Red Dead Online beta release date: what time does the Red Dead Redemption 2 multiplayer beta start?
The Red Dead Online beta is open to everyone from today.
The Red Dead Online beta rewarded day-one and launch weekend players of Red Dead Redemption 2 by letting them get a head start before it opened up to everyone on Friday. You can now download the beta now - it weighs in at 5.5GB on PS4 and Xbox One.
How to get on the Red Dead Online beta
This is easy enough. The Red Dead Online beta is now open to everyone on PS4 and Xbox One who owns Red Dead Redemption 2. It's free to play.
When you start up the game, just look to the top right of the menu screen and you'll see the option to join the Red Dead Online beta.
Red Dead Online beta - can't connect on Xbox One
If you're having trouble connecting to Red Dead Online on Xbox One even though you have the Ultimate Edition, Rockstar is aware of the issue and working on a fix. Remember, this is a beta and there will be teething issues.
Also, be aware that Rockstar has warned that while Red Dead Online is in beta there's a chance that players might lose their progress and rank.
Red Dead Online modes
Firstly, there will be a maximum of 32 players in each Red Dead Online instance at launch, with players able to form a Posse of up to 8 players. The player count may rise after launch.
If you want to play solo, that's absolutely fine. There will be multiple missions available to play either solo, co-op or competitively, and you should expect these to be given to you by a few familiar faces from Red Dead Redemption 2. In fact, there's a whole bunch of missions available that also take into account your Honor Rating.
When it comes to multiplayer modes, we know of five so far: Most Wanted, Make It Count, Name Your Weapon, Team Shootout, Hostile Territory and a bunch of Races.
Players can hunt, fish and create a camp, and of course, visit all the locations on the map featured in Red Dead Redemption 2.
You'll be able to attack enemy gangs and their hideouts, as well as take on other players and Posses in spontaneous fights. You can even lasso your pals and hogtie them for a bit of BDSM fun.
Looking at the Achievements and Trophies in Red Dead Redemption 2 we can see that players will be rewarded for forming a persistent Posse, much like GTA Online gangs.
There will also be Free Roam events, again, similar to GTA Online, where events kick off in the world every 30 minutes or so. You can choose to ignore them if you wish or join them with other players. Here's how to invite and play with friends in Red Dead Online.
We've started work on an extensive guide to Red Dead Online, including advice on how to form a posse, a look at the microtransactions, how to change your appearance and more.