this week, and it brought plenty of games well worth your time. Three in particular stand out to me; download them today and try them out over the next few days.

The first is a Western from Rockstar Games that needs little introduction and is a must-play if you haven't experienced it yet. The next is an open-world game that kick-started a new series for Ubisoft and turns 10 next week. Finally, a retro PlayStation 1 game that just came to PlayStation Plus Premium offers up a good time if you enjoy sports or racing games.
Red Dead Redemption 2

Read more
You can play this 2018 open-world hit for free if you have PlayStation Plus
Arthur Morgan walks into a burning house in Red Dead Redemption 2.

If you somehow haven't played the 2018 open-world classic Red Dead Redemption 2 yet and you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, we have good news. PlayStation announced in a blog post Wednesday that the game will be available for free for the Plus program's Extra and Premium tiers.

Subscribers can play this massive hit, along with 12 other games, starting on May 21.  Users will also get access to Red Dead Online, the game's multiplayer experience that allows players to create their own character and mess around inside the world as they see fit -- from forming a group of outlaws to rob people on the road to hunting animals.

Read more