Red Dead Online launched in beta on November 27, 2018, a month after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. Initially threadbare in terms of content or direction, Red Dead Online received a series of updates before and after the push out of beta and into its full launch in May 2019. Never reaching the same level of player retention or profitability that Grand Theft Auto Online achieved, Rockstar made the tough decision to wind down support for Red Dead Online in July 2022, shifting resources to the development of Grand Theft Auto 6. The decision came as a massive disappointment to fans who still play the game daily, with Steam Charts putting the average concurrent player count at nearly 2,000 over the month of November.
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User TheRolePlayerX, one of Red Dead Online’s premiere players, took to TikTok in response to a comment that they had been cheating. In the posted video, TheRolePlayerX lounges on a couch, wearing an outfit very on-brand for Red Dead while they defend themselves from the accusation. With over 5,000 in gold and nearly a million dollars in-game, TheRolePlayerX reveals their method for success was as simple as they come. “Get out there and grind,” they state, then prove the claim by sharing a total played game time in Red Dead Online of 410 days. Other boasted stats include over 11,000 player kills, and 562 of the possible 667 awards won in Red Dead Online.
Although Red Dead Online never reached the same highs as Grand Theft Auto Online in terms of quantity of content, for players like TheRolePlayerX, it offered a gameplay experience unlike any other, and the decision to halt support for the game mode is a tough pill to swallow. With an amount of time played typically only seen in MMORPGs, there was something special about the wild west simulator that spoke to a certain demographic. With the Red Dead Redemption 2 modding scene, there is some hope that fans may one day be able to add their own content and custom servers to Red Dead Online, but for now, fans will have to keep grinding on the content currently available.
Despite the lack of support moving forward, Red Dead Online is a fairly complete package, with plenty to get out and do, either with friends or solo. The insane level of commitment from players like TheRolePLayerx demonstrates how much the game means to some people and the level of enjoyment Red Dead Online still provides for thousands of gamers.
Red Dead Online is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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