‘Save Red Dead Online’ Shouldn’t Be Necessary, But It Is

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 21, 2025 5 Views 6 Min Read
'Save Red Dead Online' Shouldn't Be Necessary, But It Is
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It’s always been unfortunate that Red Dead Online never took off in the same way that GTA Online did. It certainly wasn’t for lack of demand or publicity: Red Dead Redemption 2 was an instant success and has proven to endure in the public consciousness years after its initial launch. But whatever the reason, it’s clear that Rockstar isn’t planning on supporting the cowboy MMO in the same way as its urban crime sibling.

But Red Dead Online fans aren’t looking to let the game fade quietly into the night, as a new Change.org petition entitled “Save Red Dead Online” has recently been published. At the time of writing, the petition has just over 6,000 signatures, and that number is climbing rapidly. One can debate the effectiveness of such a petition til the cows come home, but it’s nothing if not a clear indicator of Red Dead Online‘s significance to players around the world, and a lurid manifestation of audience frustration with Rockstar’s treatment of the game. Indeed, in another world, such a petition shouldn’t have been necessary in the first place, but the seemingly doomed fate of Red Dead Online has left fans with no other option.

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For Better or Worse, “Save Red Dead Online” Is Necessary

Red Dead Online Has Never Gotten the Same Attention as GTA Online

GTA Online has proven to be a massive success, to the point where its continued support is often cited as the reason behind the long wait for Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 6. Regular and substantial content drops have made GTA Online an ever-changing community gaming experience, and while many have critiqued it for adulterating GTA‘s identity, its cultural impact is undeniable. Simply put, GTA Online rakes in players, and by extension, money, by the truckload, making it a staple in live-service gaming.

But this success wasn’t achieved by accident, nor did it occur purely by virtue of GTA 5‘s open-world crime premise. Those who were around for the early days of GTA 5 back in 2013 will remember a very different, much more quaint online gaming experience, one that was decidedly similar to the baseline GTA 5 experience, but with friends. It was only after years of substantial updates, bringing with them fresh narrative content, new vehicles, game modes, features, and all manner of other transformative factors, that GTA Online became the goliath that it is today. With Rockstar not throwing its full weight behind Red Dead Online in the same way, it’s no wonder that it hasn’t achieved the same level of popularity.

It May Not Be GTA Online, but Red Dead Online Is Worth Saving

The neglect of Red Dead Online is so bitter because of its inherent potential. Something akin to GTA Online, but in the more sober, expansive, and natural world of Red Dead Redemption 2, is rife with unique possibilities, some of which include:

  • The ability to purchase and customize homesteads
  • Large-scale cooperative heists
  • More experimental or outlandish horse races
  • Undead Nightmare fantasy content

This is to say nothing of the fact that many of Red Dead Redemption 2‘s nuanced single-player features, like being able to rob civilians at gunpoint and order meals in restaurants, are absent from RDO. Collectively, Red Dead Online‘s slew of missing features is puzzling, and sends the message that Rockstar has little faith in a multiplayer project that millions of players are clearly invested in. Whether this is true is difficult to know for sure, but it’s not hard to imagine a better, bigger, and more detailed Red Dead Online. Community actions like Save Red Dead Online are working toward that dream.

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