As Red Dead Online approaches the end of 2024, opinions on its value as a game experience are more mixed than ever. While Rockstar has largely ended active development and support, it still has a dedicated community, occasional seasonal events like the recent Halloween celebration, and a fan base willing to defend its merits.
However, new players must weigh the game’s appeal in terms of content availability, community atmosphere, and gameplay challenges before diving in. Red Dead Online‘s community remains one of its biggest assets and many players still find solace in the shared experience and enjoy the world Rockstar created even if updates are now limited.
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Red Dead Online’s Golden Era vs. 2024’s Reality
In its prime, RDO used to thrive. There were new content releases, with fresh missions, roles, and challenges. Rockstar introduced various roles, such as the Bounty Hunter, Trader, and Moonshiner, and almost every new update would add a unique gameplay angle and progression path. Sessions were full of active players, and the whole online multiplayer atmosphere mirrored the grandeur of Red Dead Redemption 2’s single-player experience.
Ever since Rockstar games announced they were scaling down support, updates have become scarce, with no substantial additions to gameplay. While a few minor events and updates trickle through, the community has largely resigned itself to playing with what’s already there. The once-full lobbies are often quieter, and player interaction is reduced. So for the original players who were used to the actual bustling Wild West, things aren’t the same. At the same time, there’s room for fun.
The 2024 Player Experience Varies by Platform
The RDO game has its pros and cons, depending largely on the player’s platform and tolerance for certain issues. For instance, on consoles, it offers a relatively smooth experience with minimal interference from hackers. The game is still engaging, with limited griefing, and that allows new players to enjoy it and blend in at an acceptable pace.
On PC, however, the situation is more complicated. The game is loaded with modders and game hackers who are there just to disrupt the gameplay. Being teleported, blown up, or otherwise harassed by malicious players is very common. For those determined to play, workarounds like private lobbies or solo public sessions are becoming more suitable options albeit adding extra steps to an already tedious experience.
There’s Enough Fun Content for New Players
Despite these challenges or modders, a lot of whom are usually just AFK, RDO still offers a wealth of content, particularly for new players. There still are multiple roles and progression paths, and it can take dozens of hours to explore everything the game has to offer fully. There’s content to experience up to around rank 150, and that means new players have plenty of material to enjoy without quickly exhausting all there is to do. That said, the content’s replayability might also diminish over time, especially for those used to regular content drops in other live-service games.
Although the game was initially available inside the RDR2 bundle, Red Dead Online has been a stand-alone purchase for a long time. It’s currently priced at $19.99 on Steam and Rockstar stores. However, the game also often goes up on sale at ridiculously low discounts. The fact that Rockstar gave it a Halloween event this year backs up the fact that the game is still enjoyable and can be a relaxing experience.
Those interested in roleplaying or who enjoy revisiting classic online multiplayer games would still find Red Dead Online a fun time pass. Players can team up with friends to take on bounty-hunting missions, run moonshine operations, or track down legendary animals. Whether players are hunting for rare treasures, or being naturalists to interact with wildlife, there’s still a lot to do. Not to mention Red Dead Online’s scenic environments and open-world setting still allow for a nice unwinding adventure at the end of the day.
Step into the vibrant, ever-evolving world of Red Dead Online and experience life across frontier America.
Forge your own path as you battle lawmen, outlaw gangs and ferocious wild animals to build a life on the American frontier. Build a camp, ride solo or form a posse and explore everything from the snowy mountains in the North to the swamps of the South, from remote outposts to busy farms and bustling towns. Chase down bounties, hunt, fish and trade, search for exotic treasures, run your own underground Moonshine distillery, or become a Naturalist to learn the secrets of the animal kingdom and much more in a world of astounding depth and detail.
Join millions of fellow players in the American West, and experience a world now packed with years’ worth of new features, gameplay and additional enhancements.
- Released
- May 14, 2019
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs and Alcohol