Grand Theft Auto Online is alive and well, and obviously, the next GTA 6-powered incarnation will make silly money. But what about its Western-themed sibling? If you’re wondering whether Red Dead Online is dead or not, I’ve got the answer.
Here’s What You Need to Know About Red Dead Online’s Status
If you’re a fan of multiplayer Western adventure, you’ll be happy to hear that Red Dead Online, Red Dead Redemption 2’s online component is still running. But Rockstar has all but abandoned it. As reported back in July 2022, the developer has ceased development of new content or events.
So, going forward, any events the game gets are strictly on loop. Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto Online is still getting new content. That’ll stop at some point, but one would expect the company to keep updating GTA Online well past GTA 6’s launch, stopping maybe a year down the line.
Related: Rockstar Will Release First GTA 6 Trailer in December
There’s no indication that Rockstar is going to shut down Red Dead Online, though it’ll happen at some point. Profitability will be a major factor. There’s no doubt that Red Dead Redemption 2 made money for Rockstar. It was reported as being the 8th best-selling game of all time.
What matters long-term is whether the income from Red Dead Online’s Gold Bars, the equivalent of GTA Online’s Shark Cards, is enough to justify keeping it online. Well, that and the publicity hit they’d take from flipping the switch. The fact that Rockstar has stopped coming up with new content suggests it’s not been the moneymaker it was hoping for.
Is Anyone Playing Red Dead Online?
The good news is that there are still people playing Red Dead Online. I went online at three different times of day, and each time, I found myself sharing a world with between 17 and 19 other people.
The game does support up to 32 players per server, but that’s not a ghost town by any stretch of the imagination. And given that PvP is optional, you don’t have to worry about immediately being murdered by another player.
That said, after starting from scratch (having switched from the Xbox to the PlayStation version), I was murdered by a cougar five minutes in. It was partly my fault – I’d forgotten that, as a multiplayer game, dead-eye wouldn’t actually slow time down.
Related: Rockstar Reveals Partnership with Grand Theft Auto Roleplay Devs Amid Excitement for GTA6
And while it had been a while since I’d played, I was having fun. I got a buzz out of seeing other players roaming around doing their own thing. And there’s a definitely a following online, including on Reddit. Did it hook me enough that I’d be back regularly? Not quite, but I can see myself returning every now and then.
So, no, Red Dead Online is not dead – it just doesn’t quite have the pull or the popularity of GTA Online. However, if you’ve got Red Dead Redemption 2 sitting around, it’s worth stepping into the Wild West just to see if the life of an online gunslinger takes your fancy.
