Rockstar has created a massive online community in Grand Theft Auto and while not as large, Red Dead Redemption has a similar focus for the development team.
Beginning on December 1st, Red Dead Online will be a stand-alone title available for free download on all platforms. Players who choose to download and play RDO will have the option to add the story as a paid add-on. As an introductory offer, RDO will be available for $4.99 through February as communicated on Rockstar’s Blog:
Red Dead Online will be available from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Rockstar Games Launcher, Epic Games Store and Steam at an introductory offer of $4.99 – which is 75% off the regular price – until February 15, 2021*. Please note that PlayStation Plus and/or Xbox Live Gold are required to play. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Red Dead Online will be playable via backward compatibility on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series hardware.
The new standalone version of Red Dead Online will require up to 123GB of disk space and will also include the option to unlock Red Dead Redemption 2: Story Mode (purchased separately).
The Bounty Hunter expansion will also introduce the next online pass and a wealth of new content.
And Bounty Hunters across Red Dead Online will have an influx of fugitives to deal with, as the Bounty Hunter Role is enhanced with new criminals to track down and Prestigious level equipment and skills to unlock across 10 more Bounty Hunter ranks. There will also be new Legendary Bounties and a 100 Rank Outlaw Pass.
And those new to the game can prepare for next week’s big update by commencing the hunt to take down the frontier’s current crop of notorious reprobates. Meet up with the Legendary Bounty Hunter in the town of Rhodes to procure a Bounty Hunter License and get started.
Our Take
Given the direction of the industry, it seems to make sense for developers to begin separating their story content from on-going online communities. In our opinion this is a smart move and presents more options to players in how they consume content. New to RDO but looking to jump in? Be sure to check out our updated analysis of the game here.
